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Word Work
In order to
become fully literate, students must have the ability to accurately
recognize words. They also have to adequately use written
words to convey meaning. Because word study is based on
phonics spelling and vocabulary, it’s a way for students to manipulate and
fully examine words.
Once they do, students realize that
words are powerful things. When they learn how words work
they’re on their way to becoming fully literate individuals.
Learning phonics, sight words, decoding, spelling patterns,
and word meanings, means understanding the basics of written words.
From there they can communicate and construct meaning.
After all, that’s what language is all
about.
Students need the opportunity to think critically and
manipulate words and their concepts. That way they can
generalize words based on spelling or other commonalities.
Grasping spelling, word recognition, and vocabulary goes beyond
memorizing a few rules. The best way to become proficient in
words and their features is to have plenty of opportunities to
examine them in different contexts.
Word Study Activities
When planning word study lessons, teachers can choose from a
variety of activities to improve spelling, word recognition and
vocabulary. Students tend to enjoy working with words and are
eager to get word “games.” Here a just a few of them…
Word
Searches
In word searches students take a group of word categories and
“search” for examples of words in those categories by combing
through magazines, newspapers, books, or textbooks. They write
down the words they find.
Pattern Sorting
Pattern sorting is an activity that teaches students to
categorize words. The categories can be based on the way
particular sounds are expressed in a word. Pattern sorting is
great for looking at vowel patterns, contractions, and silent
letters.
Proofreading
Proofreading is one of those “must have” skills in order to be
optimally successful in school. Word study lessons involving
proofreading help students learn to develop an eye for how a written
word should look. They learn to know if a word “looks right”
when spelled out.
Using word study lessons to round out a balanced literacy program
promises a much greater chance of retaining word meanings and making
sense of spelling rules.
Thank goodness, literacy has
moved beyond writing a list of words five times each to learn to
spell. Or decoding words by simply “sounding them out.”
Now word study makes exploring the various aspects of the English
language much more meaningful and
enjoyable.
List of weekly spelling words by
unit
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