School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

Getting Started with

Sitton Spelling and Word Skills

A Q&A of Tips & Tricks to Facilitate Implementation

~Grade 1

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

How does Sitton Spelling and Word Skills differ from a traditional spelling program?

• Designed in units rather than weeks – A unit can take 3 to 6 days

• Only 21 units (start after some basic print concepts are in place)

• Words reviewed in multiple assessments

• Word lists based on frequency of use rather than a particular pattern

• Focus on how words work

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

How do I begin organizing for instruction?• Read the Teacher Notes section

• Send note home to parents

• Prepare blackline masters – Cloze tests/skill test– Home activity– Word Preview– Exercise Express

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

What are the components of a typical unit?• Word preview

• 2-3 concepts with 2-3 activities for each– Whole group mini-lesson– Interactive lessons– Independent tasks

• After every 2 units there is an assessment unit

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

Basics & Electives

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

What is the focus of the “Build Skills and Word Experiences” part of the unit?

• Learning how words work

• Word patterns

• Vowel patterns

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

What is the Word Preview?

• A 5 minute visual warm-up activity

• Introduces students to words to confirm and correct conceptions of the spelling

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

What is the focus of the “Assess Words and Skills” part of the lesson?

• Apply skills from previous two units

• Assess knowledge of core words from previous and current units

• Skills application assessment

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

How do I effectively use the posters?• Shared reading

• Display as anchor charts

• Reference during mini-lessons

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

What materials need to be prepared in advance of the lesson?

• Copy Word Preview

• Copy assessment page

• Copy Take Home Task

• Copy Exercise Express pages, if any

• Create chart headings, etc. for Build Basic Concepts activities

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

How could students organize their materials?

• Everything can go home or a folder can be kept for each group of three units.

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

How do I know which concepts/activities are the most important for my students to learn?

• Curriculum maps

• Past performance on assessments

• Conferencing notes from reading and writing workshops

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

Should I create a spelling list in addition to the cloze, skill, and dictation tests in the program?

• NO!

• Any gaps could be picked up in shared reading, word study, patterning lessons, etc.

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

What is the best way to incorporate the reading and writing skills activities?

• Mini-lessons in Reading Workshop (alternate days of Making Meaning??)

• Shared Reading

• Mini-lessons in Writing Workshop

• Guided/Interactive Writing

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

How I determine spelling grades?

• Cloze Story Assessment

• Dictation Sentences

• Skill Test

• Exercise Express (not graded heavily)

• Take Home Tasks (not graded heavily)

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

What information should I share with parents?

• Letter

• Share at conferences because Sitton won’t start until after

• Send home Words to Learn after each assessment

School City of Mishawaka Spring 2007

How do I subscribe to the Sitton newsletter?

Go to http://www.sittonspelling.com/ and click on the E-Newsletter link at the bottom of the page. You will come to this page where you may access the archived newsletters, as well as subscribe to future editions.