The Wonderful World of Word Study Washington Township Public Schools

Stages of Spelling Development IEmergent Spelling IILetter Name (LN) Spelling IIIWithin Word (WW) Pattern Spelling IVSyllable Juncture (SJ) Spelling VDerivational Constancy (DC) Spelling

Stage I: Emergent Spelling Includes the writing attempts of children who are not yet reading; Pretend writing with scribbles or random marks; No relationship between the letters used and the sounds represented;

Stage II: Letter Name Spelling Rely on the names of letters to spell words Spellers seek out the letter name that most closely matches the sound they are trying to reproduce Initial and final consonants; initial and final consonant blends and digraphs; short vowels

Stage III: Within Word Pattern Spelling Learners at this stage are able to chunk parts of words and process them in a more automatic fashion Vowel-consonant-e, R-controlled vowel patterns, other common long vowels, complex consonant patterns, and abstract vowels

Stage IV: Syllable Juncture Spelling Spellers at this stage use most vowel patterns in single-syllable words correctly Polysyllabic words become the instructional focus Doubling and e-drop with -ed and -ing endings; other doubling at the syllable juncture; long vowel patterns and r- controlled vowels in the stressed syllable

Stage V: Derivation Constancy Spelling Last stage of development and one that continues through adulthood Words at this stage are related and derive from the same root Students learn to preserve the meaning units of derivationally related words (music / musician)

Feature Inventory Administer Feature A for Within Word Score Feature A 2 pointsentire word is correctly spelled 1 pointtargeted feature is correct; entire word is not 0 pointsTargeted feature is incorrect

Feature Inventory Determine a student’s Stage Score using the Feature Inventory  Count the number of correctly spelled words (those with a score of 2)  Stage scores cannot exceed 25, since there are only 25 words  Observe student’s performance

Feature Inventory Stage Score (correctly spelled words) Observations Secure Understandings : The speller is competent and confident at this stage and demonstrates firmly developed understandings. (MOVE TO THE NEXT STAGE!) Stage of Development : The student is confronted with new spelling issues that challenge existing understandings. (KEEP IN THIS STAGE!) Below 12 (but with strong scores, 22-25, on the previous stage) Early Stage of Development : Although there is much at this stage that the speller hasn’t yet figured out about the spelling system, the student has a solid base of understandings from which to progress. (KEEP IN THIS STAGE!) Below 12 Too Much Is Unknown : Without a firm understanding at the previous stage, scores below 12 reflect an overload of new issues. (DROP TO PRIOR STAGE!)

Analyzing Feature Performance Each stage contains 5 features (Each feature contains many patterns.) Identify the five words on the inventory for a specific feature Count the number of words in this feature with a score of 1 or 2 Record the results at the bottom of the answer sheet Continue the process for all five features on the stage inventory

~ Recording Results ~ The Class Record Arranging the papers – all students in WW Stage get grouped together, etc… Entering the names – Start with DC spellers and enter their names down the left side of the class record. Continue with SJ, WW, and then LN. Recording the stage scores – Transfer each student’s stage scores to the appropriate columns of the chart. Some student’s stage score space will be blank at this time. Determining a total inventory score – Stage scores are needed for all four stages in order to ascertain the total inventory score. To obtain stage scores for lists that were not dictated, do the following: Assume a stage score of 25 for all stages preceding one with an achieved score of 20 or greater. Assume a stage score of 0 for all stages following one with an achieved score of 11 or less. Total inventory scores will range from 1 to 100.

Class Record

~ Recording Results ~ The Student Profile Used as a long-term record of individual student performance. The profile highlights word knowledge at three different levels – the feature, the stage and the total inventory. The directions for completing the Class Record apply to filling out the student profile.

Student Profile

Classroom Management You will most likely have 3 groups in your class (DC, SJ, and WW). You will need three different sorts – one each for DC, SJ, and WW. One group may be so large that you may have to break it up into two smaller groups. You now have to meet with 4 groups (DC, 2 SJ, and WW). Name your groups (Ex: Dynamos, Supers 1 & 2, Wonders)

Classroom Management Meet with a group during word study work time or any other time during the day when possible such as a work period for students. Teach words to a group using a type of sort such as closed, open, blind, writing, speed, or concept.

Word Sorts Closed Sort – word sort that relies on predetermined categories for classifying words Open Sort – a categorizing of words or pictures according to a student’s own judgment Blind Sort – students are not allowed to see the words they are sorting but must depend on sound and their knowledge of the associated pattern to determine word placement Writing Sort – words are written down on paper under appropriate categories, headed by key words. This is usually done independently or in a small group Speed Sort – word or picture sorts intended to help students internalize spelling patterns through repeated, timed trials; sorting of the features becomes automatic

Classroom Management Word Study is not a Monday to Friday program. Students may be working on their words for 2-3 weeks. During these 2-3 weeks, you need to meet with each group (DC, SJ, WW) a minimum of 2 times – once to teach the words and once to assess the students. Consider meeting with one group a day while the other groups rotate through word study related stations. Teach students various activities to practice words.