Language and Word Study
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I based my language and word study program on Fountas and Pinnell's work in Guiding Readers & Writers Grades 3-6, and Word Matters. They have GREAT resources, and their work is really the basis of my philosophy of education. This is just a an oversimplified version of my teaching based upon their research and resources. Language and Word Study includes spelling, the study of parts of speech (nouns, verbs, etc.), handwriting or cursive, editing, vocabulary, and so on. In an ideal situation, I would spend 30-60 minutes each day on word study. A typical language/word study schedule is as follows: MONDAY: I teach a spelling lesson on Mondays. The lesson covers one concept that the students need to work on, are struggling with, or are ready to learn. Some concepts are making plurals, adding suffixes (endings) or prefixes, vowel patterns, and consonant sound patterns. I teach the concept, then students and I generate a master list of words with that pattern (I keep a cheat sheet of words right beside me just in case). Students then return to their seats, choose six words from the list to put on their own weekly spelling word list. The other four words on their individual list come from the High Frequency Words list. I check each list and students copy their list into their planners. Next, students build the words. In my classroom, students use magnetic letters or letter tiles made from laminated cardstock to build their words. Usually on Mondays, the spelling lesson lasts almost 60 minutes, which includes: the lesson, generating list, checking, copying, and building. TUESDAY: The students spend 15-20 minutes practicing their words by doing “Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check.” This is a method to study words where students copy a word into the first column of a three-column paper. Look at it, say it, and cover it up. In the next column, write the word again, this time without looking. Uncover it and check again. If it is correct—GREAT JOB! If not, try it again in the third column. If you did get it correct in the second column, try it in cursive in the third column or write it again to get the word in your mind! Repeat the entire process for each word, one word at a time. When done, I might also do a vocabulary lesson from a book we have read, focus on parts of speech, editing, handwriting, or other language/word study lesson based upon books we have read, student learning needs, or the next step in their learning. WEDNESDAY: Wednesday is another language or word lesson. These lessons are short, quick, and to the point. Afterwards, students work with their spelling buddy to do a buddy check test. Each student has a spelling partner in our class. Partners are paired up with similar spelling abilities. They give each other tests, however I help in any way possible and grade the tests. THURSDAY: Thursdays are for making connections. Students find connections, or links, between their spelling words and other words they know. For example, if I an trying to learn the word “Europe,” I would know that it ends with “rope,” and begins with a capital E, like in East. Following this practice activity, I would again do a short language or word study activity. FRIDAY: Finally, we wind the week up with spelling tests and poetry. The students give and take spelling tests with buddies then turn the tests into me to be graded. I have found this is the best way to manage 20 different spelling lists, and it gives students the opportunity to practice saying and seeing more words with the spelling concept. I monitor the teams as they test. I cannot say that I have not ever had someone try to cheat, but I can tell you that kids are honest. Buddies tell me if their partner is not testing appropriately. My feeling is that if a student feels he or she needs to cheat, I am probably teaching something that is beyond the ability of that student at this time. And I should reteach the concept in a way the student IS ready to learn and CAN do successfully. After students have completed testing, and I have collected them all, we move on to poetry time. This is where we read poems, look at and listen to the language, the image it creates in our minds, and what e can learn from the language used in poems. In general, I try to stay away from rhyming poems, like Shel Silverstein. While Silverstein has wonderful qualities and the kids enjoy his works immensely, for instuctional purposes, I use works from the like Robert Frost, Emily Dickinson, and Naomi Shihab Nye. Shel Silverstein has a place in my classroom and in my heart, but it is not always the best example to showcase the variety of language and word study lessons that can come from poetry.
OTHER TIDBITS: Ideally, I would have 45-60 minutes daily to teach language and word study, but with shortened schedules this year, spelling word practice will probably be a homework assignment and should take no more than 10-20 minutes nightly. Language and Wordy Study lessons in the classroom will focus more on the parts of speech, editing, vocabulary, and so on. Links to Resources Phonics & Word Study Mini Lessons by Fountas & Pinnell (I am lucky enough to have this program in my classroom!) A funny poetry site for teachers and kids www.poetryteachers.com |