Topic outline

  • The routines that frame a JCSpell  Word Study lesson are listed in the order they usually occur.  Beside each routine is the Session in our on-demand JCSpell Word Study training course in which the routine is introduced and modeled.

    • Flash Cards -- Session 2
    • Optional: Tested Words --  Session 15
    • Dictation with self-checking  -- Phonograms in Session 3, Words in Session 11
    • Think to Spell (the word work) -- Session 10
    • Word Talk (the word work) -- Session 10
    • I-Work (completed independent of teacher) -- Session 11                  
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    The three routines "Think to Spell," "Word Talk," and "I-Work" are purposefully crafted so students will work with each word using five unique lenses.

    1) Think to Spell is the phonological awareness and phonics lens -- chunking sounds & syllables to write a spoken word

    2) Word Talk is a classification and connection lens -- building vocabulary concepts, studying parts of speech

    3) I-Work with re-write is a whole word lens -- the way we see/think the word when we read or write fluently

    4) I-Work with alphabetizing is the symbol lens -- thinking letters and letter names, no sounds

    5) I-Work with sentence writing is the meaning lens -- working with the word in text


    • An annotated sample of student work for one lesson.

      Note:  When kindergartners begin to do I-Work, they can do parts of their work in a notebook similar to the first sample shown for first grade.

    • An annotated sample of student work for one lesson.

    • An annotated sample of student work for one lesson.

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