Choice Lit Topic: Word Study and Vocabulary
Here is where you will find resources for teaching students about spelling, word features, vocabulary, and grammar.
Results
Explanatory Grammar Moves: Right-Branching Sentences
There is a secret that writers know about grammar: it’s the power of the right-branching sentence. It’s easy to navigate for novice and expert writers alike, and on top of...
Spelling Cycles: An Alternative to Weekly Spelling Lists
About two years ago I decided to become environmentally conscious. Cutting back on the amount of energy I used led me to commute to school by bicycle. At first I...
Word Nerds
Write down a synonym for the following words or use them in a sentence if you can: 1. girn 2. fug 3. hircine 4. yerd 5. sesamoid Did you try...
Adding to a Word Wall in Kindergarten
Mandy Robek prepares students for adding to the word wall in kindergarten.
5th Grade Sentence Observation
Karen Terlecky leads students through a sentence study routine in her 5th grade classroom.
Teaching Syllable Breaks in Kindergarten
In kindergarten, table groups are a natural and informal way to help groups of students learn new skills through eavesdropping. In this short video from Mandy Robek's kindergarten class, Mandy...
Grouping Struggling Students for Word Study: A Case Study
Word study is the favored, go-to instructional strategy for all struggling learners. Teachers run to it so often that most struggling learners have been thoroughly steeped in phonics by the...
Cooking Up Interest in Words with Fifth Graders
All my life I've looked at words as though I were seeing them for the first time. Ernest Hemingway I became fascinated with words from my grandmother, and my mother...
Weaving Word Study into Writing Workshop in 5th Grade
As I think about building word study and starting to make the connections to the Common Core, I have purposefully decided to weave word study instruction throughout my reading and...
Highlighting Language in a Writing Conference
Karen Terlecky confers with fifth grader Nora about her evocative language during writing workshop.
Integrating Vocabulary and Retelling Strategies into Read-Aloud
Stella Villalba scaffolds the language development of her first- and second-grade English language learners during read-aloud by highlighting vocabulary and providing a tool to assist with a partner retelling activity....
Vocabulary and iPhones: A Four-Step Process for Independent Student Word Learning
"Reading," Callie sighs as she rolls her eyes. Callie is a hard-working 17-year-old junior in high school. She is involved in many different activities in school and takes college prep...
Student-Selected Vocabulary in Middle School
“Look! I found eavesdropping in this book.” Aden had placed his book in front of my eyes, completely obscuring my view of my own choice book as he loudly whispered...
Using Wipe-Off Boards with Young English Language Learners
It is January, a time to review teaching practices and rethink, reorganize, and re-energize. January is a perfect time to refine skills-based teaching practices, and wipe-off boards are the perfect...
Book Matchmaker: Nonfiction to Read Cover to Cover
Clare is looking for some nonfiction books that can be shared in their entirety during read alouds. Here are some of my favorite nonfiction cover-to-cover read alouds. ...
Finding a Fit (The Power of Conventions Series)
While students whizzed through fill-in-the-blanks worksheets and circled the correct number of nouns in a sentence, when the opportunity came for students to apply what they learned to their drafts...
Shifting from Spelling to Word Study in 5th Grade
“Look at my word jar, Mrs. Caplin. I made it over the weekend with my friend.” I knew then the shift from spelling to word study had occurred in my...
What’s Up with Those Word Walls?
It is the third day of school. Yet many of the classrooms that I’ve visited have word walls with up to 100 words already posted on them. How can that...
Keeping the M
Preschool teacher Melissa Kolb works one-on-one with Daniela on the letters and sounds in her brother's name.
5th Grade Word Study Homework
Fifth-grade teacher Karen Terlecky leads a debrief of the previous night's homework. The students share derivatives they found of the root word cycle. Click here to download the workshop guide....
Word Choice Lesson: A Collaborative Coaching Session
Jennifer Allen collaborates with a new teacher, Jessica, early in the fall to teach a lesson in Jessica's 4th grade classroom. Click here to download the workshop guide. COMMON CORE...
