Words Their Way Book Discussion Group

Marilyn Gallatin and Lara McTaggart

Discussion Group

Chapters 5 and 6

In chapter 5 Letter Name Alphabetic Stage, Lara and I discussed in this stage is where students begin to learn words and read text.  They begin to read and write in a conventional way.  This is the stage students begin to read their own writing and others.

The letter name stage needs careful scaffolding:

Starting with

1. Picture sorts
2. Word families
3. Sight words

Lara and I found that concept of a word (COW) is very important in this stage and is mentioned several times in the book. Letter name students now have concept of a word.  They can finger track and not lose their place when they come to two syllable words. Listed below are the two concept levels of (COW)

Two Concept of Word Levels

1. Rudimentary concept: Students can point and track memorized text using their   knowledge of  consonants as clues to word boundaries. This level will still get of track with two syllable words and often have to return to the beginnings of a sentence using memory.
2. Full concept: Students will track or point more accurately while reading they will self correct without starting over.

We also discussed the confusion between high frequency words and sight words.  Lara pointed out that many of these words overlap, and it makes sense that students do not need to learn them in different ways.

We want to make sure in our class we focus on modeling writing for our students in letter naming stage to help them develop concepts about print. Lara is excited to see inventive spelling in practice since this will be her first year teaching first grade. I told her she would be able to understand most of what they are writing about.  However, I sometimes have to ask for clues to get the gist of their writing.  WTW talked about how invented spelling is very important at this stage.  It is important to allow our students to write about things that are important to them. Writing for authentic purposes such as, letters to friends or telling about personal events help students gain understanding of phonemic awareness. Dictations help in letter name stage so students can focus on writing the sounds instead of trying to remember what they are trying to write.

Lara and I are anxious to put many of these ideas into practice during our teaching day. We have been working with a reading specialist this year and have already put into practice using sophisticated synonyms as often as possible.  We want to use words such as, admirable, disperse, replenish, gracious instead of regular words.  Our principal’s deep love of vocabulary has also brought this type of talk to the forefront at our school.

I discussed with Lara that I was guilty of letting my students copy  sentences and spelling words, but WTW says copying sentences has little value at letter name stage. This is a practice I will discontinue. I plan to concentrate more on letting my students do more dictation and writings with a purpose. Chapter 5 in WTW is full of activities and games to use with students in the letter naming stage.

Chapter 6

Word Study for Transitional Learner in the Within Word Pattern Stage

Orthographic development and word study in this stage helps students build on their knowledge of the sound layer of  English orthography and explore the pattern layer.

Lara and I enjoyed the reference to the Wright Brothers to explain readers in within word pattern have taken flight but were limited in their elevation of reading.  It does not take much to get them frustrated.  Within word students may be found in late first grade, but mostly found in 2^nd, 3^rd, and early 4^th grade.  Teachers need to provide time for them to practice reading in their instructional level and independent level.  WTW says that to propel them into the next stage they need repeated readings and timed repeated readings.   Reader’s theater, and poetry readings will also help promote fluent expressive reading.

Lara and I talked about how important we felt about how writing and reading go hand in hand.  Within word writers are more fluent with writing skills and this allows students to concentrate on their ideas.  We know this is an exciting time for students and teachers to see the complexity of their stories develop.

Our school has a big focus on vocabulary.  Lara and I want to make sure our students understand that vocabulary word study is to get to the meaning of the word. It is not about spelling the word.  We want our students to have word consciousness or word awareness.  WTW states that even though students in word pattern stage can read multisyllabic words but they should not be expected to spell them.  This stage also needs to continue hearing and using sophisticated language.  Read-alouds, word sorts, and concept sorts provide opportunities to discuss new words and focus on multiple meanings.  Homophones will be encountered a great deal in this stage.  Lara and I loved the idea of creating a Homophone collection for the classroom.