Resource List- Words Their Way, Lucy Caulkins

Elizabeth Norwood RE 5730 Staff Development Workshop Plan

**resource list- words their way, lucy caulkins

**word sorts at different levels

**hand out on stages of spelling

Focus of Plan

My staff development workshop will serve to familiarize kindergarten through third grade teachers with how student spelling develops from beginning writing to more advanced stages. During my staff development workshop I will use a PowerPoint presentation to familiarize teachers with the 5 stages of spelling development: emergent stage, letter name stage, within word stage, syllable juncture stage, and derivational constancy stage. I will include slides in the presentation that discuss important characteristics of each spelling stage, as well as activities that teachers can use with students that are in each of these stages.

During my workshop I will mostly use whole group discussion and presentation, but teachers will have a chance to work in small groups to analyze student writing samples and determine which stage of spelling those students are using. Teachers will also have the opportunity to practice word sorts with one another in small groups.

Theoretical Perspective

I am presenting this workshop because I believe that teachers need to understand how students develop early literacy skills such as spelling. I think that many times once students get past first grade, teachers lose sight of helping students understand how to learn to spell, and often think that they will automatically develop the ability to use spelling rules on their own. While this does happen in some cases, it is does not always occur. Even in lower grades many teachers teach spelling in a regimented way, and they often do not take each student’s individual ability level into account when asking them to spell certain words for a test each week. I do not believe that spelling is a “one size fits all” skill, I believe that each student should be met where they are and be given appropriate instruction to move them along in the stages of development. In doing this we can help students to attain a mastery of language that will serve them well throughout their lives.

Objectives

At the end of this workshop teachers will:

 Know the five stages of spelling

 Be cognizant of the characteristics of each spelling stage

 Be able to assess students in spelling and use assessment data to plan appropriate

instruction in spelling

 Be able to decide which stage of spelling a student is in by looking at a writing

sample

 Be able to plan effective spelling instruction for students in each stage of spelling

development

 Understand the order in which spelling patterns should be taught Outline

 I will go over each slide in my PowerPoint presentation and discuss the 5 stages

of spelling (slides attached). Teachers will be given the opportunity to ask

questions as we move through each stage of spelling.

 After going through the PowerPoint presentation, teachers will break into grade

level groups to discuss the writing samples that they brought with them in one of

the small group activities that I have described below.

 I will show teachers the Schlagal spelling inventory that we have learned about in

our graduate school program. I will tell teachers how to administer the spelling

inventory as well as how to score it. We will then discuss how to group students

according to these assessment results

 Once we have discussed how to best group students according to their ability

level based on the spelling inventory, I will show them two ways that I have

found work for me in using spelling groups. At our school we use Letterland in

grades K-2. Because this is a very planned out program, I will show them how to

adapt it to find the specific student lists that would be most beneficial to their

students based on what their assessments show they have a firm knowledge of, as

well as by looking at what they are “using but confusing.” In our upper grades

they have more flexibility with spelling lists, so I will also show them a method

that I like that is based on Lucy Caulkins’ work. Students are pre-assessed each

Monday on a set of words, and then are assigned spelling words for the week based on their specific weak areas. In each of these processes it is possible to find

each child’s instructional level and assign appropriate spelling words for them.

 During this process we will be discussing the order of introduction of spelling

patterns. Usually students learn to first spell using beginning and ending

consonants, then short vowels. (Vowels should be introduced in the order: a, i, o,

u, e.) While students are learning how to use short vowels, blends should be

introduced. After students have cemented short vowels, long vowels should be

introduced. Easy long vowels such as vowel consonant e, and simple vowel teams

should be introduced next. Finally more complex vowel patters, r controlled

vowels, and affixes should be introduced. I would also mention pre-consonant

nasals, such as ng, mp, nk and how they are difficult for spellers in the early

stages to grasp.

 Since word study is so important for children as they learn to spell, and since I

give many recommendations for word sorts in my presentation, I will demonstrate

how to plan and carry out a word sort. I will bring several already prepared word

sorts spanning many levels for us to use both as a group and in small groups.

Small Group Activities

 At least two weeks before the workshop I will ask each grade level that will be

attending the workshop to gather writing samples. I will ask each group to bring

in at least 6 samples of writing (2 each of a lower level student, an average

student, and a high achieving student). In grade level groups, teachers will be

asked to discuss the student samples of spelling that they brought with them. Using the handout I will provide on the stages of spelling, teachers will decide

which stage of spelling each sample depicts. After sufficient time has been given

for group discussions, I will show some of the samples with a document camera

and we will discuss the samples together. I will ask the teachers what

characteristics of the sample lead them to their conclusions about the stage of

spelling.

 Word sorts

Follow up Activities

 As follow up to my workshop I would offer to go into the teachers’ classrooms

and help with student assessment, grouping, assigning appropriate spelling words,

or anything else they may need to help implement differentiated spelling

instruction.

 I would ask for each teacher to select three students in their rooms (one low level,

one average, and one higher level) and administer the spelling assessment. I

would ask for them to decide which stage of spelling each student is in and ask

them to reflect on whether or not their current spelling instruction is appropriate

to each of their students’ abilities.

 I would offer a second smaller scale workshop on spelling activities that can be

used in any spelling group. Assessment

 I would create a Survey Monkey survey and send it out to all teachers that

attended the workshop. As well as some multiple choice or yes/no questions, I

would have some open ended questions about what they learned, what questions

they still have, and what they would like to know more about. I would look at the

results to see what teachers felt that they had learned, as well as what the still had

questions about. I would follow up with teachers’ questions either individually (if

they add their name to their comment) or during the follow up workshop session I

mentioned above.

 I would check in with each teacher within the month following the workshop to

see if they changed their spelling instruction based on what they learned. If they

have, I will see what support I can offer in helping them along with the changes

they made. If they have not implemented any changes, I will see if there is

anything I can do to help them with what they are currently doing in their spelling

instruction.