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This guide provides step-by-step instructions for the first 15 days of implementing Words Their Way, focusing on routines, assessments, and organizing word study groups. Learn how to assess students, establish sorting routines, and set up effective word study practices. Engage students with activities like sorting cards, concept sorts, and independent word sorts. Get ready to kick off the year in word study with confidence and organization.
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Words Their Way Getting Started 2010-2011
General Info to Help Get Started • Blog: http://wtwtruman.wordpress.com • Other teachers at Truman who have been used WTW before
The first few weeks • Focus on establishing your routines and procedures • Assessment • What foundation do you want your students to have for the rest of the year?
Ways to establish routines • Suggested first 15 days in Words Their Way, pgs. 77-78 • Chapter 3 of Words Their Way: “Organizing for Word Study: Principles and Practices”
My First Days • The First Week: • Day 1: Introduce working with words and name assignment (see primary Homeside Activity “The Story of My Name” or for upper grades do “Name Star”) • Day 2: Give Words Their Way Assessment • Day 3: Introduce how to start a sort • Give cards with student names • Cut out • Store in board • Day 4: Review procedures, do first sort • Go over getting out/putting away cards • Do a concept sort—boys/girls; kids you know from before/new friends
My First Days (continued) • The Second Week • Day 5: Anchor Chart of Ways to Sort Words, Independent Sort (a different way) • Day 6: Set up notebooks, sort a different way and write • Day 7: Start sharing name assignment, sort a different way and write • Day 8: Finish sharing name assignment, teach and do guided blind sort • Day 9: Go over all procedures for a “unit” of word study (i.e. independent work, schedule, groups, etc.) • Prepare to start instruction the third week of school
How Do I know what to teach? • After the assessment . . . • Score the tests (Remember: You may need to assess some kids higher or lower during some of the more independent times of teaching the routines!) • Divide your class into the number of groups you want to have (3 is recommended in WTW, 4 is good for 2 groups/day that meet every other day) • Look at the overall needs of each group
Example group • 4 students all tested at “Within Word Pattern: Middle” • Highlighted all Within Word errors and found common areas of mistakes: • Long a—ai (2/4) • Long e—ea (2/4) • Long o—oa (3/4) • Long I--igh (3/4) • Looked at yellow Within Word Pattern book—placed students in Unit III, Common Long Vowel Patterns
Questions/PLC TIME • Please work with your PLC for the next half hour to get ready to kick off the year in word study!