Grade 1 Word Study

Dear Families,

At BSI we use the Words Their Way program.  Words Their Way is phonics, spelling, and vocabulary instruction through daily word study.  This program will provide skill instruction that will cover spelling patterns and focus on examining and manipulating words, not memorizing them.  

Words Their Way will focus on teaching students how to spell and decode new words. To accomplish this goal, We will teach students how to examine words to learn the regularities that exist in the spelling system.  I will also teach them some irregularities of spelling (we call “oddball words”).  The simple process of sorting words into categories is the heart of our word study program.  

When students sort words, they are engaged in the active process of searching, comparing, contrasting, and analyzing.  Word sorts help students organize what they know about words and to form generalizations that they can then apply to new words they encounter in their reading and when spelling. Some students will be coming home all pictures, all words or a mix of both.
How to Help at Home
Your child will be bringing home words they are exploring this week.  Below are a series of activities that you can do at home to reinforce what your child is learning.  These activities should be repeated every time new words are sent home.  New words and/or pictures will be sent home approximately every two weeks.  The words your child is being given are based on a spelling inventory given in class.  

Day 1: Cut, Sort and Read

Have your child cut the words apart.  Find the words with the stars on them.  Lay the star words out across a table.  These are the headers for each category.  Your child should sort the remaining cards under the star cards.  Your child will have worked with the words at school and should know how to sort the words. Remind your child to sort the words the same way he/she did it in school. Finally, have your child read each word. Keep the words in a plastic bag for future activities.

Day 2:  Sort and Write

Have your child sort the words just like on day 1. Your child should write each word down on a piece of paper. (If your child is sorting pictures  you can skip this day.)

Day 3: Blind Sort

Do a blind sort with your child.  Lay down the star words as headers and then read each word aloud to your child.  Your child must point to the header that the word falls under by hearing it (without seeing it).  Lay the word down and let your child move it if he or she is wrong.  Continue with the rest of the words.  Repeat if your child makes more than one error.

Day 4: Speed Sort

This activity is to work on fluency. Time your child reading and sorting the words.  Time your child again and see if he/she can read and sort the words is a less amount of time.

Draw and Label (Optional)

Choose 5 words and have your child draw a picture of the word and label the picture with the word.  Choose words that your child does not know the meaning of.

Story Writing (Extension)

Have your child write a story using 5 or more words from the sort.    

Social Studies

We are continuing our study of families. We are in the process of discovering how diverse our families are and that people in our family come from all over the world!

Your child will be coming home with an index card this week.  On this index card have your child choose one person in his or her family who came from a different country and write it on the index card with their name.  See example below.