Grade Primary

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Grade 1 a away for his like on so us all be get I look one that was am big go I’m man or the we an but had if me out there will and by has in mom play they with are can have into my saw this when as day he is no see to you ask did her it not she up at do him of

Grade 2 about before day have little one so very after because did here look our some went all big do him make out than were also but don’t how man over their what am by from I’m mom play them when an came get if my put then where ask can go into no said there who away come going just not saw this will back dad has like now see two would us your

Grade 3 again bring fire half later men think size ago can’t first happy left more too sky almost car fix hear let morning place sleep also could food help life most read snow always does four high line new real soon any done free home list next ride start asked down friend hope live nothing room stop 1 became each from house lots off school story began end fun I’d love only seen sun begin even girl inside lunch other show talk below ever goes knew made that’s side ten better fast gone know many these sister boy find grade last maybe thing

Grade 4 above broke during follow lady money paper shown along brother early foot large move party someone animal buy every given learn much past something another carry everyone great leave must people stood anything change everything form let’s myself playground such around city fact front live never pretty summer been close family head long often ready sure behind couldn’t favo(u)rite hour lost once really they’re between died final hurt main order scare third both dry fine laugh mean own self you’re

Grade 5 against build dinner field idea problem space trouble already caught easy finally instead reason special uncle answer character either graph kept river stuff whichever aunt children else group ocean second themselves which beautiful clothes enough heart perhaps selfish though while believe complete everybody heavy personal simple throw women body country few however picture since tomorrow write brought different

Grade 6 across among community important probably several through whole although certain especially possible province shall thought written High Frequency Words (HFW) and Word Walls Points to Remember

P – 6 instruction and assessment: - the emphasis on correct spelling of high frequency words in writing should never overshadow the focus on risk taking and expression - word walls are suitable, meaningful, and effective in all elementary classrooms - instruction must be aligned with the student’s stage of spelling development (emergent, early, transitional, fluent) so that teachers are providing the right amount of support and challenge

2 - most students need multiple and varied exposures to these HFW to solidify automatic recognition and conventional spelling; games are a common and fun way to reinforce these words (I Spy, Concentration, Word Wall Bingo, etc.) - in grades 1 – 2 some words on the word wall need to be reinforced as ‘no excuse’ words in students’ daily writing - in grades 3 – 6, more words on the word wall (along with many others that are not posted) need to be reinforced as ‘no excuse’ words in students’ daily writing - some teachers signal that a word wall word is now a ‘no excuse’ word by changing the colour of the paper on which the word is written - some teachers assign different ‘no excuse’ words to different students and list them on some component of their writing folder or scribbler - teachers need to model their reference to the word wall when engaging their students in modeled, shared and interactive writing experiences - students need constant encouragement and positive reinforcement to take spelling risks with these HFW - teachers need to reinforce the parts of the word that students got right, talk about the problematic or tricky part(s), and develop mnemonic devices to help them remember the tricky parts (through modeling the mnemonic devices and asking students to share their methods) - at the beginning of the year in grades 1 – 6, teachers may wish to engage students in pre-testing to determine the HFW over which students have and do not have control to help them make decisions about which words should be placed on the word wall - approximately 10 new words ought to be placed on the word wall in any given month (this may vary slightly up or down depending on the grade level and the spelling development of the majority of students) - regardless of the grade level, the word wall should be blank at the beginning of each year; students should be active participants in the posting and removal of all word wall words - teachers need to use students’ independent and ongoing written work to determine their progress with HFW - teachers use small group opportunities to gauge student’s progress and explicitly reinforce conventional spelling of selected words - teachers may also want to check the students’ control over these words at the beginning of each year (not including grade primary) by administering a series of pre-tests (no more than 10 words at a single time), intermittently throughout the year, and at the end of the year to determine progress

P – 1 instruction: - the words teachers focus on for the whole class should come from the texts students will be using during shared and guided reading experiences (morning messages, poems and big books) - words placed on the word wall support automatic word recognition for most students as well as accurate spelling that grows over time - grade primary teachers may want to start with placing students’ names on word walls to reinforce sound/symbol connections; as students gain increasing control of sound/symbol matching, the names would be taken off the word wall and kept on a separate alphabetical list of names in the classroom for easy reference as needed - teachers may use students’ contributions during interactive writing to determine their progress 3 Grades 2 – 6 instruction: - words placed on the word wall become more supportive in terms of accurate spelling when students need them in their writing - students’ automatic control over the spelling of these HFW will dictate which words need explicit attention; this applies to both single grade and combined classes - as students gain control over the conventional spelling of HFW, they should be removed from the word wall - students benefit from practice to solidify their automatic spelling of words - the key is to not have a regular testing date; students work on the words over a period of time and quizzes are used spontaneously

Differentiation While the word wall is provided as a support for the class as a whole, individual students will need to focus on specific words. Suggestions to provide support for the accurate spelling of these words include: - spelling buddies so that students discuss words (comparisons with others, silent letters, # of syllables, blends, etc.) - spelling buddies so that students can quiz each other on the words they are currently working on - students benefit from having small personal spelling references as well for words that they are currently working to spell accurately; these personal spelling references begin as blank pages with the student adding words as needed with support from the teacher and, if needed, may include a sentence to reinforce the use of the word - a small # of specific HFW can be sent home at a time so that parents are aware of the words that their child is currently working on; sending a letter to parents about ways to support their students to spell these words is helpful – e.g., suggestions for talking about the words (silent letters, blends, vowels, syllables, etc.), comparisons with other words, letter cards to reassemble, mnemonics to help remember these words,

The following lists represent commonly posted words on word walls at each grade level; teachers will notice some overlap from one grade to the next. Beyond the following suggestions for word walls, teachers at all grades level need to be flexible when deciding which other words to include on a word wall. Please note that while the words for each grade level are generally listed in alphabetical order (for easy reference) this is not the order in which words should be introduced to students.

If teachers notice that words from earlier grades are problematic for many of their students, these should be posted on the class word wall as well.