Orthography, the conventional spelling system of a language, is an important piece of literacy development. “Becoming fully literate depends on fast, accurate recognition of words and their meanings in texts, and fast, accurate production of words in writing so that readers and writers can focus their attention on making meaning.” (Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton & Johnston, 2016, p.5)  If students have poor orthographic skills then they will not be able to read and write fluently because they will have to frequently stop thinking about what to text means (or what they want it to mean when writing) to think about how to decode or spell words.

In the 1970’s, Charles Read (1971, 1975) and Carol Chomsky (1971) studied the way students were attempting to spell words and realized they were not just using random letters, but “inventing” spellings that could provide educators with a glimpse of their word knowledge development. Edmund Henderson and his colleagues at the University of Virginia conducted similar studies regarding students’ spelling at approximately the same time (Beers & Henderson, 1977; Henderson & Beers, 1980). “They determined that through an informed analysis of students’ spelling attempts, teachers can differentiate and provide timely instruction in phonics, spelling, and vocabulary that is essential to move students forward in reading and writing.” (p.5) Word study is what this type of differentiated instruction is called.

As students analyze and study the orthographic patterns of words, they start to make generalizations and see the consistencies of word parts in the English language. Students should be given ample opportunities to explore and manipulate words so they can develop understandings of the alphabetic, pattern and meaning relationships that words have with each other. For example, single sounds are sometimes spelled with multiple letters like the CVCe spelling pattern in some words with long vowels. As students work with groups of words that contain the CVCe spelling pattern, they will see the similarity between the words and can transfer that knowledge to their reading and writing when they encounter long vowel words. The same type of learning transfer occurs with meaning as students see the relationships between words that contain the same morpheme, or  unit of meaning, such as sign and signature or photo, photograph, photographer, and photogenic. (p.8)

To begin, teachers should assess students’ orthographic knowledge first using an inventory, to determine what they do correctly and independently, what they “use but confuse”, and what is absent in their spelling or what patterns are at their frustration level. (p.11) Children’s reading and spelling development occurs in stages, so using the inventory to determine each student’s individual spelling stage will help guide instruction. Teachers can create groups based on the students’ levels and assigned appropriate word study activities according to their knowledge within each developmental spelling stage.

From my experience administering and analyzing the Words Their Way primary spelling inventory to my second graders, here are a few changes I would recommend:

• Provide an answer sheet with numbers and lines printed on it. I used notebook paper and modeled how set up the page with numbers, but many of my students were not successful which made reading their responses difficult for me to read.
• Administer the inventory in small groups divided by ability instead of to the entire class at the same time. This change will benefit all students, but I think especially my struggling readers and writers could have experienced more success if I gave the inventory to them at the teacher table, adjusting the pace for the group as needed and discontinuing the assessment if they missed 5 or more words.

Analysis of the inventory using the feature guide (p. 324) provides detailed data on each student’s orthographic level and understanding within the level that is valuable for creating instructional plans. Using the information from the feature guide, I know what spelling patterns to hold students’ accountable for in their writing and what steps I need to take to move them forward to the next stage of spelling.

Some suggestions for implementation in the classroom include:

•  introduce and model the first few word sorts whole group so students can practice the activities with teacher guidance
• group students with similar strengths and weaknesses, then have them work together in pairs on their word sorts during the week
• use technology as a teacher’s aide by having students post to a digital portfolio while the teacher is working with small groups, then the responses are available whenever the teacher has time to check them and assess students’ understandings
  • students can take pictures of their sorts and upload them
  • record themselves explaining their thinking about their sorts
  • students can do speed sorts by timing themselves sorting the words twice, trying to beat their own time
  • teachers can record themselves administering spelling tests, then have students take the tests on their own at a literacy station
• include oddball words to determine if students are reading and understanding the words or just sorting them visually

Word study should take place in literacy classrooms at every level K-12. Giving students a variety of opportunities to explore and “play” with words is vital for increasing spelling and vocabulary development, which students can then transfer to their reading and writing. Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton & Johnston propose: “The better our general knowledge of the system, the better we are at decoding unfamiliar words, spelling correctly, or guessing the meaning of words” (p. 6) Providing appropriate and engaging word study activities for students will set them up for future success in spelling, reading and writing.