Weekly Word Sorting

Each week we practice working with given words & sorting the words by common properties (short/long vowels, blends, diphthongs, digraphs, prefixes/suffixes). We use a sorting mat (made from a file folder) to sort our words by common headings. Our classroom philosophy is based on differientiation (looking at each one of us as individual child & making the curriculum fit for each one of us.). On any given week we will have 5 different spelling concepts/skills going (anywhere from short a to r-controlled ar/or). Our individulized concept/skill is based on where we "fell" on the BEAR indivdualized spelling assessment at the beginning of the school year. Our teacher finds that if she meets us "where we are academically," we move along at a smoother pace. So each week there are 5 different word sorts going on in our room at one time. The short video clip is a "peek" into the steps of sorting: (1) read through the cards putting words in two piles: words I know or words I'm unsure of, (2) ask for help with unsure words, (3) sort, (4) read through the sort & check for changes, (5) "justify" my sort to the teacher or a friend (read each word & tell why I put it under each heading.). Our teacher makes our sorts using Word but a great resource for this if you are just beginning is All Sorts Of Sorts: Word Sorts That Reinforce Spelling And Phonetic Patterns by Sheron Brown you can find it on Amazon.com