JS Word Study Instruction

The philosophy of the word study program in the UNIS Junior schools begins with a belief
that that it is necessary to teach spelling, vocabulary and phonics skills in an integrated way
Teachers at UNIS are committed to delivering the best possible differentiated instruction in
working to improve literacy skills based on the individual needs of the learners in their
classrooms The Words Their Way program helps children learn naturally by comparing and
contrasting word features and discovering patters and consistencies
! JS teacher"s work with word study begins with a diagnostic spelling inventory to
determine which patters and conventions a child has already mastered Word study is not
one#si$e fits all When we talk about differentiating instruction, we mean matching
instruction to the level of word knowledge of the learner We are focused on identifying
where each child is, and taking them from that starting point in a child centered and
appropriate pace
!fter placement in the correct developmental place in the program, children engage in
learning activities to e%amine, discriminate and make critical &udgments about sounds,
patters and meanings
This approach allows children to move beyond rote memori$ation to understand how words
are formed, their similarities with other words and other principles of word study Spelling
is an important part, but not all, of their learning about words
'omponents of an effective word study program include letter#sound correspondences,
phonics, spelling patters, high fre(uency word recognition, decoding word meaning and
other attributes
The Words Their Way program will be used by all homerooms beginning in Sept )*+,
While some grades have been using the program during the )*+-.+, academic year, we
have made a conscious decision to invest in training and the purchase of materials for
school wide implementation in )*+,
In the case of the J!, this implementation will be paired with the Jolly /honics program to
provide for the differentiated needs of the students
JS 0eading Instruction 1 /age + of ) 1 *++++-
JS 0eading Instruction 1 /age ) of ) 1 *++++-