faith academy

Spelling
Words Their Way

Writing
Lucy Calkins' Units of Study for Teaching Writing

Words Their Way

ACTION WORD STUDY FOR...

• phonics
• vocabulary
• spelling

WORDS ARE...

• grade-leveled
• differentiated
• designed for progression

Students...

• take a diagnostic test at the beginning of each year to check for placement.
• are divided into different groups based on the patterns they already know and the ones they need to learn.

each week, students...

• get a new list of words.
• do a number of different word-sorts to discover patterns.
• meet with their teacher to learn the "rules" behind the patterns.
• play games to solidify those patterns and those words in their minds.

The positives

• differentiation - there isn't one list that every student must learn.
• hands-on, student-centered.
• individual successes.
• students learn patterns that they then can apply later in their writing.

The negatives

• a minority of students plateau and do not move out of their current level, thus they miss out on the higher and harder words.
• repetitive routines.
• time-consuming, initially.

Lucy Calkins: Units of Study for Teaching Writing

writing workshops in...

• opinion/argument
• information
• narrative writing

the core truths/beliefs

• Everyone is a writer.
• Listen to the stories around you.
• Focus on communicating your ideas well.

students...

• receive guided practice.
• work at their own pace.
• conference with their teacher about their writing.

The positives

• differentiation - each student works at their own pace and in their own areas of interest.
• conferencing - gives students individual areas of improvement.
• progression - students progress as they learn from model exemplars.

The negatives

• highly scripted - some modifications possible.
• with the focus on ideas, the program is weak in spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• time-consuming for teachers and students.

Assessing Effectiveness of Instructional Methods

questions to consider...

• Best practices?
• Student progression?
• Success leads to more successes?
• Efficiency?
• Student outcomes?
• Sustainability?
• Pros outweigh Cons?

words their way @ Faith

• Best practices - personal dictionaries, word categories, spelling meetings.
• Student progression - the majority of students progress at their own pace.
• Success leads to more success - students experience success leading to ownership of their learning and more success.

words their way @ Faith

• Efficiency - not the most efficient program for students or teachers.
• Student outcomes - the majority of students are making progress.
• Sustainability - program is sustainable for the school.
• Pros outweigh Cons - seems to be true.

lucy calkins @ Faith

• Best practices - guided practice, individual pacing, conferencing.
• Student progression - using exemplars that are ever increasing in difficulty, students' writing becomes more refined.
• Success leading to more successes - conferencing allows individual instruction, leading to improvement.

lucy calkins @ Faith

• Efficiency - not always effecient but effective.
• Student outcomes - stronger writers who are invested in their learning and growth.
• Sustainability - program is sustainable for the school.
• Pros outweigh Cons - seems to be true.