Words Their Way Summary
1. Emergent (Preliterate)
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These are usually from ages 0-5 year (ranging from toddlers to possibly early 1st grade).
They usually write using large, circular scribbles that don’t look anything like letters.
Usually they draw pictures to tell a story and they really don’t have a relationship
between letters and sounds. If they do know any letters, it would be the ones that are in
their own name or the names of their parents. Towards the end of this stage, they are
usually able to write some words such as their own name, mom, dad and other site words.
The letters also begin to represent sounds.
2. Letter Name-Alphabet (Letter name)
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Children in this stage are usually 5-8 year olds. Children are being formally taught to read
in this stage and within it, there are two sub-stages. The first is early letter. In this stage,
they usually know the first sound and the last sound of a word, but the vowels in between
are missing. When writing, there are usually no spaces between the words and they often
times get letters that sound the same confused. The second sub-stage is the middle to late
letter names. A mastery of beginning and ending consonants is developing during this
stage. Also, students are beginning to understand long vowels and consonant blends. At
the end of this stage, children have mastered the alphabetic layer of English orthography.
3. Within Word Pattern (Within Word)
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This stage usually being at the end of 1st grade and goes until about 3rd grade. This stage
is also known as the stage for transitional spellers. They have an automatic knowledge of
letter sounds and short vowel patterns. Children begin to look at vowel patterns within
words and study common long vowel patterns. People in this stage have troubles with
ambiguous vowels such as those in mouth and tough. They also begin to deal with
homophones. Dealing with these, they begin to understand the spelling-meaning
connection.
4. Syllables and Affixes (Syllable Juncture)
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People in this stage are usually between the ages of 9 and 14. This can go from upper
elementary to the middle school grades. In this stage, children are expected to spell words
that are more than one syllable. These students consider spelling patterns, where syllables
meet, and meaning units such as affixes (suffixes and prefixes). Students wrestle with
affixes that change the meaning of the word such as careful. Towards the end of the
stage, students are studying base words and derivational affixes.
5. Derivational Relations (Derivational Constancies)
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The age of people in this stage range from middle school, to high school, and even into
the college years. Students examine how words share common derivations and are related
to base words and word roots. Their word study builds on and expands knowledge of a
wide vocabulary. Even though this is the most advanced stage, there are still some issues.
One of the more difficult is changing adjectives to nouns.
Chapter 1: Developmental Word Knowledge
Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the program and explains the theory of developmental
spelling along with a summary of each of the stages of spelling development. Information on
how literacy development is a combined “interwoven braid” including orthography, reading,
oral language, stories, and writing. Literacy and spelling development researchers including
Charles Read, Carol Chomsky, Richard Gentry, and the authors are cited for the foundation of
“Words Their Way”.
The program identifies the importance of purposeful reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
When these literacy “braids” are taught, vocabulary is learned and words are discovered. The
program also points out that when words are discovered, word study can take place and words
and pictures can be sorted in routines that require children to examine, discriminate, and make
critical judgments about speech sounds, spelling patterns, and meanings. The series identifies
valid current research findings in the introduction and bases the program on current research
practices in the field of literacy. The program also includes language-based approaches to
teaching spelling, such as phonics, phonemic awareness, alphabetic principles, syllabication,
and morphological awareness. Rote memorization is not a component of this program and the
traditional approach to teaching spelling where students are given a standard word list to learn,
practice worksheets, and asked to copy words multiple times for practice is not encouraged.
The layout and organization of this program focuses on developing literacy lessons and
monitoring instruction for the individual student. The framework and theoretical basis of the
program follows a strict developmental approach to teach spelling.
Questions Chapter 1:
1. Look over Table 1-2 (pgs. 22-24). What “Word Study Focus” pieces are already present in your
classroom?
2. What are some of the reasons for the title “Words Their Way”? In what ways does the “literacy
braid” relate to these reasons?
3. What advantages and challenges do you anticipate with teaching spelling through word study?
Chapter 2: Getting Started: The Assessment of Orthographic Development
Chapter 2 discusses assessment and how to manage and assess students’ spelling progress.
Informal observations, such as observing and recording misspelled words in students’ writing
samples are recommended. There are also Spelling Inventories with assistance on how to
select, administer, and use these inventories with students.
Questions Chapter 2:
1. Instructing students at their own level of development in spelling requires organization. Review
and write an evaluation of the Classroom Composite chart (pg. 41) and Spelling-by-Stage
Classroom Organization Chart (pg. 42).
2. How do you envision the selection, administration, and use of the Spelling Inventories in your
classroom? In the building as a whole?
3. Pages 47 and 48 briefly touch on assessing spelling for speakers of other languages. How does
this fit with a dual language school? What other considerations will need to be made when
selecting, administering, and using the Spelling Inventories?
Chapter 6: Grade 3 (Within Word—Early, Middle, Late)
Chapter 6 focuses on the within word pattern stage which builds on students’ knowledge of the
sound level of English orthography and explores the pattern level. The chapter begins by
providing an example of what a classroom might look like at this stage of development. This
transitional stage is a time in literacy development when students can read most single-syllable
words accurately and with increasing fluency. Two- and three-syllable words can also be read
when there is enough contextual support. Students within this stage use but confuse vowel
patterns and by the middle of this stage, students are spelling many of the most common longvowel patterns correctly in high-frequency words. At this stage, students encounter many
homophones and lots of reading and writing is critical at this stage of development. A main
focus of spelling in this chapter includes teaching and practicing the influence of consonants on
vowels, complex consonants, homophones and homographs, and simple prefixes and suffixes.
This chapter discusses the study of high frequency words and a guideline for studying these
core words. The program believes that word study should focus on more words than just high
frequency words because this tends to reduce spelling to memorizing a set of words and does
not offer students the opportunity to form generalizations that can extend to the reading and
spelling of other words. Chapter 6 also provides word study lesson plans for this stage of
development and focuses on word sorts and word study notebooks as the core activities
needed for use at this stage. An example of a word study notebook exercise at this stage
includes written reflections where students are asked to summarize what they learn from their
sorts in their own words.
Word study notebooks are recommended to have at least two sections for transitional readers,
one section devoted to vocabulary and one section devoted to phonics and spelling.
Additional games and activities, such as the Train Station game, Turkey Feathers game, and the
Racetrack game are all included in this chapter.
Second Language Considerations:
Ages: 6-12 or older students who
began literacy instruction in
English at a later age
Grades: 1 to mid-4 or students at
later grades who came more
recently to English reading
instruction
Corresponding Stage of Reading
or Writing: Transitional Chapter 6
Do Students Spell this way?
Place: Plays-plase
Drive: Drife-dribe
Nail: Nale-nael
Back: bake
Cry: crie
Rope: roap
Spoil: spoeol-spole
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Build content-area vocab
through content sorts,
picture dictionaries, and
language-rich activities
Sort pictures and words
to contrast long and
short vowels
Sort words to examine
long vowel patterns
Collect words in word
study notebooks
Look for cognates in
students’ home language
Conduct word hunts for
specific long and


complex vowel patterns
Teach the meaning of
homophones as you play
games with them
Contrast r-influenced
vowel words
Questions Chapter 6:
4. It is necessary at this stage to support words with vocabulary visuals for second language
learners and struggling students. If the student does not “know” the word, there will be no
connection made. How do you plan instruction and what additional graphic organizers or
strategies will you incorporate for this stage, which focuses on the word list being supported by
visuals to help students acquire the vocabulary and internalize the word for future use in
writing?
5. What sort of vertical alignment do you see useful for the spelling/word study notebook and
graphic organizers to support students using similar strategies with more complexity each year,
to create patterns of learning?
6. The reflection piece in each level is also very important. This helps students consolidate what
they learned during the week and bridging it to new areas of learning. What type of reflection
question or review do you see beneficial for students to internalize their learning for the week?
Give an example(s).
Chapter 7: Grade 5 (Syllable and Affixes—Early, Middle, Late)
The syllable and affixes stage is a developmental stage where students’ cognitive and
language growth allows children to make new and richer connections among the words
they already know and the words they are learning. The goal for teachers at this stage is to
establish a firm foundation in spelling and in vocabulary development by facilitating
students’ understanding of the role of structure and meaning in the spelling system. One of
the main teaching points in this stage of development is for word study instruction to
examine how word elements (prefixes, suffixes, and base words) combine and influence
words and word meanings. Modeling how to analyze unfamiliar words in readings is
suggested for teachers at this stage. These modeling strategies include:
1. Examine the word for meaningful parts- base word, prefixes or suffixes.
If there is a prefix, take it off first.
If there is a suffix, take it off second.
Look at the base to see if you know it or if you can think of a related word (a word that has
the same base).
Reassemble the word, thinking about the meaning contributed by the base, the suffix and
then the prefix. This should give you a more specific idea of what the word is.
2. Try out the meaning in the sentence; check if it makes sense in the context of the
sentence and the larger context of the text that is being read.
3. If the word still does not make sense and is critical to the meaning of the overall passage,
look it up in the dictionary.
4. Record the new word in your word study notebook. (Bear et al., 1996,
p. 205)
This stage introduces words that have two or more syllabic or meaning units. Within this
stage, students use larger chunks to decode, spell, and store words in memory. Word study
in this stage helps students learn where these syllable and morphemic breaks come in
words so that they can use the appropriate chunks to quickly and accurately read, spell and
determine the meaning of polysyllabic words.
Vocabulary words that are related to content areas are explored in this chapter and
examples using graphic organizers are also provided. Additional games are provided at the
end of the chapter that includes Prefix Spin, Homophone Solitaire, and Vocabulary
Jeopardy.
Second Language Considerations:
Ages: 8-18
Do students spell this way?
Grades: 3 to 8 or students at Carries: carrys
later grades who came
Attend: aten-atend
recently to English reading
Pleasure: plesure
instructions
Barber: barbar
Corresponding Stage of
Civilize: sivolize
Reading or Writing:
Capture: capchur
Intermediate Chapter 7
Confident: comfidenteconvergent-conphedent
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Investigate academic
vocab in English
throughout literacy
activities
Study consonant
doubling and
common affixes in
sorts, hunts, and
games
Examine past tense
and plural endings in
writing and speech
Compare stress in
words
Interrelate spelling in
meaning in word
study groups
Study words from
reading patterns in
spelling and meaning
Continue word study
notebooks
Questions: Chapter 7
1. In this level it appears that a more in-depth word study is part of the planning. Having
students make connections to other similar words or word families is important. How do
you see the GVCIA curriculum for your grade level become part of the word study? How
can you bridge or make connections to vocabulary words that are a part of the GVCIA?
2. What sort of vertical alignment do you see useful for this level of word study?
3.
How much time to do feel would be needed to support this level of word study per week? How
much of it can be done on an independent level, where students work with very little teacher
direction? In your opinion, what may that look like?
Chapter 8: Word Study for Advanced Readers and Writers
Second Language Considerations:
Ages: 10+
Do students spell this way?
Grades: 5 to 12
Solemn: solem
Corresponding Stage of
emphasize: imphisize
Reading or Writing: Advanced opposition: oppisition
Chapter 8
benefit: benafit
Civilize: sivolize
Amusement: ammusement
Confident: comfidenteAppearance: appearence
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Examine the spellingmeaning connection,
including cognates
with words in
students’ home
language
Analyze words by
bases, roots, and
affixes
Examine etymologies
in the content areas
Compare stress in
words
Use root books and
dictionaries to look
up Greek and Latin
forms and foreign
borrowings
Questions Chapter 8:
1. Students at this level will most likely be students who are advanced in writing.
They need to begin to see how the origins of words influence their spelling and
help to generalize rules for similar words. Cognates in Spanish are a good way to
bridge words at this level. Once again, how do you see the GVCIA curriculum for
your grade level become part of the word study? How can you bridge or make
connections to vocabulary words that are a part of the GVCIA?
2.
What sort of vertical alignment in the lower grades do you see useful for this level of
word study?
3. How can you use the talents and advanced thinking of students in this level to create
their own word study projects and sorting games? List some examples.