WORDS THEIR WAY Dear Parents, Your child will be bringing home a collection of spelling words weekly that have been introduced in class. Each night of the week, your child is expected to do a different activity to ensure that these words and the spelling principles they represent are mastered. These activities have been modeled and practiced in school, so your child can teach you how to do them. Every other Monday a Word Sort will be sent home with an attached Homework Grid. The grid includes required activities as well as optional ones which your child should complete using the given Word Sort. The signed Homework Grid must be returned every Friday. Your child will be given a spelling assessment every other Friday based on the previous two week s words. Words from the sorts, as well as new words that follow the same pattern or feature will be included. PLEASE RECORD ALL WORD SORTS IN SPELLING SPIRAL The required activities include: Monday- WORD SORT: Have your child sort the words into categories like the ones we did in school. Your child should read each word aloud during this activity. Ask your child to explain to you why the words are sorted in a particular way. Tuesday- SPEED SORT: Ask your child to sort the words as fast as possible. Use a watch or timer to time your child and record the time. Repeat the Speed Sort to improve speed. Wednesday- BLIND SORT: Lay down a header from each category and then randomly read the words from the sort aloud. Your child must indicate where each word goes without seeing it, and then write it under the correct header. Check the words for correct spelling. Practice any misspelled words. Thursday- FREE CHOICE: See the attached page with Free Choice options and assist your child in completing this activity. NO HOMEWORK on Friday s! Thank you for helping make a difference in your child s language learning. Sincerely, The Third Grade Team
Name Week 1 Homework Word Sort Homework Grid Sort given: Mon. week 1 Homework due: Fri. week 2 Monday Word Sort Tuesday Speed Sort Test date: Fri. week 2 Wednesday Blind Sort Thursday FREE CHOICE We completed: Week 1 required activities. Week 2 Homework Student Signature Parent Signature Monday Word Sort Tuesday Speed Sort Week 2 required activities. Student Signature Wednesday Blind Sort Thursday FREE CHOICE Parent Signature RECORD ALL SORTS IN SPELLING SPIRAL
How to Do a Word Sort 1) Take out your cards. 2) Read all of your cards. 3) Ask a question if you don't know a word. 4) Think about the sounds and spelling. 5) Sort the words into columns. - - - - - - 6) Read the words aloud to check. 7) Write the words you sorted. 8) Put your cards back in the envelope. 9) Put your finished work in the turn in tray Make sure your name is on your paper.
How to Do a Speed Sort 1) Take out your cards. 2) Shuffle the cards. 3) Get your watch ready. Set it to zero. 4) Press start and begin sorting your cards. 5) When you finish sorting, press stop. 6) Record your time on your progress chart. 7) Try again to see if you can get a better time. 8) Record your new time and calculate the difference. 9) Share the results with a teacher. 10) Put your cards back in the envelope.
How to Do a Blind Sort 1) Find a partner. 2) Write the head words for your categories. 3) Your partner will select 10 words to read aloud. 4) Write the word it in the correct category. 5) Check the words for the correct spelling and category. 6) Flip with your partner. 7) Thank your partner and put your cards in the envelope.
WORD STUDY FREE CHOICE OPTIONS 1. Word Collage- Look through magazines and newspapers to find the letters that make words that fit your word patterns. Glue the letters together. How many words can you make? 2. Same Pattern, New Words- Write other words that have the same pattern as your words for the week. How many words can you think of? 3. Word Hunt- Look through your books to find words that fit your categories. Write the new words down. 4. Write a Story- Write an interesting, detailed story using 6 of the words. Make sure it includes characters, setting, problem and solution. 5. Act it Out- Chose 8 words to act out in front of a family member. See if they can guess what word you are showing them. 6. Drawing- Draw a picture which includes 6 of the words. Label the words and color the pictures 7. Rainbow Words- Write out your sort words using colored pencils. Assign a different color for each letter, 8. Memory- Play this game with a family member or by yourself. Put aside your oddball words if you have any (these words will not be used in the game). Place the rest of the word cards face down in rows. Turn over two cards, say the words, and identify the spelling pattern of each word. If the words you flip over have the same pattern, you keep the match and go again. See how many matches you can get! 9. Silly Sentences- Use each of your spelling words in a sentence. You may want to use more than one spelling word in a sentence. You could also use your words to write a letter to a friend! 10. Wonderful Writing Tools- Write your words using special writing tools such as paint, water colors, markers, or a pen. Then cut up your words and sort them! 11. Moving with Words- Try one of the following movement activities: Write your words in the air with your finger. Lay on your back with your feet in the air and use your toe to write your spelling words in the air. Do jumping jacks while spelling your words. 12. Spelling Baseball- Draw 4 bases on a piece of paper. Have someone be the pitcher. They pick a word for you to spell. If the batter (you) spells it right, you move one base. You get a point when you pass home base. 13. Spelling City (online)- Visit www.spellingcity.com. Type in your spelling words and choose an activity to complete.