Wacky Word Work
When I learned spelling in my school days, everyone had the same list and worked at the same pace out of the same book. Every week, we got a new list of 10 to 20 words, even if we failed the most recent test.
These days, that just doesn’t fly. My students are too diverse and have such varying abilities–it’s bad practice to make them all learn the same lists of words. And it’s bad practice to move on without developing mastery on a list. I have six students in my language arts class, and they are split up into four spelling groups. Now that may sound like insanity, and maybe it is, but with the help of my para it happens every week. I’m going to give you a glimpse into my classroom to see how we manage our spelling and work work time.
At the beginning of the year, my students and I build stamina for independent work. I use the ideas and methods outlined in the book The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades by Gail Boushey and Joan Moser. We build our stamina minute-by-minute during the first one to two weeks of school until we’ve reached 15 to 20 minutes of uninterrupted work time. During this time, we use a list of last year’s sight words or words from one of my read-alouds so they can practice working with high success.
During this initial two-week period, I assess each student individually to determine their developmental level in spelling. I use the resources found in Words Their Way by Donald R. Bear, et. al. I group students who have similar needs into the same spelling group; however, my groups are fluid. If students need extra time, or a greater challenge, I provide it.
Now it’s time to learn some words! Here’s my weekly break-down:
Monday: Students get new lists featuring a specific pattern or rule (long-e patterns, adding s to words that end in y, etc.). I take two spelling groups, and my para takes 2 groups. We each have a fairly independent group and one that requires more assistance. The students with good decoding skills ask for help if they are stuck; we guide the other students through their lists and model a word sort. Students repeat the sort on their own, and copy the sorted word into their word study notebooks.
Tuesday and Wednesday: Students practice their spelling words using a method of their choice. We have magnets, Play-Doh, wooden letters, individual white boards, and Wikki Stix. Students may request an early test on Wednesdays. If they make errors, the incorrect words are retested on Thursday.
Using Play-Doh to practice words in a tactile way
Finished Play-Doh words
Doing a word sort with the wooden letters. Vowels are red, consonants are blue.
Thursday: Spelling tests. Incorrect words are carried over to the next week.
That is a brief summary of the organized chaos which is my spelling rotation during language arts. Questions, comments, scathing reprimands?? Leave a comment!
Great! Do the kids need to understand the word meaqnings or is this simply spelling tests? do you keep data on the students use in later work?
They need to understand the meaning, which is actually decently easy because they learn the signs for the words. At the end of the test, they must also choose 2 to 3 words to use correctly in a sentence. Some students also choose to draw a picture for each word during weekly practice.
I keep the tests throughout the year. If they ask me to spell a word for them that they’ve already learned, I keep mum and remind them that they’ve learned it. That typically jogs their memory. But thanks for the suggestion about checking later work–I should go through their writing journals and look specifically for spelling words to see if they pop up correctly. Thanks!!
Great idea–the playdough. I think I will try that. Thanks for your post!
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