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Session 5: Patterns of Power Resources
Planning Sheet
Planning Sheet
Correlations to CCSS 2019
Correlations to CCSS 2019
Free resource from Stenhouse
Possible Lesson Sequence (adapt to YOUR kids!)
Possible Lesson Sequence (adapt to YOUR kids!)
Free resource from Stenhouse
Potential Mentor Sentences
Potential Mentor Sentences

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Session 5: Word Investigation & Spelling Resources
A Scope of Orthographic Concepts
A Scope of Orthographic Concepts
Planning: Collecting Potential Bases
Planning: Collecting Potential Bases
Identifying Bases and Affixes
Identifying Bases and Affixes
Potential small group, partner, or individual inquiry
Examining Word Study "Stickiness"
Examining Word Study "Stickiness"
EKC
Spelling Stages - Determining Instructional Focus
Spelling Stages - Determining Instructional Focus
EKC
Independent Weekly Word Study
Independent Weekly Word Study
from Nancie Atwell
Renovating the Weekly Spelling Test
Renovating the Weekly Spelling Test
Writing Out & Spelling Out Word Structure
Writing Out & Spelling Out Word Structure
Pete Bowers
WordWorks Literacy Centre
WordWorks Literacy Centre
Filled with ideas to explore...

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Session 5: I Wonder...
When are we fitting
When are we fitting in silent reading to our daily schedule. It is so important but often easy to leave off the schedule. It should be done daily. Is this done outside of our literacy block time? Ideas? 

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Session 4: How Might Morphology Serve as a Key to Efficient, Powerful Word Inquiry?
To Investigate a Word...
To Investigate a Word...
Investigation by a G5 Student
Investigation by a G5 Student
Common Bases and Affixes
Common Bases and Affixes
from Vocabularians (2015)
Etymology Reference
Etymology Reference
Word Reference
Word Reference
WordWorks Literacy Centre
WordWorks Literacy Centre
A great resource to learn even more...
onelook.com
onelook.com

A great compilation of online dictionaries. When you enter a word it brings up every online dictionary where that word appears.  It will have a quick summary of major definitions, usually links to the online etymology site. 

It often brings up a few really good learner's dictionaries that are great for elementary/middle school students and ELLs.

My favorite part is to search for a base with an asterisk before and after - you can sort the results by how common they are. 
(Allison)


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Session 4: I Wonder...
Kristin
Kristin
Where can I find these word matrices? I know they must be   somewhere so that we all don't have to keep recreating the wheel.

Nicola
Nicola
How might you assess students spelling skills using this approach?
 And how would you target students specific spelling needs using this approach; specifically is there a good pre-assessment that could be used to determine where
students are with their spelling and then to determine what ‘base words’ they might
need to work on? 
Kristin
Kristin
How does this relate to the schedule of our week? Is this only used with the vocab words, or do you take a week to go over a pattern?
Rebecca J
Rebecca J
I wonder about assessment. I have not given a traditional spelling test in years. However, we give the Words Their Way test 3 times a year to track spelling. Do you have any assessment ideas? 
Rebecca J - Another Wondering
Rebecca J - Another Wondering
I wonder  if best practices for word study is to have kids with their own individualized lists. How do I balance all those lists? How do I make time to be with each student/list. This year my students never had a list. I just looked for opportunities to do word study. 

Rebecca
Rebecca
I continue to think about how to incorporate word study and grammar study while teaching UOS. We alternate our focus on one reading unit followed by a writing unit. Over the last few years we have noticed common areas the students struggle with in terms of grammar and spelling rules but have not found a way to spend quality time addressing these issues and teaching the UOS with limited time across the week and in class. This is the area I need the most help with.



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Session 4: Gots & Wants
Kristin
Kristin
Gots: Spelling is all about meaning, not about sounds, though after you connect to meaning, you can go back and see how sounds connect.

Wants: I was looking around Pete's sight and it is a bit confusing, at least at first glance. Is his book more linear in showing an order to what roots/patterns should be taught? And of course, the question of time is always huge and how all of what we learned fit together.
Lara
Lara
Gots - Loved the investigation process that could turn into a routine that can transfer across disciplines
Wants - Sample unit of how it all goes together (but you just mentioned we will doing this)

Teresa
Teresa
Got - I love having the word investigation guide/steps. I will definitely use this with my students this next year!
What does the word mean?
How is it built? Can you identify any bases or affixes?
Do you know any related words? Morphology or Etymology?
What are the sounds that matter?
Nicola
Nicola
GOTS: Mind blown! Think about the meaning of words, instead of sounds, to spell. Love this inquiry approach/guide (word investigation) to spelling and morphology. So impactful! 

WANTS: Over the last four sessions, we've been exploring a range of strategies for word study. In a packed timetable (with limited time- really only 40-50 mins per week for word study), how do you suggest going about planning/timetabling/balancing for word study? 
Allison
Allison
GOTS:
*I love the inquiry process
*Can't wait to go down the Pete Bowers/WordWorks rabbit hole!
*very excited to use this for my pull-out beginners classes.

WANTS: how to bring this to my push-in/immersion classes. I usually push in to reading, writing or UoI, and the HR teachers are already so pressed for time. 

Satya
Satya
GOTS: I loved the last video! I'm looking forward to applying the ideas I learned today so that my students will be curious and excited as much as the girl was who was presenting!

WANTS: I would like to figure out how to come up with a concrete plan so that I can visualise how all of these components of word study would come together in the long term in a way that fits our timetables. 
Susan
Susan
Gots: "The primary purpose of spelling is to represent meaning" I really want to have a better understanding of morphology to guide my students in the right direction. 
Wants: I'm still not sure how I can do this in 5-7 mins. I'd love to watch some sample lessons or examples of how lessons are scheduled in a week. 
Nikki
Nikki
Gots - "Sounds are in service to their meaning" - this was so important today as it made me really reflect on my own teaching and the way in which my children are learning.

Wants - I suppose I am still a little unsure as to how this all fits into a day. Thinking across the 4 sessions we've had and the great ideas you have shared, what does this look like in the classroom? How many minutes are given to word study each day/week?
Padma
Padma
Gots: Loved the word investigation process and definitely going to use this. 
Wants: Just looking at the balance of bringing in time factor
Jen
Jen
Got: The primary purpose of spelling is to represent meaning

I think this is such an exciting way of teaching spelling. It honors the spirit of inquiry and truly builds a word-curious community. 

Want:  I suspect that once we get the ball rolling, a lot of the activities and inquiry models can be done by the children both in class and independently at home, during DEAR time. I wonder how we can support and promote that excitement for inquiry outside of the dedicated class time.

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Session 3: How Might We Incorporate Multimodal Vocabulary Studies Across Our Units?
Examples of Tier Two Words
Examples of Tier Two Words
Some Criteria for Identifying Tier Two Words
Some Criteria for Identifying Tier Two Words
EKC
Examples of Vocabulary Explorations
Examples of Vocabulary Explorations
I Wonder: Language Learners and Classroom Talk
I Wonder: Language Learners and Classroom Talk
EKC Connections Interview with Dr. Jeff Zwiers
CSI: Color, symbol, image
CSI: Color, symbol, image
This visible thinking routine might be a good tool for word exploration. I've used it previously for students to think deeply about each attribute of the Learner Profile (each student would work on one attribute). Afterwords, each student would create an artifact or poster representing what they came up with. - Satya
Vocabulary game: Connect 2 (or 3)
Vocabulary game: Connect 2 (or 3)
After students have had a bit of  exposure to vocabulary words, students can play a game where  2 words are selected at random (out of a deck of vocabulary cards, etc)  and students use the words in a way that demonstrates understanding or explains how these 2 words 
could connect or relate to each other. 
(ie:  if words 'compulsory' and 'subtle' were picked a player might say:  When something is compulsory, a teacher is not subtle about it.")

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Session 3: I Wonder...
Kristin
Kristin
I'm hoping that we'll go more in depth on how to directly teach vocabulary so that it's not the old school vocabulary list.

Edit: And we did! Thanks!
Eric
Eric
When words have multiple meanings, how do we go about approaching those words? I see the value of learning the multiple meanings, but could also see getting bogged down in all of the meanings.


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Session 3: Gots & Wants
Got - some interesti
Got - some interesting  ways to to be word conscious and how important it is to create a word conscious culture in your classroom.

Want- digging deeper with morphology.
 
Satya
Satya
GOT
I was able to get practical step-by-step strategies on how to teach vocabulary on a two week cycle. 

WANT
What type of morphology is appropriate for each grade level?
Jen
Jen
Got: It is so important to be be thoughtful and precise with language during instruction --namely elevating language used with the children

Want: More resources, ideas about morphology instruction
Teresa
Teresa
Got:  concrete ideas of how to incorporate these into my own classroom

Really like the folder with  word study exploration organizer! Will use these for sure!

Want: Just happy to see so many examples! Learning a lot!

Rebecca J
Rebecca J
Got - While looking at our unit I noticed we use way too many words! I narrowed down to the words I thought were the top 5 based on our central idea, lines of inquiry, learner profile, etc. 

Wants - What about the kids that already have experiences with these words. How can I challenge my top vocab kids? Should I have multiple lists? Maybe this doesn't matter as much since it is 5-7 minutes and it brings everyone together.  Just a few thoughts. 

Nicola
Nicola
GOTS: How to transfer learning of new vocab in a multimodal and authentic manner. And authentically assessing students vocab in context. 

WANTS: Morphology instruction. Is this type of direct instruction of vocab something I could in strategy groups/one-on-one, as a way to differentiate and meet the needs of all my learners? If yes, how would this look in a short conference? 
Karin
Karin
Got: That vocabulary study can be short and that it is important to use different methods when learning new words. Important to create activities that help students talk
Molly
Molly
Got: Some great ideas to make small tweaks in my vocabulary instruction that will have a big impact for my students.

Kristin
Kristin
Gots: There is a need for implicit vocab instruction, but I also need to think about how I'm talking to the kids so that I'm using those tier 2 words.

Wants: I need to figure out how to make sure vocab is being taught but that grammar and morphology are also being taught.
Beth
Beth
Got - teaching how to use context clues, 7 types of context clues, active opportunities to help make connections

Nikki
Nikki
Got -  teaching relevant and important vocabulary to help students understand the upcoming units/lessons. I much prefer this to the spelling lists we assign at the moment. I'd imagine engagement would be high!

Want - we follow a strict spelling programme i.e. one week words using the prefix inter-, next week 'soft c' words, next week suffix '-tion' I wonder how we can still ensure we're following these goals, and essentially our SPAG curriculum, but ensure that we're choosing purposeful, relevant words.
Padma
Padma
Gots: Loved the steps to use for word study and also the techniques to use like using a colour. I am definitely going to use those.
Wants: Is it possible to get some links of teachers conducting word study like Matt Glover's craft and process. 
Lara
Lara
Gots - loved it all - context clues, 5 steps to Word Inquiry and the different modalities/options to interact with words, and the purposeful thinking behind the words we choose.

Wants - thoughts on Word Inquiry by Kingston? I can see how it could be another modality
For grade 3 kids who are still building their phonics their nderstanding, where and how and what do you suggest within the framework we have been exploring?
Allison
Allison
Got:
I love some of those explorations, especially the morphology ones that bring in many more examples.

Want:
What to do about unit vocabulary - larger numbers of words, many of them tier 3.  It's not possible to do such an in-depth exploration of, say, 20 or 30 words, but students do need a certain level of familiarity.  So far I've tried matching games, quizlets, I have/who has, quiz-quiz-trade, home language translation collections.  I would love a few more whole-class activites for those situations, or appropriate home activities that are also engaging
Belen
Belen
Got: 
Dee
Dee
Got: Being intentional and forward thinking with the vocabulary the children will encounter in the Anchor Charts and Mini-lessons and noting this at the start of the unit

Want: Clarify this is more about  the children being able to use the word, understand the word, rather than spell the word right? They may have spelling  focus of the week separate?

Olivia
Olivia
Love this 'got':  "Talking as a teacher is an instructional tool." 
Got: Multi-modal, multiple exposure, trans-disciplinary vocabulary opportunities. Engagment is key.
Got: 7 types of context clues


Ana
Ana
Got: I appreciate the clear, easy to understand criteria for selecting meaningful words.
want: Given our tight schedules, I would like to continue to learn ways to incorporate  word study. I love the idea of thinking in terms of 1 week or two weeks to create a balanced approach. 
Rebecca
Rebecca
Gots - The need to improve our unit planning to include authentic word study that connects to the work required of students in each unit.

Wants - I am really keen to see examples of unit planning / mapping that includes work study with specific UOS. For example - word study with a Deep Study of Character, word study with Nonfiction Research Writing 

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Session 2: How Might We Explore Grammar and Conventions in Ways that are Purposeful, Relevant, and Authentic?
What might I learn from Jon Krakauer?
What might I learn from Jon Krakauer?
What might I learn from Kate DiCamillo?
What might I learn from Kate DiCamillo?
Notable Sentences (and Some Passages) for Imitation and Creation
Notable Sentences (and Some Passages) for Imitation and Creation
I Wonder: Co-teaching for Language Learners
I Wonder: Co-teaching for Language Learners
Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld
I Wonder: Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
I Wonder: Supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
EKC Connections Interview with Dr. Andrea Honigsfeld

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Session 2: I Wonder...
Rebecca
Rebecca
I love the idea of a 7-8 minute inquiry every day but if you only have 50 minutes per English lesson,  won't this impact on the Readers and Writers workshop lesson and take away from independent work time????
Allison
Allison
How to get the inquiry/invitations started with EAL beginners - when will they have enough language for the discussion?

Nicola
Nicola
Hi Tonya,  will you be able to share with us your slides that you've made once the course is finished? 
I totally understand if you're unable to due to copyright etc

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Session 2: Gots & Wants
Jen
Jen
Got: The power of using whole passages as a mentor text and format for writing.

Want: Strong passage mentor text examples
Nikki
Nikki
Got - great ideas for short 6-8 minute sessions each day, rather than teach one, main 40 minute grammar session each week. Love the idea of using read aloud texts to keep this relevant and keep engagement high. 

Want - to gather more examples of great texts to use for these sessions.
Teresa
Teresa
Got: Will use the inquiry into word study based on a standard a week and invitations and celebrations.
Want: ? 
Karen
Karen 
Got- Clarifying a structure for studying mentor sentences. I am thinking about using the translanguaging piece early in the process with early EAL learners. 

Want- Like the pun resource (love!)- can we build a bank of paragraphs/ mentor sentences. 
Olivia
Olivia
Got it now! I don't need to 'avoid' grammar and conventions, or put it on the "if we have time" list anymore.  I see the impact of building daily Patterns of Power progression into daily routines.

Also, its great to try out for ourselves imitating a mentor passage, and recognizing the impact/possibilities from this practice.  Thank you!
Padma
Padma
Gots: Using a mentor text for learners to create their writing piece. Brilliant discovery for me that I am going to use.
Wants: Finding apt mentor texts, do we just pick it up from read alouds or are there some good books with mentor texts? Is the book Mentor authors and mentor texts useful for this?
Rebecca J
Rebecca J
Gots - Stop fixing and focus on the art of writing. I love the idea of looking at writing like an artist. 
Wants - How does nonfiction look in the eyes of an artist? How can we make writing an explanation text more interesting? I feel I might be killing the love of writing by not celebrating the art enough. 
Kristin
Kristin
Got: spend quality time working on one standard/idea; grammar should be about looking at what was done well first (mentor text) and then end with fixing mistakes; you can use whole passages for kids to try and not just sentences

Want: I would love to spend time like we did today on word study/spelling (which I'm sure we will be doing).
Allison
Allison
Got  
-  the technique of using the mentor text for to experiment with structure.
- adding the metalinguistic analysis to the inquiry/invitations

Want -  more reminders about avoiding the deficit thinking - not 'what's wrong with this' but 'what's great about this' etc.

Dee
Dee
GOT: I know that developing and aspiring writers learn from the masters and like anything - we mimic and imitate

WANT: What I am wondering from here, is, and I do trust that it does, is does it transfer authentically to pieces removed from that moment in time - I guess if  there is a continued climate of inquiry it does.

Belen
Belen
I got ideas for how I might organize my week with ELL student. I think streamlining the invitations into two days would work well and establishing these routines early in the school year. Adding an additional day for studying powerful passages. I'd like to have easy access to a bank of mentor texts that align with standards. 
Nicola
Nicola
GOTS: Using mentor sentences to teach sentence structure and grammar conventions (using the Patterns of Power Approach)

WANTS: Where might I find a range of strong mentor text passages (like the Kate DiCamillo one) that I can draw upon to use..? Is there a good bank of resources out there that we can draw upon? 
Satya
Satya
Got
The biggest two takeaways were how to use mentor texts for students to use as inspirations/guides for their own writing, and how to teach sentence structure through inquiry. 

Want
My curriculum (the British Columbia curriculum) is quite vague when it comes to grammar outcomes. Are there any resources I could use as a guide to what grammar patterns would be appropriate to teach for my grade levels (G5&6)?
Eric
Eric
Gots- I just started using POP before going online. This was really helpful to talk through the whole process. I have a better understanding of what it will look like in my class next year.

Wants - When using POP,  I noticed my students didn't have the academic vocabulary to talk about sentences and were still missing skills from previous grades. It was hard to find a starting point that felt just right. How do we close the gap for several years of no grammar instructions in happening in my school?
Karin
Karin
Gots: How to use mentor text to teach and practice the art of writing (style).  How empowering mentor text can be for students.
Wants: Find more inspiring mentor text passages like the two we used in class today. 
Ana
Ana
Got-A better understanding of planning an inquiry as it relates to grammar.
Want: I would love a collection of mentor text like the ones we used for the writing exercise.
Natashya
Natashya 
Gots: Loved the idea of using mentor passages!  So powerful, for me as an adult and so would be so powerful if we did this with kids more often... Imagine what they might create.
Lara
Lara
Got - power of mentor texts to support kids in their own writing process, whether it be the art or conventions/grammar
Want - to continue to collect mentor texts to support the learning outcomes and seeing it in action, specifically for word study and phonics.
Makenzie
Makenzie
Got: How to structure word study whole-class lessons with limited time

Want: More resources for already curated lists of mentor sentences & passages
Susan
Susan
Got: I really like the idea of studying the mentor text to learn the structure of writing. I want to work on building 5-7 minutes of routine to work on the language convention. 
Want: List of mentor sentences focusing on different language conventions. 

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Session 2: Homework (Wordplay/Jokes)
Teresa
Teresa
Eric
Eric
My dad sent this to me on Monday.
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Rebecca
Rebecca
Nicola
Nicola
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Nicola
Nicola 
Susan
Susan
Nicola
Nicola
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Rebecca
Rebecca
Satya
Satya
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Tonya
Tonya
Tonya
Tonya
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Natashya
Natashya
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Nikki
Nikki
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Allison
Allison

Here's a website from 'The Dad Joke Project, containing links to many other joke sites.

  Particularly apropos:
 When does a joke become a 'dad' joke? 
When the punchline is a parent!
Jen
Jen
1. Writing with a dull pencil is pointless!

2. I did a performance on puns. Really it was just a play on words. 

3. What was the reporter doing at the ice cream shop? Getting the scoop. 

4. What do you say to comfort an English teacher? 
There, their, they're
Ana
Ana
You should wear glasses while doing math. It improves division.
Makenzie
Makenzie
The past, present, and future walked into a room together. It was tense.
Padma
Padma
What would you call a boomerang that will never come back...
of course a stick
Why did the boy eat the homework?
Because the teacher said that it was a piece of cake.

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Dee
Dee
This could be a good resource for your students to make their own jokes from this pun generator.
www.pungenerator.org

Lara
Lara
I have failed the mathematics test so many times,  I lost count. (Smitsy)
Molly
Molly
Holly
Holly
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Money doesn't grow o
Money doesn't grow on trees, right? 
So why does every bank have so many branches? 
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Session 1: Why Word Study?
Defining Our Terms
Defining Our Terms
EKC

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Session 1: I Wonder...
Karin
Karin
Which lessons have to be stand alone grammar and spelling lessons and how much word study can you teach through confereing? How do you find the right balance? 
Rebecca
Rebecca
I am wondering how to incorporate word study  lessons / units authentically into the readers and writers workshop units as we have 6 x 50 minute lessons for English a week and work on alternating a reading unit with a writing unit every 5-6 weeks.
Eric
Eric
I am wondering how to find the balance of when to work on word study compared to other parts of the other parts of the writing. How to prioritize? 
Kristin
Kristin
I am wondering if you only look at one word during the conference, is it is assumed that there are separate word study lessons that go into the spelling patterns of other words so that spelling is not just hit infrequently?
Molly
Molly
What does this look like for our EAL teachers who push into classes for just a short amount of time each day? 
Padma
Padma
How do I balance word study and spelling during the literacy lessons. Right now I feel there are too many components to get the balanced literacy programme running
TC
TC 
Want: more ideas for possible word study conferences. Some good go-to ideas

Nikki
Nikki
I wonder what my conferences will/should look like. Conferencing on conventions is usually done very rarely as a greater focus is put on craft, elaboration etc. What does a balance actually look like?

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Session 1: Gots & Wants
Holly
Holly
Got: Idea of building a virtual interactive word wall or Word Graffiti using Padlet, shared Google Doc/Slide and / or Google Drawings
Want: Tips for effective whole-class teaching of roots & affixes 
Rebecca
Rebecca
Gots - The term word consciousness was new to me but the concept was somewhat familiar and I am curious to explore more

Wants
I really am interested in exploring ways or seeing ways of teaching word study with the readers and writers workshop UOS.  
Karen
Karen
Got- the simple AHA, that because conventions is at the end of the rubric, that has driven when we teach those concepts (universally). 

Want- a larger bank of High impact vocabulary strategies. A conversation how do these strategies look at an intervention level. 

Beth
Beth
I currently do a morning riddle each day, try to do different topics across the week. I am taking away the idea of changing these riddles to puns and word play. Great opportunity to tweak something I am already doing. 
Rebecca J.
Rebecca J. 
Got - I love all the different ideas for a word wall. It doesn't just have to be words! It can be jokes, riddles, parts of a book, etc. 
Want- Being organized with my time when conferring with a student. What if they want to read 5 pages of writing? How do I have time? 
Satya
Satya
Got: I realised that I can start with a small change, like adding an interactive word wall or focusing on word inquiry during conferences. 

Want: 
How do you do a word inquiry? Is there a specific process/steps to this? 

How can I teach morphology/etymology effectively? Are there any resources I can use to increase my own knowledge of morphology/etymology other than Words their Way (I would prefer not to use a program like this as it's very time consuming)?  I feel that my current knowledge is quite weak and I need to first deepen my own understanding. 

What might word study look like across the curriculum? Would I change the way I teach it in math, science, socials, art, etc compared to teaching it in standalone literacy lessons?
Eric
Eric
Got -  The importance of appreciating and playing with words throughout the day. It doesn't have to be just during "word study" time

Wants: How to take advantage of the time in the schedule set aside for word study work to bring in all of the parts of word study?
Kristin
Kristin
Got: That we want kids to know that we are curious about words and that we can play around with them. That it should be incorporated  into workshop conferences .

Wants: Time and scheduling is always a big question for me. How does this look big picture into a weekly schedule. How do we balance all the aspects of word study when I feel like workshop takes a long time as it is?
Nicola
Nicola 
Gots: incorporating 'word study' into my conferencing & word-consciouness into my whole class teaching practice/enviornment

Wants: including word study into my our literacy programs (how do we balance the intensive RW & WW programs with our heavy 'international school' timetables in a meaningful manner?) & what  might word study lessons look like
Nikki
Nikki
Got - a greater understanding of 'word consciousness' and being able to celebrate this in classrooms eg jokes and puns in Morning Meetings etc.
Want - a clearer understanding of how to teach many of these aspects to the whole class. What timings should be dedicated to spelling/grammar etc?
Belen
Belen
Got: I got excited about teaching word study again. 
Wants: I want more examples and strategies that I can integrate in my teaching. 
Olivia
Olivia
I got and love the idea of nurturing word consciousness so learning takes place in relevant meaningful ways over time, while showing students how to think about language.
Jen
Jen
Gots: Word study is fun! It can be small yet meaningful inquiry related to read alouds, student writing, etc. It doesn't have to be limited to the weekly spelling sessions in our timetable. 

Wants: I'd like to explore more resources for a word study toolkit during conferences.
Molly
Molly
Got: A refreshed sense of what word study really is and how we can empower our students to really love digging into how language works
Want: To look deeper into the balance of word study day to day in the classroom. I'm still overwhelmed with how to fit everything in (as always in teaching)!
Allison
Allison
Got - using Padlet, the jokes, word consciousness
Want - I'd love to find a way to do this online if needed in the fall - the challenges of setting it up with new groups at the beginning of the school year etc. 

Karin
Karin 
How to use words walls and a joke of the day/week to increase student engagement. It is important to intentionally make sure to add word study to my conferring. 
TC
TC
Got: Make a small tweak to the environment to make it more word-rich
Want: more ideas for possible word study conferences. Some good go-to ideas

Dee
Dee
Words should bring joy. Been  reading ' Start With Joy' - and want to gift our children with a love and natural curiosity for words' 

Ana
Ana
Got: Remember to keep looking at things through the lens of word study.
wants: more ways to make word study meaningful for students.
Padma
Padma
Gots: Word consciousness is something that has stuck today with me. So would like to use some of the strategies.
Wants:  I have been trying the Daily 5 model but still learning to incorporate it effectively. Hence I am looking at strategies to incorporate into the word study routine.
Susan
Susan
Gots: I'm inspired to make word study more fun for my students
Wants: I want be more efficient in providing more balanced ongoing word study instruction for EALs during the writers workshop 
Got - some great tips that can be used right away .
Got - some great tips that can be used right away . 
Want- how to effectively use  and prioritize word study for rhe whole class.
Got - some amazing ideas to build on becoming great writers.
Got - some amazing ideas to build on becoming great writers.

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Seoul Foreign Elementary School
Seoul, South Korea
EAL Specialist, grades 4 & 5
holly.hitchcock@seoulforeign.org

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Writing Out & Spelling Out Word Structure

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Writing Out & Spelling Out Word Structure

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Pete Bowers

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natashyahays@gmail.com

Website: erinkentconsulting.com

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Dubai American Academy
Grade 5
e.swartz_daa@gemsedu.com

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International Community School of Abidjan
5th Grader teacher / Lit Coach
Eric.olson@icsabidjan.org

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American School of Warsaw, Poland
MYP Language & Literature Grades 6-8
Email: makenzie.nokes@gmail.com
Twitter: @KenzNokes

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Asociacion Escuelas Lincoln
Buenos Aires, Argentina
G5 ELL
belen.riveroyhornos@lincoln.edu.ar

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When are we fitting in silent reading to our daily schedule. It is so important but often easy to leave off the schedule. It should be done daily. Is this done outside of our literacy block time? Ideas?

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Debbie Miller

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Introduction: We Can Do This

Asking Beautiful Questions

Paying Attention to What Doesn't Feel Right

Asking, "What If?": Creating Space for Possibility

Chapter One: What If Each Day's Teaching Focused on Children's Agency?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: The Disengaged Child

What's the Best That Could Happen? Agency Fosters Engagement

Imagining New Possibilities for a Child

Conferring to Support Access and Choice

Paying Attention During Independent Work Time

Conferring to Inquire and to Offer Community

Postscript

Chapter Two: What If We Made What Children Make and Do Our Priority?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: Workshop Planning

What's the Best That Could Happen? Meaningful Work

Planning for What Children Will Do First

Planning for What Teachers Will Do During Work Time

Figuring Out What to Teach

Playing with the Sequence

Taking Ownership

Chapter Three: What If Our Classroom Environment and Routines Offered Choice?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: Frustration over Supplies

What's the Best That Could Happen? Managing Their Own Work

Being Intentional in Our Language

Cocreating Routines

Designing Agentive Environments

Chapter Four: What If We Owned the Units We Are Asked to Teach?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: The Units We're Given

Are These the Right Goals?

Which Texts Work Best?

How Will We Know When We're Done?

How Can This Happen Within Daily Workshop?

What's the Best That Could Happen? Perfection in Imperfection

Chapter Five: What If Read-Aloud Sustained Children's Independent Thinking?

Finding Our Way to a Beautiful Question: The Wisdom in Children's Thinking

Expecting Brilliance

Finding Time for Read-Aloud

Reading Aloud for Joy

Teachers and Children Thinking Aloud

What's the Best That Could Happen? Being Inspired to Act

Conclusion: In Pursuit of Beautiful Questions

We all have difficult moments in our teaching, and without a question to drive us forward, we can get stuck. But that difficult moment might be the question we need to ask ourselves. Questions can bring a positive attention, creating a presence in the moment. When I ask children, "Are you the kind of kid who...?", I'm inviting them to imagine a new possibility for themselves, one in which they have more power than they did before. I want those new possibilities for teachers, too. Are you the kind of teacher who is ready to try something new, something that will make your students stronger, more joyful readers and bring you greater joy in your work? I think you are.

Asking questions leads to opportunities-it's about growth, openness, and a willingness to change, which top-down models don't allow. It's a way for us to focus our thinking and be present in the lives we've chosen to live. Asking the question is the essential behavior of teaching. It's not a perfect call-and response but a messy business of wondering, stumbling, and figuring things out. It requires bravery and commitment, but that's what teaching is. It's a joyful, creative, purposeful profession. If you feel you've lost even some of your passion for teaching, I would love to help give it back to you. So, in this book, we'll talk about creating beautiful questions about the teaching of reading. To help you take on the process of asking beautiful questions, I'll share how I got to some beautiful questions about teaching reading and what I did with them as I worked with teachers in classrooms across the country.

This book is about owning our teaching and making decisions based on who we are and what's best for the children in our classroom today. That all sounds ambitious and brave... and the work is-teaching is-but it happens in so many small and simple ways. My wish is for you to think about what you do and ask your own beautiful questions, so that you and your children can thrive and view yourselves and each other as valuable, idea-filled, creative, and contributing humans who own your teaching and learning. Be open and receptive to possibilities! Think: "What if we did it this way?"

"A one-of-a-kind book, full of wisdom and heart. Debbie Miller inspires educators to step back and question everything-challenging us to rethink and reinvent the ways we teach. What's the best that could happen? Read this book and it will help you find your own answer to that beautiful question."

-Warren Berger, author of A More Beautiful Question and The Book of Beautiful Questions
"Debbie Miller is a magician with children, and in What's the Best That Could Happen? she hands us her magic wand. With honesty, humility, and optimism, she shares her thoughts and actions about teaching and learning. Run-don't walk-to conjure up this essential book!"
-Stephanie Harvey, coauthor of The Comprehension Toolkit series, From Striving to Thriving, and Strategies That Work
"Debbie Miller is suggesting something revolutionary. She is suggesting the way to ensure all students learn is to intentionally and persistently expect not just capability but brilliance from them."
-Gretchen Morgan, author of Innovative Educators: An Action Plan for Teachers

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"One of the great joys of teaching is anticipating children's brilliance." In What's the Best That Could Happen?, Debbie Miller confronts a challenge all

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St. Joseph's Institution International Elementary School (SJII ES), Singapore.
Grade 6  Teacher

nicola.smith@sji-international.com.sg

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Korea International School
email: ana.allen@kis.or.kr
Twitter: @anaallen05

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Why is it that in a traditional spelling program, students are not taught that a word's spelling represents its meaning, or that all words have a structure? In most every program, they are taught only, and might I add falsely, that a word's spelling correlates to its pronunciation. And because the reality of that doesn't pan out, students learn to spell words as a rote activity. Students spend lots of time looking at words that share similar strings of letters. Ultimately, the expectation is that the student will have seen the word so many times that they will have memorized its spelling. In this model, the students know strings of letters. They do not understand whether those letters form an affix, a base, a combination of more than one of those, or have a sense and meaning on their own. See? The way we teach spelling is not about understanding. The expectation by the teacher and by the student (and by the administration for that matter) is that there is nothing to understand. English spelling is something you just have to memorize.

What a shame. Math would never be taught like this. Who in their right mind would have students memorize one 2-digit by 3-digit multiplication problem at a time with a goal of twenty a week? No one. Instead, we teach the students how to multiply and then expect them to apply the skill to any numbers and situation out there. We expect students to understand the operations and ask questions. We want them to provide step by step explanations for solving problems. But not so with spelling.

The people teaching it right now, are doing the very best job they can. I believe that. They are teaching what they understand to be the truth about English spelling. Ah. But there's the rub. Their own understanding of our language is lacking. Hugely and completely lacking. At some point in our history (several generations back), it was decided that English was much too hard to learn, and so needed to be simplified. Latin would no longer be taught in schools. If you are fortunate enough to know someone who learned Latin in their early schooling, my guess is that they will tell you how very valuable it still is for them in deciphering what words mean. The very fact that at one point Latin was part of a school curriculum tells you that there was once an awareness that spelling represented a word's meaning. But when Latin left the curriculum, so did the idea that spelling and meaning were related. It was decided instead that very young children must learn letters and sounds outside of the context of a word, and then apply that knowledge of, say,"S is for snake - s-s-s-s-" when being told to sound out words. But <s> isn't always representing /s/. Sometimes it represents /z/ as it does in dogs. Sometimes it represents /ʃ/ as it does in sugar. Sometimes it represent /ʒ/ as it does in usual. And <s> isn't the only consonant like that. Yet we start by teaching young children that it only represents /s/.

I'm not suggesting that children don't need to know the alphabet. They do. Absolutely, they do. But what if we taught them to look at letters as we see them in words? What if we taught children about graphemes and phonemes as they live and breathe inside of words? What if we picked a word the student uses - better yet, what if we let the child pick the word they are interested in, and we looked at it together. The adult guides by speaking about spelling features, structure, and a word's story in straight forward terms. The adult does not talk down to the child or invent silly rules or names for things. The adult explains and lets the child ask questions that will help them make sense of English spelling.

One great way to introduce structure to a child is to have them look at a family of words that share a single base. Believe me, structure won't be the only thing that gets talked about, but it is the big topic starting point. Teaching specific base elements will familiarize children with how we can add and remove affixes to build a family of words. It will also familiarize them with the fact that many of the words in our language are related to one another by their history and their meaning. It opens them up to exploring that not only are we merely forming additional words that share the base, but that some specific suffixes will build word relatives that are nouns whereas others might form adjectives. Students will learn the suffixing conventions in a more meaningful way - with a more intrinsic understanding than they do currently. As is, they come into fifth grade knowing how to spell a bunch of words, but not understanding the structure of any of them. They know that some have similar spellings toward the end of the word or at the beginning, but they have no understanding of why or if it means anything as far as how we use the words in our writing or reading.

When children are starting out learning about a word's structure, it's important to help them recognize the affixes they see often in their reading. Even if their reading is not fluent yet, they can compare the words on a list and recognize that letters have been added to the base. They will most certainly recognize these words once read aloud and be able to talk about them. Let's look at <water>. I found it on a first grade sight word list.

The first question should be, "What is water?" Let the child explain what they understand about water. Looking at the word by itself, use what you know about IPA to guide their pronunciation and match it to the graphemes representing it. Here is the IPA for water: /ˈwɔtɚ /. Please take into consideration any dialects present where you and the child live. That might make a difference to the pronunciation. If we make a list of words with <water> as a base, it might look like this:

Perhaps these could be written on cards (separate cards for each base and suffix) that the child can match up and spell out. As each base is matched with either another base and/or suffix, have a discussion with the child about how that word might be used. The words might also be written in color as I have done to point out bases and affixes. You might begin to introduce to the child the idea that when added to this word, some suffixes will indicate the word is an action. An example of this is 'watered'. I watered my flowers today. See how watered is an action? But water by itself is a thing. I might drink a glass of water. Draw pictures next to the words to represent either a thing (noun) or an action (verb).

There are some truly great descriptions of activities to do with younger learners at Beyond the Word, Lyn Anderson's blog, and also at Rebecca Loveless' blog. I encourage you to check both of them out to read some step by step directives as well as to see how students react.

Another thing to notice about these words in particular is that the parts of the words that are in green are bases. When two bases are joined, they form a compound word. How is rainwater different from bathwater or dishwater? Why are some paints called watercolors? What do you know about watermelon that makes you think of water? What is something that lives underwater?

Before my own children knew how to read, they loved making books. They would tell me a story and I would write it down. Then we would fold paper and they would sew the pages together with a large dull needle. I would write a sentence or two of their story on each page, and they would add the pictures. Every day we would read one of their books together. Bookmaking could be a fun activity using a particular family of words such as water.

If I could design spelling tests, this is certainly how I would do it. After a week of discussing the meanings and uses of these related words, asking the students to spell them seems reasonable. If each week there were words related in this manner, over time students would recognize many prefixes, suffixes, and bases. They would begin to internalize that often words are related to one another; not because they rhyme, but because they have meaning and spelling in common.

Students are ready to understand the suffixing conventions much earlier than most educators think they are. When focusing on one of those conventions, the spelling list could include a base that is likely to use one. Here is a list with <make> as its base. Looking at the word by itself, use what you know about IPA to guide their pronunciation and match it to the graphemes representing it. Here is the IPA for <make>: /meɪk/. Please take into consideration any dialects present where you and the children live. That might make a difference to the pronunciation. Here is a possible spelling list:

Here are some points that come to mind:

~What does it mean when we make something?
~How do we construct 'maker'? Is there an <-r> suffix or an <-er> suffix?
~What kind of a sense does the <-er> suffix add to the word <shoemaker>?
~How many of these words are compound words?
~What is a peacemaker?
~Do you notice how the <c> in <peacemaker> has an /s/ pronunciation? Why is that?
~Why don't we replace the final non-syllabic <e> when constructing the word <makeup>?
~What is the suffixing convention in which we replace the final non-syllabic <e>?
~Many teachers have learned that the final <e> is dropped. That is also what they teach their students. Why is 'replaced' a better word to use?
~Write these as word sums and announce each one.

Equally as important as discussing these concepts as a class, is the ability for each student to read aloud a word sum, explaining as they go, why they are or aren't replacing the final non-syllabic <e> on the base! Until your student can explain this, keep the following flow chart handy:

If you want to focus on the suffixing convention in which the final consonant of the base is sometimes doubled, perhaps you could use this list. Looking at the word by itself, use what you know about IPA to guide their pronunciation and match it to the graphemes representing it. Here is the IPA for <stop>: /stɑp/. Please take into consideration any dialects present where you and the children live. That might make a difference to the pronunciation. If we make a list of words with stop as a base, it might look like this. As you read it, can you spot some great things to focus on during a week of working with these words?

Here's what I see when I look at these words:

~What does it mean when something stops?
~Which words on this list are compound words?
~Use 'stoppable' and 'unstoppable' in sentences. What is the difference in meaning? Which morpheme in those words is responsible for that difference in meaning?
~What is a stopwatch? How does it relate in meaning to stop?
~Look at the <igh> trigraph in <stoplight> that is representing the phoneme /aɪ/. What other words can we think of that have the same <igh> trigraph?
~Now notice the <tch> trigraph in <stopwatch>. I wonder about that <tch>. I can think of beach, pinch, coach, and bench. The last grapheme in these words is <ch> and it represents the phoneme /tʃ/. Let's start collecting two lists of words. One list will have words with a final <tch>. One list will have words with a final <ch>. Then we will see what we can notice about the two lists. There must be a reason that we use <tch> in the word 'stopwatch' and not <ch>.
~What is that spelling convention in which we sometimes double the final consonant of the base or stem? When do we double it? When don't we?
~Write these as word sums and announce each one.

Just in the nick of time, here is the Affix Squad, ready to explain the doubling convention!

Equally as important as discussing these concepts as a class, is the ability for each student to read aloud a word sum, explaining as they go why they are or aren't doubling the final consonant on the base! Until your student can explain this, keep the following flow chart handy:

The word 'business' has always been a sticky word for fifth graders to spell. But that is because they haven't been taught to see it as anything but a complete word. They haven't been taught to see it as < b-u-s - toggle the y to i - ness>. From the time our students are little, we teach them that spelling is about memorizing a letter sequence without understanding the order or structure in that sequence. Or we do them a bigger disservice and tell them to sound out words to help with spelling. All that does is reinforce to the child the false notion that English spelling is ridiculous and unpredictable. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY!

Here is a list with <busy> as its base. Looking at the word by itself, use what you know about IPA to guide their pronunciation and match it to the graphemes representing it. Here is the IPA for <busy>: /ˈbɪzi/. Please take into consideration any dialects present where you and the child live. That might make a difference to the pronunciation. Here is a possible spelling list:

This list provides the opportunity to discuss and solidify so many great consistencies of spelling!

~What does it mean to be busy?
~To begin with, <y> is sometimes a suffix. Is it a suffix in the base <busy>?
~Which words on this list are compound words? What is a compound word?
~Why do we use the <-es> suffix rather than the <-s> suffix to make <business> plural?
~If you want your reader to know there is more than one busybody, what spelling changes will you make to the word?
~What is the suffixing convention for bases that sometimes toggle the final <y> to an <i>? How do you know when to toggle and why?
~Write these as word sums and announce each one.

Here's a video of my students explaining just that!

After talking about when to toggle a base or stem's final <y> to an <i>, then there is the extremely important step of having the students read aloud the word sums. Here is an example of what I have my students do when they read word sums and need to explain their choices regarding this suffixing convention.

Until your students understand what they are doing and why, keep this flow chart handy:

Can you see how several spelling lists of related words in which the base has a final <y> will gradually help the student understand these conventions? And not just a surface understanding, but a deep understanding with (for many) an automatic application of these conventions? After focusing on several word families that need specific suffixing conventions, it is time to include a word family like <hap>, that has several family members that use more than one convention.

Looking at the word by itself, use what you know about IPA to guide their pronunciation and match it to the graphemes representing it. Here is the IPA for <hap>: /hæp/. Please take into consideration any dialects present where you and the child live. That might make a difference to the pronunciation. Here is a possible spelling list:

This is an especially interesting family of words to discuss. Many students are surprised to find out that the word <happy> can be further analyzed. But that comes from rote memorization without talk of structure. They are even more surprised to find out its denotation is "chance, a person's luck". I love to look at this list with the students and let them point out the connection between each word and this base's denotation.

~Which words in this family use more than one suffixing convention?
~When the suffix <-ness> is added to the stem <happy>, an adjective becomes a noun. What other nouns can we think of that have an <-ness> suffix? Are these concrete or abstract nouns?
~Which suffix could be used to modify a verb?
~Thinking of mishap, mismatch, miscount, and misinformation, what sense does the prefix <mis-> add to a word's meaning? Can we think of other words with a <mis-> prefix that carries that same sense?
~Write these as word sums and announce each one.

Structuring spelling tests in this way strengthens what we understand a word to mean. It helps students see the connectedness between words that share a base that they have not been taught to see before. This will help when encountering words from a family that perhaps they had not looked at during the focused list, but because of that list and the understanding they acquired, are recognizing it in a new word in their reading. A student will gain flexibility in their use of words in writing because they will have a deeper sense of a word's meaning. Just as we have a deeper sense of who a person is when we've met their whole family, we can have a deeper sense of a word too.

Structuring spelling tests in this way will require students to apply the suffixing conventions over and over and to make sense of when to use them. Currently, students memorize the spelling of many words without knowing which letters even ARE part of the base or affix. Learning that words have structure is such an eye opener for children. They begin to look at words differently. They begin inspecting words and thinking about what their structure might be and what meaning might be revealed in that structure. They notice the suffixes and recognize which suffixes cue that a word is a noun, adjective, adverb, or other.

And finally, structuring spelling tests in this way will give students the opportunity to expect spelling to make sense. Imagine that! Spelling makes sense! Students will be empowered to ask questions. They will challenge their teachers with the questions they ask. How refreshing! The class will become a learning community instead of a teacher with the answers and students who are afraid of giving wrong ones. It will become a place where learning is celebrated!

Of course, this is just a jumping off place. It's an idea for spelling tests so the teacher can assess individual understanding. These will not feel like spelling tests to the students because they are writing word sums that they can make sense of. But I guarantee you that the word inquiries will pop up in every subject and at all hours. I was once stopped on the bridge downtown in the middle of summer by a former student who wondered about the structure of a word he noticed at his house. What could be better than that?

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Why is it that in a traditional spelling program, students are not taught that a word's spelling represents its meaning, or that all words have a structure? In most every program, they are taught only, and might I add falsely, that a word's spelling correlates to its pronunciation.

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Filled with ideas to explore...

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EKC

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Potential small group, partner, or individual inquiry

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Spelling Stages - Determining Instructional Focus

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Spelling Stages - Determining Instructional Focus

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EKC

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EKC

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from Nancie Atwell

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What might you take, tweak, and/or synthesize?

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Possible Lesson Sequence (adapt to YOUR kids!)

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Possible Lesson Sequence (adapt to YOUR kids!)

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Free resource from Stenhouse

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Free resource from Stenhouse

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Got: The primary purpose of spelling is to represent meaning

I think this is such an exciting way of teaching spelling. It honors the spirit of inquiry and truly builds a word-curious community.

Want: I suspect that once we get the ball rolling, a lot of the activities and inquiry models can be done by the children both in class and independently at home, during DEAR time. I wonder how we can support and promote that excitement for inquiry outside of the dedicated class time.

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I continue to think about how to incorporate word study and grammar study while teaching UOS. We alternate our focus on one reading unit followed by a writing unit. Over the last few years we have noticed common areas the students struggle with in terms of grammar and spelling rules but have not found a way to spend quality time addressing these issues and teaching the UOS with limited time across the week and in class. This is the area I need the most help with.

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Gots: Loved the word investigation process and definitely going to use this.
Wants: Just looking at the balance of bringing in time factor

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Gots - "Sounds are in service to their meaning" - this was so important today as it made me really reflect on my own teaching and the way in which my children are learning.

Wants - I suppose I am still a little unsure as to how this all fits into a day. Thinking across the 4 sessions we've had and the great ideas you have shared, what does this look like in the classroom? How many minutes are given to word study each day/week?

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Gots: "The primary purpose of spelling is to represent meaning" I really want to have a better understanding of morphology to guide my students in the right direction.
Wants: I'm still not sure how I can do this in 5-7 mins. I'd love to watch some sample lessons or examples of how lessons are scheduled in a week.

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GOTS: I loved the last video! I'm looking forward to applying the ideas I learned today so that my students will be curious and excited as much as the girl was who was presenting!

WANTS: I would like to figure out how to come up with a concrete plan so that I can visualise how all of these components of word study would come together in the long term in a way that fits our timetables.

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GOTS:
*I love the inquiry process
*Can't wait to go down the Pete Bowers/WordWorks rabbit hole!
*very excited to use this for my pull-out beginners classes.

WANTS: how to bring this to my push-in/immersion classes. I usually push in to reading, writing or UoI, and the HR teachers are already so pressed for time.

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GOTS: Mind blown! Think about the meaning of words, instead of sounds, to spell. Love this inquiry approach/guide (word investigation) to spelling and morphology. So impactful!

WANTS: Over the last four sessions, we've been exploring a range of strategies for word study. In a packed timetable (with limited time- really only 40-50 mins per week for word study), how do you suggest going about planning/timetabling/balancing for word study?

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Got - I love having the word investigation guide/steps. I will definitely use this with my students this next year!

What does the word mean?

How is it built? Can you identify any bases or affixes?

Do you know any related words? Morphology or Etymology?

What are the sounds that matter?

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Gots - Loved the investigation process that could turn into a routine that can transfer across disciplines
Wants - Sample unit of how it all goes together (but you just mentioned we will doing this)

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Gots: Spelling is all about meaning, not about sounds, though after you connect to meaning, you can go back and see how sounds connect.

Wants: I was looking around Pete's sight and it is a bit confusing, at least at first glance. Is his book more linear in showing an order to what roots/patterns should be taught? And of course, the question of time is always huge and how all of what we learned fit together.

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I wonder  if best practices for word study is to have kids with their own individualized lists. How do I balance all those lists? How do I make time to be with each student/list. This year my students never had a list. I just looked for opportunities to do word study.

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I wonder about assessment. I have not given a traditional spelling test in years. However, we give the Words Their Way test 3 times a year to track spelling. Do you have any assessment ideas?

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A great compilation of online dictionaries. When you enter a word it brings up every online dictionary where that word appears.  It will have a quick summary of major definitions, usually links to the online etymology site.

It often brings up a few really good learner's dictionaries that are great for elementary/middle school students and ELLs.

My favorite part is to search for a base with an asterisk before and after - you can sort the results by how common they are.
(Allison)

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How does this relate to the schedule of our week? Is this only used with the vocab words, or do you take a week to go over a pattern?

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How might you assess students spelling skills using this approach?
And how would you target students specific spelling needs using this approach; specifically is there a good pre-assessment that could be used to determine where
students are with their spelling and then to determine what ‘base words’ they might
need to work on?

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Where can I find these word matrices? I know they must be   somewhere so that we all don't have to keep recreating the wheel.

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SWI of "resistance" by Grade 5 Student, Samantha

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from Vocabularians (2015)

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A great resource to learn even more...

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English to French, Italian, German & Spanish Dictionary - WordReference.com

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Free online dictionaries - Spanish, French, Italian, German and more. Conjugations, audio pronunciations and forums for your questions.

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Etymonline - Online Etymology Dictionary

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The online etymology dictionary (etymonline) is the internet’s go-to source for quick and reliable accounts of the origin and history of English words, phrases, and idioms. It is professional enough to satisfy academic standards, but accessible enough to be used by anyone.

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Pete Bowers

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Our Teacher Resource Book

Teaching How the Written Word Works offers an introduction to the core concepts of how the ordered way English spelling works. It uses a series of lessons designed to help teachers, tutors and parents make sense of English spelling along with their young co-learners. The lessons focus on morphological analysis with the matrix and word sum.

Research Tested

These tools are central not only to understanding how morphological families of words are structured, but also how morphology interrelate.

The main series of lessons in this book were the lessons I used in my Grade 4/5 intervention ( Bowers & Kirby, 2010) that showed generative vocabulary learning.

The lessons take teachers and students through all the morphological suffixing patterns and much more including...

1. Guidance morphological problem-solving so that you can use these lessons as a jumping off point to investigate any words that grab your interest or that of your students;

2. Links to other on-line resources;

3. Links to related Real Spelling resources.

When students and teachers work with word sums and morphological matrices for a little while, these are the kinds of questions that grab the attention of a class.

Integrating morphological analysis into shared and guided reading lessons

As well as explicit lessons taking teachers through "teacher-led inquiries" of words, this books models ways teachers can integrate word structure instruction into reading and writing in any content area by using morphological problem-solving as a tool for shared and guided reading.

By practicing spelling investigations with lessons in the book, you will be prepared when students ask you spelling questions that you are not able to explain right away. You will have practices the process of investigaging spelling, so now you can move into "inquiry-led teaching" by applying the problem solving skills you learn through these lessons.

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WW Revised Teacher Resource Book & 70 Matrices DVD

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Our Teacher Resource Book Teaching How the Written Word Works offers an introduction to the core concepts of how the ordered way English spelling works. It uses a series of lessons designed to help teachers, tutors and parents make sense of English spelling along with their young co-learners.

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Gots - The need to improve our unit planning to include authentic word study that connects to the work required of students in each unit.

Wants - I am really keen to see examples of unit planning / mapping that includes work study with specific UOS. For example - word study with a Deep Study of Character, word study with Nonfiction Research Writing

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Got: I appreciate the clear, easy to understand criteria for selecting meaningful words.
want: Given our tight schedules, I would like to continue to learn ways to incorporate word study. I love the idea of thinking in terms of 1 week or two weeks to create a balanced approach.

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After students have had a bit of  exposure to vocabulary words, students can play a game where  2 words are selected at random (out of a deck of vocabulary cards, etc)  and students use the words in a way that demonstrates understanding or explains how these 2 words
could connect or relate to each other.
(ie:  if words 'compulsory' and 'subtle' were picked a player might say:  When something is compulsory, a teacher is not subtle about it.")

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This visible thinking routine might be a good tool for word exploration. I've used it previously for students to think deeply about each attribute of the Learner Profile (each student would work on one attribute). Afterwords, each student would create an artifact or poster representing what they came up with. - Satya

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​The Colour Symbol Image routine asks learners to:

read, watch or listen carefully to a stimulus

identify and distill the essence of ideas

represent big ideas using a colour, symbol and image

justify and explain reasons for their choices

Documenting Thinking In this routine, students are generally sharing their thinking at each step along the way before moving on to the next one. This allows the class to build on the group's thinking and often results in richer discussions.
It can be very useful to document the thinking at each stage. If you are wanting to document thinking as your students engage with the routine Colour Symbol Image then this template may be useful.

THE ROUTINE IN ACTION

Here are some examples of how this routine can be integrated into the curriculum:

English: exploring characters and the impact they have on a text

Mathematics: connecting to a mathematical concept

Science: connecting to a scientific concept

4th Grade Color-Symbol-Image in Action from Bemis Elementary School on Vimeo.

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​The Colour Symbol Image routine asks learners to: read, watch or listen carefully to a stimulus identify and distill the essence of ideas represent big ideas using a colour, symbol and image...

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Love this 'got':  "Talking as a teacher is an instructional tool."
Got: Multi-modal, multiple exposure, trans-disciplinary vocabulary opportunities. Engagment is key.
Got: 7 types of context clues

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Got: Being intentional and forward thinking with the vocabulary the children will encounter in the Anchor Charts and Mini-lessons and noting this at the start of the unit

Want: Clarify this is more about  the children being able to use the word, understand the word, rather than spell the word right? They may have spelling  focus of the week separate?

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Got:

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Got:
I love some of those explorations, especially the morphology ones that bring in many more examples.

Want:
What to do about unit vocabulary - larger numbers of words, many of them tier 3.  It's not possible to do such an in-depth exploration of, say, 20 or 30 words, but students do need a certain level of familiarity.  So far I've tried matching games, quizlets, I have/who has, quiz-quiz-trade, home language translation collections.  I would love a few more whole-class activites for those situations, or appropriate home activities that are also engaging

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Gots - loved it all - context clues, 5 steps to Word Inquiry and the different modalities/options to interact with words, and the purposeful thinking behind the words we choose.

Wants - thoughts on Word Inquiry by Kingston? I can see how it could be another modality
For grade 3 kids who are still building their phonics their nderstanding, where and how and what do you suggest within the framework we have been exploring?

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Infusinig Vocabulary Into the Readinig-Writing Workshop 

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Infusinig Vocabulary Into the Readinig-Writing Workshop 

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Amy Benjamin

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Book Description

Learn how to make vocabulary instruction more effective by making better use of mini-lessons and word study time to achieve durable learning about words and how they work. In this essential new book, literacy expert Amy Benjamin presents her 4E model (Exposure, Exploration, Engagement, Energy) for teaching vocabulary so that students gain deep understanding, improving their overall language and literacy skills. Benjamin guides you through bringing these 4Es to life in your K-8 reading-writing workshop.

-Exposure: Enrich your teacher talk with sophisticated words and phrases to facilitate natural language acquisition and application of new words.

-Exploration: Promote consistent vocabulary growth with a multifaceted instructional approach that incorporates etymology, word associations, word families, spelling, and morphology.

-Engagement: Build students' confidence by encouraging meaningful use of new words, both in and out of the classroom.

-Energy: Enliven your workshop and increase participation with a variety of word games, puzzles, projects, and cooperative learning activities.

Each chapter provides practical examples and scenarios to help you apply the model to your own classroom. The appendices include a variety of strategies for organizing reading-writing workshops, a thorough introduction to academic word lists and their role in vocabulary instruction, and an analysis of forty Latin and Greek word roots for mini-lessons.

Table of Contents

Contents

Meet the Author

Introduction

Chapter 1: Exposure

Chapter 2: Exploration

Chapter 3: Engagement

Chapter 4: Energy

Appendix A: Balanced Literacy and the Reading-Writing Workshop

Appendix B: The Coxhead List: The Academic Word List and Spanish Cognates,

Organized by Frequency

Appendix C: The Zwier List: Basic Toolkit of Academic Vocabulary, Organized by Purpose

Appendix D: Analysis of 40 Latin and Greek Roots for Mini-Lessons

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Infusing Vocabulary Into the Reading-Writing Workshop: A Guide for Teachers in Grades K-8

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Learn how to make vocabulary instruction more effective by making better use of mini-lessons and word study time to achieve durable learning about words and how they work. In this essential new book, literacy expert Amy Benjamin presents her 4E model (Exposure, Exploration, Engagement, Energy) for teaching vocabulary so that students gain deep understanding, improving their overall language and literacy skills.

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Gots: Loved the steps to use for word study and also the techniques to use like using a colour. I am definitely going to use those.
Wants: Is it possible to get some links of teachers conducting word study like Matt Glover's craft and process.

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Got -  teaching relevant and important vocabulary to help students understand the upcoming units/lessons. I much prefer this to the spelling lists we assign at the moment. I'd imagine engagement would be high!

Want - we follow a strict spelling programme i.e. one week words using the prefix inter-, next week 'soft c' words, next week suffix '-tion' I wonder how we can still ensure we're following these goals, and essentially our SPAG curriculum, but ensure that we're choosing purposeful, relevant words.

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When words have multiple meanings, how do we go about approaching those words? I see the value of learning the multiple meanings, but could also see getting bogged down in all of the meanings.

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Got - teaching how to use context clues, 7 types of context clues, active opportunities to help make connections

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Gots: There is a need for implicit vocab instruction, but I also need to think about how I'm talking to the kids so that I'm using those tier 2 words.

Wants: I need to figure out how to make sure vocab is being taught but that grammar and morphology are also being taught.

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Got: Some great ideas to make small tweaks in my vocabulary instruction that will have a big impact for my students.

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Got: That vocabulary study can be short and that it is important to use different methods when learning new words. Important to create activities that help students talk

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GOTS: How to transfer learning of new vocab in a multimodal and authentic manner. And authentically assessing students vocab in context.

WANTS: Morphology instruction. Is this type of direct instruction of vocab something I could in strategy groups/one-on-one, as a way to differentiate and meet the needs of all my learners? If yes, how would this look in a short conference?

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Got - While looking at our unit I noticed we use way too many words! I narrowed down to the words I thought were the top 5 based on our central idea, lines of inquiry, learner profile, etc.

Wants - What about the kids that already have experiences with these words. How can I challenge my top vocab kids? Should I have multiple lists? Maybe this doesn't matter as much since it is 5-7 minutes and it brings everyone together.  Just a few thoughts.

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Got:  concrete ideas of how to incorporate these into my own classroom

Really like the folder with  word study exploration organizer! Will use these for sure!

Want: Just happy to see so many examples! Learning a lot!

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Got: It is so important to be be thoughtful and precise with language during instruction --namely elevating language used with the children

Want: More resources, ideas about morphology instruction

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Got - some interesting  ways to to be word conscious and how important it is to create a word conscious culture in your classroom.

Want- digging deeper with morphology.

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GOT
I was able to get practical step-by-step strategies on how to teach vocabulary on a two week cycle.

WANT
What type of morphology is appropriate for each grade level?

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Tonya Ward Singer
Ch. 5 focuses on building background and teaching vocabulary

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SECTION I: ESSENTIALS FOR EL EXCELLENCE

4. SUPPORT ELS STRATEGICALLY

6. SCAFFOLD LANGUAGE DURING A TASK

7. TEACH LANGUAGE BEYOND A TASK

SECTION IV: APPLY STRATEGIES TO DIFFERENTIATE ACADEMIC LITERACY

8. MAKE EL EXCELLENCE ROUTINE

11. READ TO ANALYZE AND INFER

APPENDIX: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

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SECTION I: ESSENTIALS FOR EL EXCELLENCE 4. SUPPORT ELS STRATEGICALLY 6. SCAFFOLD LANGUAGE DURING A TASK 7. TEACH LANGUAGE BEYOND A TASK SECTION IV: APPLY STRATEGIES TO DIFFERENTIATE ACADEMIC LITERACY 8. MAKE EL EXCELLENCE ROUTINE 11. READ TO ANALYZE AND INFER APPENDIX: GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

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Equtable Access for English Learners, Grades K-6

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Equtable Access for English Learners, Grades K-6

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Mary Soto, David E. Freeman, Yvonne S. Freeman

online resources:
https://resources.corwin.com/equitableaccessk6

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PART I: The Equitable Access Approach

Chapter 1. Foundations for the Equitable Access Approach for English Learners

Chapter 2. Language Objectives: A Seeds, Plants, and Plant Growth Unit

Chapter 3. Making the Input Comprehensible: A Habitats Unit

Chapter 4. Characteristics of Texts That Support Readers: Our Amazing Oceans Unit

Chapter 5. Teaching Academic Language and Meaningful Content: Our Earth, Natural Disasters Unit

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Equitable Access for English Learners, Grades K-6

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PART I: The Equitable Access Approach Chapter 1. Foundations for the Equitable Access Approach for English Learners Chapter 2. Language Objectives: A Seeds, Plants, and Plant Growth Unit Chapter 3. Making the Input Comprehensible: A Habitats Unit Chapter 4. Characteristics of Texts That Support Readers: Our Amazing Oceans Unit Chapter 5.

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Breaking Down the Wall: Essential Shifts for English Learners' Success

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Breaking Down the Wall: Essential Shifts for English Learners' Success

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Publisher's Acknowledgments

A Note About Our Terminology

Chapter 1. Debbie Zacarian and Diane Staehr Fenner: From Deficit-Based to Assets-Based

Chapter 2. Shawn Slakk and Margarita Espino Calderón: From Compliance to Excellence

Chapter 3. Tonya Ward Singer and Diane Staehr Fenner: From Watering Down to Challenging

Chapter 4. Maria G. Dove and Andrea Honigsfeld: From Isolation to Collaboration

Chapter 5. Ivannia Soto and Tonya Ward Singer: From Silence to Conversation

Chapter 6. Margarita Espino Calderón and Shawn Slakk: From Language to Language, Literacy, and Content

Chapter 7. Margo Gottlieb and Andrea Honigsfeld: From Assessment of Learning to Assessment for and as Learning

Chapter 8. Ivannia Soto and Margo Gottlieb: From Monolingualism to Multilingualism

Chapter 9. Debbie Zacarian and Maria G. Dove: From Nobody Cares to Everyone/Every Community Cares

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Publisher's Acknowledgments A Note About Our Terminology Chapter 1. Debbie Zacarian and Diane Staehr Fenner: From Deficit-Based to Assets-Based Chapter 2. Shawn Slakk and Margarita Espino Calderón: From Compliance to Excellence Chapter 3. Tonya Ward Singer and Diane Staehr Fenner: From Watering Down to Challenging Chapter 4. Maria G.

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by Don & Jenny Killgallon
Resources for elementary, middle, and high school using both fiction and non-fictioin textx and available on Heinemann along with free downloadable teacher edition booklets. They also have their own website with some background and resources:
http://sentencecomposing.com/paragraph-series/

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A Sentence-Composing Approach: A Student Worktext

Special Offer: Save 30% off our list price automatically when you buy 15 or more.

Don and Jenny Killgallon's sentence-composing approach has transformed how writing is taught in thousands of elementary classrooms, helping students all across America develop into more proficient and sophisticated writers. Now in this unique, powerful student worktext, the Killgallons use their highly effective method to link good writing to that perennially difficult-to-teach subject-grammar.

, Story Grammar for Elementary School: A Sentence Composing Approach offers varied practice in building better sentences by exploring and imitating the grammatical structures of children's favorite stories, including Harry Potter, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Chronicles of Narnia, Bridge to Terabithia, How to Eat Fried Worms, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Hobbit A Wrinkle in Time, and hundreds more.

A narrative treasury in miniature, Story Grammar teaches the story in the sentence (interesting content) plus the sentence in the story (grammatical structure). It links stories and grammar in ways that are innovative-and fun. Through chunking, combining, unscrambling, imitating, and expanding, students learn and use the same grammar authors use to build sentences. No Dick-and-Jane sentences here. Instead, engaging sentences from stories for students to imitate.

An online teacher's guide accompanies Story Grammar for Elementary School: A Sentence-Composing Approach and includes advice, tips, resources, answer keys, and even curricular plans for teachers who are either new to the Killgallon approach or sentence-composing veterans.

No one can forge the link between grammar and writing like Don and Jenny Killgallon. Discover or rediscover for yourself how powerful the sentence-composing approach can be, and watch how elementary students can be eased into grammar like never before-and grow as writers too. From writers of yesterday, for writers of tomorrow, something for today: a story grammar book for building better sentences.

Teacher's Booklet -- guidance for teaching with this particular student worktext, including pacing suggestions and answer key

(click any section below to continue reading)

Introduction to the Sentence-Composing Approach

Contents

Story Grammar Imitating Story Sentences Sentence Parts
Subjects and Predicates

Tools (Words, Phrases, Clauses)

Reviewing Sentence Parts: Lemony Snicket's The Bad Beginning (Book the First in A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Sentence Positions
Opener

S-V Split

Closer

Reviewing Sentence Positions: Lemony Snicket's The End (Book the Last in A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Writing Story Sentences Meeting Your Invisible Teachers

Companion Resources

Teacher's Booklet -- guidance for teaching with this particular student worktext, including pacing suggestions and answer key

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Special Offer: Save 30% off our list price automatically when you buy 15 or more. Don and Jenny Killgallon's sentence-composing approach has transformed how writing is taught in thousands of elementary classrooms, helping students all across America develop into more proficient and sophisticated writers.

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I'm hoping that we'll go more in depth on how to directly teach vocabulary so that it's not the old school vocabulary list.

Edit: And we did! Thanks!

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Money doesn't grow on trees, right?
So why does every bank have so many branches?

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I have failed the mathematics test so many times, I lost count. (Smitsy)

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This could be a good resource for your students to make their own jokes from this pun generator.
www.pungenerator.org

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What would you call a boomerang that will never come back...
of course a stick
Why did the boy eat the homework?
Because the teacher said that it was a piece of cake.

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The past, present, and future walked into a room together. It was tense.

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You should wear glasses while doing math. It improves division.

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1. Writing with a dull pencil is pointless!

2. I did a performance on puns. Really it was just a play on words.

3. What was the reporter doing at the ice cream shop? Getting the scoop.

4. What do you say to comfort an English teacher?
There, their, they're

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Some Criteria for Identifying Tier Two Words

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Some Criteria for Identifying Tier Two Words

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EKC

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I Wonder: Language Learners and Classroom Talk

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I Wonder: Language Learners and Classroom Talk

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EKC Connections Interview with Dr. Jeff Zwiers

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Next Steps for Academic Conversations (G3-12)

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Next Steps for Academic Conversations (G3-12)

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Dr. Jeff Zwiers

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Jeff Zwiers, an educational researcher at Stanford University, has spent the last 15 years analyzing classroom conversations to see how they can be better used and improved in classroom settings. Teachers who have worked with him report significant growth in students' engagement, content learning, language, creativity, and sense of agency.

Jeff shared his initial vision for classroom conversations in his 2011 book, Academic Conversations. In this follow-up book, Next Steps with Academic Conversations, he builds on those original ideas by offering:

an updated synthesis of conversation work across disciplines and grade levels

highlights of the most recent classroom-based research and theory on classroom conversation

answers to questions that have emerged during this work with teachers and administrators

new classroom strategies and practices for fostering and assessing classroom conversations

This resource is the product of his extensive research, co-teaching, and collaborating with a wide range of educators. It was written for busy teachers who want a practical guide for strengthening the quality and quantity of productive conversations in their lessons.
eBook Available Through Major Retailers
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If you previously purchased an ebook from Stenhouse.com, they will remain available in your digital library.

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Conversation was not invented to help people choose right answers on tests. It evolved to solve problems, build ideas, build relationships, and understand others and the world. Yet despite its power to grow minds and hearts, effective conversations are still too scarce in our schools.

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Here's a website from 'The Dad Joke Project, containing links to many other joke sites.

Particularly apropos:
When does a joke become a 'dad' joke?
When the punchline is a parent!