Small Group Word Study Lesson Plan

Name: ___Karen Stiff________________________________________ Date: ___10/30/18_________________

Classroom Location/Teacher: _North Elem./ Mrs. Rybar (K)_________ Topic/Subject: __Word Study______

Curriculum Standards

K.3 The student will orally identify, segment, and blend various phonemes to develop phonological and phonemic
awareness.
e.) Identify words according to shared beginning and/or ending sounds.

Essential Question(s): How can I use beginning sounds to help me sort pictures?

Lesson Objectives:

The students will be able to isolate initial consonant sounds by sorting picture cards into correct categories based on
beginning sound with 80% accuracy.

Assessment of Objectives:

I will informally assess students by watching as they place their picture cards in each category to see if they are able
to identify the correct initial consonant sound.

BEFORE (Content, Viewing or Listening):

Teacher:
I will begin by showing the students the heading cards from the sort: M, B, R, S. I will ask the students to join me in
making the sound and doing the motion for each of those letters. Then I will ask the students if they can think of any
words that being with M, B, R, or S. I will show them one picture card for each category and model how to put the
picture under the correct header. I will explain that they will be sorting picture cards that I hand them into the correct
categories based on the beginning sound. I will exaggerate the beginning sound in my examples to make it obvious
and ask the students to think aloud as they place their own cards as well.

Student:
Students will join me in making the correct sound and doing the previously learned motion for each of the 4 letters
that we are sorting under today. Students will come up with one example of a word that begins with one of those
letters to get them thinking about beginning sounds.

DURING (Content, Viewing or Listening):

Students will take turns, one at a time, receiving a picture card from me, saying the name of the picture aloud,
identifying the beginning consonant sound, and placing the picture under the correct header card. The other students
in the group will watch quietly as their classmate sorts the picture card until it is their turn to do so. We will go
around the table taking turns sorting until we run out of picture cards.

AFTER (Content, Viewing or Listening):

I will not make corrections during the sort if a student misplaces a picture card, incorrectly identifying an initial
sound. At the end of the sort, I will have students join me in “reading” the words down each column to see if they fit
with the correct sound. I will have students point out any cards that do not fit if a mistake was made and correct it on
their own.
 Small Group Word Study Lesson Plan

Rationale:
This Word Study sort is a hands-on way for students to move and manipulate picture cards as they identify beginning
sounds. Research shows that categorizing is one way that the brain learns best and this sorting technique draws on
that. I chose to work with a small group of students so that I could differentiate depending on readiness level. I looked
at Mrs. Rybar’s PALS scores to determine a starting point for each of her groups. This particular lesson was for the
highest ability group. Another group is sorting just two beginning sounds: M and B, while the two lower groups are
engaging in a font sort of M and B. The lowest groups are still working on identifying letters, while the higher groups
are ready for beginning consonant sounds. I like the small group format because it allows me to work with just 5
students at a time and really figure out if they understand the concept, or need more support. I included modeling
since this is the first time these students will be doing a word study sort.

Classroom Modeling
 Small Group Word Study Lesson Plan

READ 680

Please respond to the following questions after each of your modeling lessons.

1. Why did you model this lesson?

I modeled this lesson because when I initially met with Mrs. Rybar she was very
interesting in incorporating Word Study into her guided reading groups, but she was
unsure how to do so. Over the summer Mrs. Rybar attended a PD session on Word Study
in the Primary grades and was interesting in implementing it in her own classroom, but
needed a little bit of support in setting it up and learning how to facilitate it.

2. What instructional techniques did you choose for this lesson and why did you choose
them?

I chose to begin with explicit modeling of how to sort the pictures under the correct
header since this was the first time these students have ever done a word study sort. I
decided to group students into small groups based on ability so that I could differentiate
their learning and so that they would be able to work together in a group setting. I also
chose to not correct the students if a mistake was made until the end and allow them the
opportunity to self-correct so that they could identify their mistake and learn from it.

3. Was there an important aspect of the lesson you hope the teacher understood? If so, what
was it and why was that so important?

I hope Mrs. Rybar understood to let the students be in charge of the learning that is going
on. Allow them to sort and make mistakes and then help them notice these mistakes at the
end and fix them. I want her to see how to move from teacher modeling, to students
working as a group to sort, to sorting independently (later in the week once the sort is
more familiar to them and they have practiced it several times).

4. How would you encourage the teacher to use or implement this technique into her
instruction?
 Small Group Word Study Lesson Plan

I told Mrs. Rybar that I would help her plan and gather materials for the next few weeks
for each of her Word Study groups until she gets the hang of it. I will show her how to
move from font sorts, to beginning sound sorts, into word families, digraphs, and so on to
meet the progressing needs of her different groups throughout the year. At first, gathering
materials and planning for four different groups can seem overwhelming, but once you
get the hang of it, it is pretty simple! She just has to carve out a few minutes of her
guided reading group time to implement Word Study daily.

5. How would you continue to support this teacher in her instructional methods?

As I mentioned previously, I will check in with Mrs. Rybar for the next few weeks and
see how Word Study is going in her classroom. I will help her gather materials and plan
sorts for the upcoming weeks until she gets the hang of it. I will answer any questions
that she has and help her troubleshoot any problems that may arise.
 Small Group Word Study Lesson Plan

ILA Standards linked to this assignment:

 5.4: Use a variety of classroom configurations (i.e., whole class, small group, and
individual) to differentiate instruction.