WORDS THEIR WAY®
PHONICS, VOCABULARY, and SPELLING PROGRAM
GLENMAR ELEMENTARY
BRAID OF LITERACY
Spelling- the correct sequence
of letters in words
Words Their Way is a developmental spelling, phonics, and vocabulary program. It was developed by Invernizzi, Johnston, Bear, and Templeton.
WHAT IS IT?
 Words Their Way is a developmental spelling, phonics, and
vocabulary program.
 It was developed by Invernizzi, Johnston, Bear, and
Templeton.
 Diagnostic information contained in the students’ spelling
inventions reveal their current understanding of how written
English words work.
HOW DOES IT RELATE TO CCSS?
 The importance of word knowledge is evident throughout the
Common Core State Standards.
 It is a central aspect of the Reading Foundational Skills in grades
K–5 as these skills relate to the decoding and recognition of
words during reading.
 Word knowledge is a central aspect of the Language Standards
in grades K–5 as these skills relate to the encoding or spelling of
words in writing.
BRAIN RESEARCH SUGGESTS
THAT STUDENTS GAIN GREATER LONG
TERM MEMORY WHEN THEY ARE…
Actively engaged
Manipulating ideas and objects
Using language to clarify and cement
learning
Interacting with peers in directed academic
conversations
BRAIN RESEARCH SUGGESTS
THAT STUDENTS GAIN GREATER LONG
TERM MEMORY WHEN THEY ARE…
Investigating
Testing hypothesis/making predictions
Recording and constructing their own
learning
Where is
each child?
THE STAGES
Emergent- Early Letter Name
Letter Name
Within Word Pattern
Syllables & Affixes
Derivational Relations
EMERGENT-
AGES 1-7
GRADES pre-K to mid 1
 Emergent Spelling is a period of pre-reading and
pretend writing.
 Pretend to read by rehearsing and reciting well-known
poems and jingles to heart.
 Pretend to write. Writing is based on language and can
be talked about.
 Gradually acquire directionality.
LETTER NAME-
AGES 4-9
GRADES K to early 3
 Letter Name – Alphabetic Stage is the beginning of conventional reading
and writing.
 They use the sound/letter match to write.
 Initially in this stage, the students spell beginnings sounds and ending
sounds. By the middle of the stage, students begin to use a vowel in each
syllable, and begin to spell short vowel patterns conventionally.
 Differentiation between consonants and vowels
 Clear letter sound relationships
 Frequently occurring short vowel words
WITHIN WORD
PATTERN-
AGES 6-12
GRADES 1- mid 4
 Students in the within word pattern stage use but
confuse vowel patterns.
 Within Word Pattern stage begins by taking a step back
with a review of short vowels as they are compared with
long vowels then shifts to common and then less
common and r-influenced long vowel patterns.
SYLLABLES &
AFFIXES-
AGES 8-18
GRADES 3 to 8
 Beginning in 2nd and 3rd grades for some students and in 4th
for most students, cognitive and language growth allows
children to make new and richer connections among the
words they already know and the words they will learn.
 Teachers can establish a firm foundation in spelling and
vocabulary development as they facilitate students’ move
into understanding the role of structure and meaning in the
spelling system
DERIVATIONAL
RELATIONS-
AGES 10 +
GRADES 5 to 12
 The term, derivational relations, emphasizes how
spelling and vocabulary knowledge at this stage grow
primarily through processes of derivation- from a single
base word or word root, a number of related words are
derived through the addition of prefixes and suffixes.
 There is reciprocity between growth in vocabulary and
spelling knowledge and the amount of reading and
writing in which students are engaged.
ODDBALLS
Most of the top 200 most frequently
occurring words according to Dolch and
Fry are covered by the end of the Within
Word Pattern Stage.
HOW DOES IT LOOK/SOUND IN THE CLASSROOM?
HOW DOES IT LOOK/SOUND IN THE CLASSROOM?
HOW DOES IT LOOK/SOUND IN THE CLASSROOM?
TYPES OF SORTS
 CLOSED SORT: based on predetermined categories
 BLIND SORT: picture or word sort with a partner in which students who are
responsible for sorting cannot see the word. They must attend to the sounds
and sometimes visualize the spelling pattern to determine the category.
 BLIND WRITING SORT: one student (or teacher) names a word without showing
it to another student, who must write it in the correct category under a key word.
 OPEN SORTS: categories are left open; pictures or words are sorted according to
student’s own judgment
 SPEED SORTS: students try and beat own time
WAYS TO SORT
 MEANING SORTS: categories are determined by semantic
categories or by spelling-meaning connections.
 CONCEPT SORT: pictures, objects, or words are grouped by
shared attributes or meanings to develop concepts and
vocabulary.
 SOUND SORT: categorize by sound rather than visual pattern
Source: Coppell Independent
School District