Shaylee Vargas Word Study Mini Lesson

My CT informed me that his lowest reading group struggled with spelling “ie” and “ei”

words correctly. For this reason, I chose the “I before E except after C” sort from Words Their

Way. I also found a board game from Teachers Pay Teachers. First, I read the words aloud to

the students. I told them that it could be tricky to remember whether a word is spelled with

“ie” or “ei”. However, if we pay attention to the letters and sounds of the word, it can help us

remember how to spell it. I asked students to listen for the vowel sound in each word. I pointed

out that words with “ie” like “thief” and “niece” make the long -e sound. Words with “ei” like

“seize” and “weird” also make the long -e sound. In addition, words with “cei” make the long -e

sound, such as “receive,” and “ceiling.” However, some words with “ei” make the long -a sound,

like “neighbor,” and “eighteen.” Then, the students helped me sort the remaining words.

Next, I asked the students to try sorting the words by themselves. The students were

familiar with sorting words, so they completed the activity fairly easily. Most of them could sort

the words independently. One student needed additional support, so I gave her individual

attention. After the students finished sorting their words, we reviewed the sort together. Then,

we played the board game. Students drew a word and decided whether it was spelled with “ie”

or “ei”. Then, they moved to a space on the board with the matching spelling pattern (such as

“ie” long -e). The students enjoyed this game but were more competitive than I expected. The

losing team was a little upset that they lost. However, they did not dwell on it for long.

If I introduced a new sort in my actual classroom, I would wait to play the game until

later in the week. I would not normally have time to do both activities in one day. In my actual

classroom, each student will simultaneously work on word study. In this case, I only worked

with one group of students. The other students in the classroom were working on papers,
Shaylee Vargas Word Study Mini Lesson

reading comprehension assignments, etc. However, I will normally work with several groups of

students in one day. The other students will work on various sorting activities while I am

working with small groups. I would also know which of my students were more or less

competitive. If I had a group of competitive students, I could make myself the opponent. Then,

the students would focus on beating me instead of their classmates. However, I could play the

game normally with less competitive students.

I will determine my students’ spelling developmental stages through various

assessments. I will use the Developmental Spelling Assessment (DSA) to assess my students. I

can use the DSA class record to verify the number of students in each spelling stage. I may also

choose to use the Elementary Spelling Inventory (ESI) from Words Their Way. I will group my

students into groups according to their spelling developmental stage. I will also consider the

three stages within each developmental stage: early, middle, and late. The number of small

groups will depend on the number of students in each spelling stage. I would like to have

smaller groups for students who struggle with spelling. Then, I can give these students more

individual attention during word study.

I plan on purchasing another Words Their Way book with specialized word sorts. If I

taught first grade, I would purchase the Words Their Way: Word Sorts for Letter Name-

Alphabetic Spellers. Then, I would have plenty of sorts for my students. I will provide my

students with manipulatives such as letter tiles and whiteboards. Students will need word study

notebooks to practice recording their words. They will also use index cards to create their word

banks. I will find and create games for different spelling features. In addition, I will provide a
Shaylee Vargas Word Study Mini Lesson

variety of reading materials for my students to complete word hunts. I will create a word wall

for students to use as a resource for their writing as well.

I will determine the amount of time my students will spend on word study each day

based on their reading and spelling stages. If I taught beginning readers, I would spend about

forty percent of the day on fluency, twenty percent of the day on comprehension, twenty

percent of the day on writing, and twenty percent of the day on word study. If I had ninety

minutes to teach language arts, students would spend approximately thirty-six minutes on

fluency, eighteen minutes on word study, eighteen minutes on comprehension, and eighteen

minutes on writing. I would introduce a new sort on Monday. On Tuesdays, students would

practice word sorts and writing sorts. On Wednesdays, students could do blind sorts. The next

day, students may complete word hunts in groups, with partners, or individually. Students

would play games and complete an assessment on Fridays.