Word Study often brings up questions. What materials should students use? What words should they practice? Where do spelling, phonics, vocabulary, and other word learning fit? The answer will look different from classroom to classroom.
Word Study is the independent practice of word learning students have already been taught. The specific words, skills, and materials come from your current instruction and curriculum. That might include phonics, spelling, vocabulary, morphology, or other word learning appropriate for your students.
Daily 5 provides the structure for students to engage in that practice independently. Rather than creating a separate Word Study curriculum or filling the time with activities, choose practice that reinforces the learning already happening in your classroom. The same is true of the materials students use. Letter tiles, whiteboards, paper, markers, or digital tools can all have a place in Word Study. The materials are tools for practicing the learning, rather than the task itself.
That means you don't need to replace your current phonics, spelling, or vocabulary instruction to use Word Study. You are teaching students how to independently practice and apply that learning during Daily 5.
Launching Word Work
Gail and Heather introduce Word Work in this lesson. You'll notice how quickly the I-chart is produced, since this is the third Daily 5 they have launched. Gail even reminds students that many of the brainstormed behaviors are the same as Read to Self and Work on Writing. As the behaviors are written, Gail makes sure they are observable. When one student says, "not bothering others", Gail helps clarify by asking, "If you are not bothering others, what would that look like?"
An important part of Work on Writing is manipulating and managing materials. Heather's class has a wonderful saying, 'We respect our materials as tools not toys.' The students have a chance in this video to discuss what that looks like in their class.
Reflecting on the Lesson
Discussing a lesson after it has been taught is a hallmark of reflective teaching. In this video, Gail and Heather, a fourth grade teacher, debrief the launching lesson of Word Work.
