Word Works Routine

Last week was our first week of "word works", the last part of Daily 5 that we had yet to practice and build stamina.  Word Works is what some would call "spelling" but is done in a different format that probably most of us did when we were in elementary school.

Word Works is a five day routine in which students apply different modes of learning to better understand and apply not only a sound or rule, but a spelling concept.  This week, students practiced each a given sound or rule in the following manner:

Day 1:  The class is introduced to a sound or pattern and creates a class list as guided by teacher.  Each student then selects a given amount of words from the list that will challenge them to practice and apply the sound or pattern.  The list is approved by the teacher to make sure each student is not selecting what I call "easy cheesy words" for their individual list.  The list are also individualized for differentiated learning.  The students then add the words into an app titled "A+ Spelling" by typing the word in as well as recording the word and using it in sentence.  Students then use the app to practice unscrambling the word by listening to the app give the word back to them.

Day 2:  Students practice their selected words and various others that connect to the sound or pattern for the week by using the app "Spelling City".  Spelling City has many online activities for students to select from and they love having that choice.

Day 3:  On day 3, students work with a partner to practice spelling their words from their independent  list to strategically play a game titled "Knights and Dragons".  The purpose of this activity is to spell the words correctly so that the player can draw a line with the goal of closing a box.  If the player spells a word incorrectly, they do not get to draw a line on the game mat, limiting their chances of closing a box.

Day 4:  Day 4 involves different modes of learning.  Students can select from spelling words with letter tiles, magnetic letters, stamps, wiki stix, and other options.  It is a hands on mode of learning.

Day 5:  Students are assessed on their rule/words by using A+ Spelling app to take an assessment which is then emailed to me, the teacher.

Your child will not be bringing a list home to memorize and practice each week.  The purpose of the routine mentioned above is to help students apply the sound and work on the sounds in different settings or learning styles so that he/she can apply the correct spelling for the sounds or patterns in various words.  It is more than just memorizing a list of words.

If you have any questions or thoughts about Word Works, feel free to give me a call.  Last week was a practice week to build our stamina for the routine.  Students are ready to move into assuming each day of Word Works independently.