Parent Letter

Dear Families,

We have done a preliminary spelling inventory assessing your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Your child will be working and participating in hands-on study activities tailored to his/her individual needs.

Your child will have their words for two weeks. In that time, they will complete many activities in order to ensure that the words, and the spelling principles they represent, are mastered. These activities will be modeled and practiced daily.

Here are some examples of activities that we will be working on in class. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email or call.

Cut out and Sort words: Students will cut out the word cards being sure to keep the “sorting rule” or heading. (This is the top line of the word cards.) They will then read and sort the words. They will explain why the words are sorted in a particular way--what does the sort reveal about spelling in general?

Spelling Sort: Students will place the headings and heading words on the floor or table. One by one, they will  pick up a word and say it. They need to spell it and indicate where the word goes without seeing it. After placing it down under the correct heading, they can move it if he/she is incorrect. This will be repeated if there is more than one error. Another option is for a partner to spell it and they must tell what the word is and then place it in the correct sort.

Writing Sort: Students will write the headings and heading words into his/her spelling notebook using columns. Pulling out one word at a time, they will read the word. They will spell the word and decide which heading the word should be written under. After the correct column is chosen, they will write the word in their spelling journal..  

Write the words in Sentences: Students will write complete sentences using each spelling word. They will be sure to underline the spelling word and use correct capitalization and punctuation.

Speed Sort:  Students lay down the headings or heading words. They will be timed to how fast they can sort the words under the correct heading. This can be tricky as many of the words need to be said aloud in order to determine which column it belongs. They will try to beat their time by doing it a second or third time.

Sort and write the words in ABC order: Students will sort the word cards into alphabetical order. This can be tricky as sometimes we need to go to the second, third, or even fourth letter to figure out which words comes first. They will then write the words in their spelling notebook in the correct order.

Word Hunt: Students will do a word hunt, looking for words in a familiar book that have the same sound, pattern, or both. They will try to find two or three for each category.

The spelling list will include 10 words from the two week study as well as 5 words from a previous study or words that require application of the target features. They will also be expected to write their words in the correct category. The goal of our spelling program is to help students develop strategies that they can use in their daily writing.