I used to have a love/hate relationship with word study. This precious time is an essential component of balanced literacy...BUT there are SO MANY materials to manage in such a limited time. Magnetic letters, sorting cards, glue, scissors, whiteboards, word rings...the list goes on. By the time I got all the materials into the right hands, time was up. Anyone?
I found myself asking the question, "What is stealing our time?" Here are a few answers I came up with that may sound familiar.
- passing out materials
- fielding questions about process or materials
- arguing over space/materials
- reorganizing/replacing/finding materials
- explaining/modeling directions
After months of organizing, re-organizing, creating, editing and revising, I am happy to share that our little fifteen minutes of word study is FINALLY running like a well-oiled machine, well, most of the time. (Yes, I know it's January.) Here's how I did it.
1. Organize, Organize, Organize
Well-organized classrooms don't just look pretty, they function efficiently. Space is limited in our shared classroom, so keeping things compact is key. When I initially set up the word work area, I placed the larger materials in labeled plastic bins on a small shelf in our word study corner. Student folders and journals were stored in cubbies, but it took an eternity for students to retrieve them and get back to our corner. Stacking them on a bookshelf close by also was a fail. These piles were difficult for students to navigate. Folders and journals were tossed to the side as little hands searched for their names. It got messy and was time consuming. Hence, the bins. These sturdy bins keep our folders and journals upright making it easy for students to quickly find their own.
I placed all the smaller materials (scissors, glue sticks, highlighters, etc.) in a shower caddy from Walmart. I plop this caddy in the middle of our work space every day. Everything we need for word work is within arms reach so students don't have to run around the classroom grabbing the materials they need. Like many teachers of ELLs, I travel between rooms so this beauty is a lifesaver. I can grab it and go when I'm on the move, and store it in my room when I'm finished.
The real organizational game changer were these letter return sheets from the amazing Aly at Just a Primary Girl. These trays changed my life. I used to spend so much prep time putting together baggies of letters for my students. Or, I painstakingly watched my students grab the letters they needed from a class supply...and we all know what happens when too many little hands reach for the same thing. Torture. Now, each student gets a tray and finding and returning letters is a breeze. I picked up the trays from Dollar Tree, placed the alphabet sheet on top and loaded each one with letters. The sheet adheres to the tray with the magnetic letters; no glue or tape required! (Don't laminate the sheets because the letters won't stick...learned that one the hard way!) You can get the sheets HERE at her TPT store.
2. Establish Consistent Routines
Routines boost productivity. The predictability of a routine helps ELLs build confidence and engagement and helps ALL students work more efficiently. A simple routine may be just what you need to solve "that" nagging issue! Establishing routines can take a bit of time up front, but pays big dividends in the long run.
Teaching A Routine
Like any new concept, routines need to be taught. I learned early on not to assume anything when you teach little ones. Don't assume they know how to take a pencil out of the caddy. Don't assume they know how to sit on the carpet. Don't assume they know how to put the cover on the expo marker. Just don't do it. If you want to see it happen a certain way, teach it...and then teach it again.
In their Book, The Daily 5: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades, Bouchy and Moser offer some outstanding recommendations for building routines. Following the explicit teaching and modeling of a routine by the teacher, they suggest having a student demonstrate a non-example of the expected behavior. As the students look on, the teacher voices over the inappropriate behaviors exhibited (which always garners a few laughs). Then, quickly, the teacher encourages that same student to provide an appropriate example of the expected behaviors. Again, the teacher points out how the student is specifically "following the rules."
For more on this and other amazing ideas for your literacy block, head over to Amazon and grab their fantastic book!
A Peek at Our Routines
Before taking a seat, students follow this protocol:
- Check the chart
- Get materials
- Sit down
- Hands in lap (hands off the goods!)
- Eyes on the teacher
Letter Trays: If students are working with magnetic letters, I will post a picture card on the pocket chart indicating that they will need a letter tray for the lesson. The letters that they will be working with will also be posted on the chart.
When prompted to begin work with the letters, the following protocol is followed:
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| Students push the tray to the top of the table to create a personal work space. (I don't have magnetic white boards, so this step is key!) Letters can easily get mixed up with a group of eight. Creating a consistent work space UNDER the tray helps to create boundaries. |
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| All students select the assigned letters and place them in a line. This helps avoid vertical and horizontal reversals. |
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| When prompted, students pull the letters down from their line to make the word. This helps differentiate used and unused letters. |
3. Create a Teacher Toolkit
I set up a personal Word Study Folder and Word Study Journal that mirror the student materials. I used to borrow student materials for the "I do" part of the lesson. More often than not, the folders would be unorganized and/or missing materials. Having my own toolkit provides me with a reliable source of authentic material for modeling. I also keep several extra copies of our sorting cards to replace any that go missing from student baggies.
4. Recycle, Don't Reinvent
At the beginning of the year, I had all these grand ideas for creative word study. Each one of these new activities required an introduction, explicit directions, modeling and practice. Many of these activities also required cutting, gluing, and coloring. Not to mention...new games = new rules. All which took up LOTS of time!Recycling activities, rather than reinventing the wheel everyday, has saved us loads of time. I didn't want to kick creativity to the curb, so I revamped our folders to include a few engaging activities that students enjoy. For every learning cycle (usually 5-6 days) we revisit the same series of activities. We still cut, color, and glue, but only once a cycle. Currently, our folders house three word study mats: Bingo, Word Ladders, and Sorting (2 columns on the front, 3 columns on the back). I laminated these for reuse and durability.
We work with one set of words or pictures that students cut up on day one. The cards go into their baggies and are used in conjunction with the mats. At the end of the cycle, students glue the cards in their word study journals. Recycling familiar activities cuts way down on time. Students can get started right away with little explanation. That means more time on task. Click the picture above to download these mats for FREE in our TPT store.
In my word study adventure this year, I've learned three things: keep it ORGANIZED, keep it CONSISTENT and keep it SIMPLE! I hope these ideas provide you with some inspiration for your own adventures!
