Words Their Way

This week, we began our routines for Words Their Way. In September I assessed students with a spelling inventory to determine spelling groups. There are several different groups in the room, however all students will learn the routines and activities together. On Mondays during Writing Workshop time, I will meet with each small group on the rug and introduce their new word sort. We talk about the spelling patterns/word families in the sort, and match the words or pictures in the correct columns together. Then, students will go back to their seats and practice their sort independently. Their sorts will be practiced all week, and it is an activity that stays in the Word Work center for literacy center time as well.  We will be learning activities such as blind sort, blind writing sort, speed sort, and open sort in the coming weeks. They will also have a sort notebook in which they will do various writing activities such as "word hunts" in which they are finding words in books that go with their spelling sort for the week. Soon I will send home their weekly sort to practice with an adult as homework. I assess students with the assessments in the Words Their Way program that come up at the end of different units every few weeks, this will help me to determine whether they need more practice or can move ahead. We will also do another formal assessment in January. Here are some pictures of students sorting their words and pictures.

Words Their Way

Here are some pictures of students doing some buddy sorts. They are doing a great job!

Words Their Way

Students have learned how to do word hunts based on their sorts for the week. We completed a "hunt" together during some morning messages. Students would hunt for words with their features for the week and then I highlighted those specific features within the words. They were then sent off with their book bags to read and find words with their feature and record in their Words Their Way books. We will do this each week as part of a Words Their Way routine. Students did a great job. They are also doing a nice job at buddy sorting!

Lots of Learning!

Hi everyone! I can't believe we are nearing the end of November. Phewwww, we have been doing a lot of learning! In Reader's Workshop we have finished up our unit (though lessons will continue to be reinforced all year) on building our fluency. Students have learned many strategies such as paying attention to the punctuation, reading like a story-teller, thinking about the meaning of the sentence or story, chunking text together, and more! They continue to read and build that stamina both independently and with buddies. I am truly impressed and proud of their love of reading.

In Math we have finished up unit 2 and began unit 3. Students continue to count coin combinations (pennies and nickels and soon dimes), create and extend patterns, solve simple number stories using various strategies, learn about patterns on the number grid, and much more.


In Writing Workshop we began our unit, Small Moments. In this unit the students are encouraged to think about small moments/experiences in their lives to write about, adding a lot of interesting details. Students have listened to great stories where I have focused on the "small moment" and have looked/listened for all the details that the author included just in that small moment. Students are learning that big stories are "watermelon stories" and are encouraged to look inside that watermelon and pick a "seed" story. An example of a watermelon story would be "My Birthday Party". An example of a seed story would be "My Birthday Cake".

Students have been given plastic boxes for their WTW sorts. They seem to love these. They hold their sort cards perfectly. These are stored in the Word Work station and when they are in this station they may opt to grab their box and sort. This is optional in the Word Work station as they work with their sorts each day in a separate time.


In Science the students are learning about the different animal groups and what animals need to survive. In Social Studies they are learning about neighborhoods. They also practiced searching in atlases and learned that an atlas is a book of maps.


We are working on nouns and verbs in class. Ask your child to name the different types of nouns!