Preparing to teach students about suffixes and prefixes? This post will help by providing you with the pertinent information you need before diving into student instruction! get clear, student-friendly definitions and examples of commonly used prefixes and suffixes learn the types of suffixes and why it is important for students to know the difference gain insight about the significance of specifically focusing on the suffix -ION with students learn the common spelling mistakes or confusions students most often encounter when adding suffixes to root words walk away with easy-prep res ..read more

What if you could get your students to approach each week’s spelling word list with eagerness and anticipation, ready to dive into the word study focus and strengthen their spelling skills? Introducing a new Words Their Way aligned word list activity Unlock the List. This innovative resource can transform mundane word lists and word sorts into engaging puzzles for students to solve, designed to ignite their curiosity and enhance their spelling skills! With Unlock the List, students will encounter their weekly spelling word list in a whole new format and level of challenge. I've added a twist ..read more

Are you planning to take a deep dive into the world of challenging consonants with your students? Look no further! This blog post is designed to serve as your comprehensive guide on hard and soft consonants, the various spellings of /k/, and silent consonants. Whether you need a refresher on definitions and examples, want to understand when students are ready to tackle these concepts, need to know common spelling and decoding errors to expect, or seek creative and engaging teaching ideas for exploring consonants, this post has got you covered! Prepare to make the journey of teaching tricky con ..read more

As upper elementary teachers, we play a crucial role in helping our students develop strong reading and language skills. A part of that job entails giving our students the tools they need to to fluently read and write multisyllabic words, not just ones they are currently studying on their word lists, but new and unfamiliar ones they will encounter as their reading and language skills continue to improve.  One of those tools is understanding the role syllable types, syllable junctures, and accent in syllables play in forming words. While teaching students to identify accented and unaccente ..read more

Teaching complex word study concepts to students is no easy task. But fear not, for this blog post will serve as your reliable guide for teaching long vowel patterns, r-controlled vowel patterns, ambiguous vowel patterns, and diphthongs in accented or stressed syllables. Within this post, you will find clear definitions and examples of the various vowel patterns found in accented syllables that you can use with your students. Additionally, you'll gain insight on when students are typically ready to learn about these patterns, as well as "ready to implement" activities for practicing long vowel ..read more

Will you be teaching students how to segment syllables and about syllable juncture patterns soon? Let this blog post be your handy go-to as you brush up on what a syllable juncture is, when students are developmentally ready to learn about segmenting syllables, common spelling and decoding mistakes to expect from students, and ideas to make teaching students about syllable juncture patterns fun and effective! What is a syllable juncture? Syllable juncture refers to the point at which two syllables meet within a word. The pattern or combination of vowels and consonants at the juncture point ca ..read more

Preparing to teach students about inflected endings? In this post you will find information about five types of inflections including lots of examples of each type, the rules for adding inflected endings to base words, what common spelling mistakes to expect from students, and ideas for how to teach students about inflectional endings in fun and engaging ways. What are inflected endings?  Inflected endings are suffixes that are added to the end of a root word, changing or clarifying its meaning. Inflected endings can be added to nouns, verbs, adjectives, or adverbs to help indicate tense ..read more

Searching for a one-stop-shop that covers everything for your Syllables and Affixes spellers? You’ve found it! If you are teaching students about inflected endings, advanced compound words, spelling patterns in unaccented syllables, how to segment words at their syllable juncture, how vowel patterns in words help determine accent in syllables, how certain vowels can soften the sound of certain consonants, and the meaning and appropriate use of common prefixes and suffixes, bookmark this post now to help guide you as you make plans for direct instruction, differentiated small groups, and indepe ..read more

Let’s face it…one of the most challenging parts of deciding to implement centers is figuring out the materials we will need and the way we want to organize them for ourselves and our students. If you are toying with the idea of word study or spelling centers, I want to reduce some of that challenge for you!!! Today I'm sharing my favorite Amazon teacher finds for word study with you. Having the right materials "at the ready" for word study centers and games can help this upper elementary block run smoothly and efficiently. Ditch the daunting feelings and prepare to get excited! These “mus ..read more

Does creating a differentiated small group schedule for your word study program give you a bit of a headache? (I never got a headache from it, but it sure can be time consuming!) Well, I’ve been working on something special for upper elementary teachers implementing Words Their Way! Over the summer, I dreamt of an idea that would help teachers get their word study schedule made with a few clicks. I thought surely what I wanted could be accomplished with a spreadsheet and some formulas…well VOILA! My FREE automatic scheduling spreadsheet for word study (specifically Words Their Way) will popula ..read more