Word Study
Word study is a systematic exploration of spelling that also helps students develop their word knowledge. An important part of this program is the student's interaction with words and their features rather than the rote memorization of a specified list of words. Students will be asked to spell any word that contains the specific features being studied not just those on the word cards. These features are organized into the five developmental stages in which students learn to spell.
At first grade most of our students will be working at the Emergent stage [ focusing on developing knowledge of the alphabet and an awareness of the sounds that make up spoken words], the Letter Name stage [ focusing on associating letters with their appropriate sounds or Within Word stage [learning to chunk parts of words and learning to use patterns to spell single syllable words]. Students may work within a specific stage for more than one year.
Goals for the Word Study Program
Students will learn to:
1. Use spelling strategies to assist in spelling unknown or unfamiliar words.
2. Use common patterns in spelling.
3. Spell words correctly that are frequently used in writing .
4. Use and extend their word knowledge.
5. Apply word study skills in their reading and writing.
6. Use word study cards to review the feature of the week.
Gansky, Kathy, 2000, Word Journeys, New York, NY: Guilford Press