Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Families,
This year we are excited about our move away from weekly spelling tests for our 1 st and 2nd grade students.
Much time will be spent on phonics, word work, spelling, and writing. We want to use this extra time to…
 Review the students’ writing pieces more frequently to assess the carryover of word studies into their
writing,
 Provide more time for word study during the literacy block, and
 Gather more evidence during guided reading small group word study activities.
At the beginning of the year, we have a variety of formal assessments that can help us determine each
child’s stage of spelling. We know that students make the most progress if word study instruction and activities are
based on their individual stages of spelling.
 Patterns and Structures of Words: Each week word study will focus on groups of words that have similar
patterns and structures. Depending upon students’ stages of spelling, they may be learning basic
letter/sound connections, patterns found in long and short vowel sounds, structures within words like
syllables, prefixes, and affixes or finally, Greek and Latin roots and stems that appear in some families of
words.
 High Frequency Words: Word study will also include practice and work with the instant words, those
high frequency words that are used over and over again in non-fiction and fiction literature. We want
students to read these words quickly and easily in their literature; we will also have the sight words on our
word walls and will expect students to use this support to spell instant words accurately in their writing.
 Vocabulary Development: A third part of word study will be the focus on word meaning and the
development of vocabulary. Reading aloud with your child or listening to your child read to you will be
great opportunities to talk about new words in the reading and their meanings.
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You can be a strong support for your child! Each week….
Words Sorts: Ask your child to show you how he/she sorts words based on the pattern(s) studied during
the week
Prove It: Talk about the word patterns and help your child find other words that follow the pattern(s).
Color Coding: Use highlighters to color code the patterns in the words, with each pattern highlighted in a
different color.
Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check: Study the words by looking at the words, saying them aloud, covering
them, writing them, and checking the spelling.
Tactile Fun with Words: Provide a tray of salt, sand, sugar or flour, and trace words in the tray or provide
a large space for writing i.e., a chalkboard, the sidewalk. Use chalk or a wet sponge or wet paint brush and
shape the words.
Write Together: Compose letters to family members, thank you notes, lists, and homemade greeting
cards. This is a wonderful way to help your child transfer word study into real-world purposes. Our goal
with word study and effective spelling instruction is to create fluent writers, not just students who can score
well on weekly spelling tests.
Instant Words (High Frequency Words):
Guess My Word: Take turns choosing a word and providing clues about the word to guess the word.
For example: The word I’m thinking about has two syllables. It names someone in our family. It’s not
sister or brother or mother.
Instant Words Concentration: Use index cards to print two cards of each high frequency word. Shuffle the
cards and lay them face down in rows. The goal is to turn over two cards that match. As you turn over the
cards, read the instant words that are written on the card.
We value your support and involvement and look forward to our year of word study together!
Mrs. Dalton, JEE, 1st Grade 