A Teacher's Guide to Words Their Way - Second Story Window. If you've visited our blog before, you know that we are big fans of Words Their Way (shortened to WTW). This is an assessment-based, differentiated, leveled approach to spelling and word work. Here's a little background on our experience with the WTW program: It's encouraged, not required in our district. Teachers can implement the program however they see fit.Heidi has taken some trainings but most of our know-how is from the book and trial and error.We use the sorts weekly but do not use the program for spelling.
Visit our post about Chunk Spelling to learn more about that approach. Hopefully this post will give you some insight and tips if you're looking to implement WTW in your classroom. To begin using WTW, we recommend that you gather some supplies. The Words Their Way book is a must. The first step in implementing WTW is giving the class a (rather lengthy) spelling test. Grading the assessment can be tedious, but it's so great to see all the data. Making Groups Here's an example: Prep. 15+ Reading Strategies for Unknown Words {Tips for Parents}
One thing that is almost certain as kids are reading aloud to us is they will come across words they do not know. Even if we pick out “just right” books for them, there will be a few unknown words in the text. (Please note: if kids have too many words that are unknown, the text is too hard for them and will cause frustration.)
Most parents come well-equipped with the “just sound it out” method, but I’d like to share several other reading strategies for unknown words…things that you can say to your child when he reads/comes to a word he doesn’t know. My hope is that this list can help you when you’re doing summer reading with your child. Reading Strategies for Unknown Words Please take into consideration that the reading strategies you pick for your reader will totally depend on his reading development. Think about the Meaning Encourage readers to THINK about what they are reading. What would make sense in the sentence?
Use Visual Clues from the Words Relate it to Talking 1. 2. 3. 4. See On. 15 terrific resources for close reading. Snap Learning is a longtime partner and supporter of The Cornerstone, and they have sponsored this post. Though their products are not included in the roundup below as these resources are free, I encourage you to check out their Close Reading Portfolio or request a demo of the product here. They’re a fantastic company and I believe their interactive close reading exercises are among the best on the market. Close reading is an important part of Common Core because it helps students think and reflect deeply on the text. However, it think it’s a great strategy for ALL teachers to use, regardless of whether your state has adopted Common Core.
It’s just plain good teaching! I remember teaching my third graders to use “think marks” like stars, question marks, and exclamation marks as far back as 2001. There is no one set way or “right” way for teaching kids to do close reading. Hopefully your students aren’t doing THAT kind of close reading. My Mommy Reads: Book Builder FREE. I can't believe I haven't shared this resource before today! I'm so mad at myself! I LOVE Pioneer Valley Press' online bookbuilder! They have a paid version and also a free version.
I bought the paid version but often find myself going to the free online version because it so quick and easy! Here's how it works! Step One. Click on the picture to go the site! Step Two. Choose a leveled book! Step Three. Type in the name of your student and other names of their choosing. Step Four. Click build! Step Five. Print! These books are fabulous! I have made several for T with family names and he thinks it is just plain cool to see the names of people he loves! Happy reading! A Special Sparkle: Teaching Kids with Dyslexia. When you go to school to become a special education teacher, you learn so much about the laws, IEP's, teaching reading, and generally ways to accommodate students with special needs. There is one slight problem with this system. Teachers are rarely taught specific strategies for specific disabilities.
With a change in schools, my students are now a mix of high functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder and students with dyslexia. Having a strong background in ASD, I've spent this year focusing on my skills for teaching with dyslexia in mind. It's made me realize just how little I was taught about dyslexia in my teacher training. I'd like to take some time to show you the things that have helped me to most when teaching kids with dyslexia. Dyslexia is more than b's and d's People often think of mixing b and d as a sign of dyslexia, but it's so much more than that.
Dyslexia is Neurological It's all in the brain! The often see words as shapes or ideas. The RULES of Reading Give Them Strategies. Favorite Fairytales on YouTube. 11 Free Reading Websites for Kids. 10 Things You Have To Know When You Teach Reading - Education to the Core. Great Websites for Read Aloud Books & Read to Me Stories - Edventures with Kids. Kids love to hear stories - ask any child and I'll bet they tell you that one of their favorite parts of their day is read-aloud and storytime! Listening to a book helps kids to develop better concentration and listening skills, engages their imagination, increases their vocabulary and enhances their desire to be a reader as they grow.
I love to encourage parents to read to their child each day. That 15 minutes of storytime has so many wonderful benefits! In addition to parent/child read-aloud time, families can also include online read alouds and audio books as part of their child's literacy activities. These online books can really help to increase the time your kids spend reading and being read to -- use them in the car when your running errands or in the evening while while you're preparing dinner. Please note that some of the links in this post are affiliate links for your convenience. We've found some wonderful websites that offer stellar books which are read aloud to your child.
Daily 5 & Houghton Mifflin.