Words+Their+Way

We will begin word study together while we review earlier learned spelling patterns for the first three weeks. Then the students will work on creating their own word list for word study. Our words will come from "Frequency Words" that every 5th Grader should know, their SRA Spelling Grade 5 books as supplement, and Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary (Blue Level) for vocabulary development.

Testing will be over the spelling pattern as well as word analysis, such as word origin, definition, syllables and antonyms. Students will be encouraged to use their newly learned words in their writing as well as in their speech.

**[|Vocabulary Practice Website for Sadlier-Oxford Vocabulary Workshop Level Blue Student Center]**
Students can also use Spelling City for extra practice. Simply locate my name under teacher and have fun!

Practice your words at Spelling City - just follow the directions below:

 * 1) Click on the link below
 * 2) Click on the blue heading at the top of the site Find A List
 * 3) Select teacher and type in Hernandez
 * 4) Select the name for St. Joseph Catholic School (Waxahachie, TX)
 * 5) Find the list for the current unit and have fun!
 * 6) [|Spelling City]

Mission Impossible 30 seconds Timer media type="file" key="Mission Impossible.mp3" width="240" height="20" Mission Impossible 1:50 Timer media type="file" key="Mission Impossible 150.mp3" width="240" height="20"

A great article that talks about the importance of word study versus traditional Spelling tests:

Working and Playing with Words Remember how we were taught to spell when we were students? Many of us were simply handed a list of words and told to write each word five times. We then had our Friday spelling test, after which we may have forgotten those very words. Remember how we were taught to decipher new words we encountered when reading? I can still hear my teachers saying, "Just sound it out!" Of course, we were also taught some reading and spelling rules such as, "When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking." But did you know that this rule, like many others that we were taught, holds true less than fifty percent of the time? (Clymer, 1996) Not only do these precepts lack reliability, but the teaching of rules is not really the best way to help our students learn. We learn best by active involvement and practice with the task at hand, which allow us to see word and letter patterns for ourselves. Research suggests that the brain is a //pattern detector//, rather than an //applier of rules// (Cunningham, 2004). If our brains are indeed "pattern detectors," then we should provide our students with plenty of opportunity to investigate and organize those patterns. Fortunately, we are now seeing dramatic and exciting changes in the teaching of spelling and word recognition. The field of "word study" provides students an opportunity to manipulate words (and parts of words) in meaningful and enjoyable activities and games. Reading ability can develop dramatically as word study lessons develop experience with: Word study activities call for //active// problem solving. Students are encouraged to look for spelling patterns, form hypotheses, predict outcomes, and test them. These activities require students to continually ask themselves, "What do I know about this new word, and how is it similar to words that I already know?" Source: [] For more information please visit both sites: []
 * Letters and their corresponding sounds.
 * Components of words, such as roots, prefixes, and suffixes
 * Patterns of how words are spelled, such as word families.
 * How parts of words often will give hints to the meaning of a word, as well as its spelling or pronunciation.