when planning word study lessons,teachers can choose from a variety of activities to improve spelling,word recognition and vocabulary. students tend to enjoy working with words and are eager to get word "games." here a just a few of them..
word searches
in word searches students take a group of word categories and"search" for examples of words in those categories by combing through magazines,newspapers,books,or textbooks. the write down the words they find.
pattern sorting
pattern sorting is an activity that teaches students to categorize words. the categories can be based on the way particular sounds are expressed in a word. pattern sorting is great for looking at vowel patterns,contractions,and silent letters.
proofreading
proofreading is one of those "must have" skills in order to be optimally successful in school. word study lessons involving proofreading help students learn to develop an eye for how a written word should look. they learn to know if a word "looks right" when spelled out.
using word study lessons to round out a balanced literacy program a much greater chance of retaining word meaning and making sense of spelling rules.
thank goodness,literacy has moved beyond writing a list of words five times each to learn to spell. or decoding words by simply "sounding them out." new word study makes exploring the various aspects of the English language much more meaningful and enjoyable.