One way to assess any spelling study is to look for the application of the spelling pattern in students' writing. For instance, if there is a set of words that all end with -at such as bat, rat, and cat, you could ask, "What other words do you know that would fit into this set?" Once the list is complete, look for patterns within the words that have been suggested. Reinforce the idea that not every word that contains an a necessarily contains the short-a sound. Responses that do not fit the pattern, such as the words that contain the letter a but not the short-a sound, provide an opportunity to discuss other sounds that the letter a can make. Using the check-mark method allows for a possible extension of the lesson, considering the question of which words might be most common or why students think a certain word was suggested more or less often than another. If duplicate responses are given, request that groups not report words that have already been mentioned or place check marks next to words to indicate the number of times they were suggested. This also allows the words to be easily rearranged to explore alphabetical order, syllable count, and other forms of word study. This method allows students to see the whole spelling list within the chart and provides easy access to the words in case a student wants to bring one of the words to his or her desk to check his or her spelling within a piece of writing. You might find it helpful to record each word separately on a piece of sentence-strip paper and then place these word strips in a pocket chart. Ask, "Which words contain the short-a sound?"Īllow partners to report their ideas to the class. Once all partners have discussed their lists, or when the allotted time has ended, begin the whole group discussion. Encourage students to continue to brainstorm with their partners and to add to their lists as they think of additional short-a words.
Paired students should be given five minutes to talk about their lists. Pair students yourself, or allow students to choose their partners. Once you are sure that students understand the question, give them three to five minutes to make their lists, circulating among students to help or redirect them as necessary.Īfter the allotted time has ended, ask students to work with a partner and share their short-a list. Exaggerate your pronunciation or write the word on the chalkboard and circle the letter a. You may want to provide a few examples of these words, such as alligator or bat, and explain which sound is the short-a sound. Instead, you would like them to take a few minutes to think about the question independently and write down their thoughts on a piece of scrap paper.Īsk students to think of words that have the short-a sound then to write down the words. Tell students that you are going to be asking them a question about words and that you don't want them to call out their answers or raise their hands to respond. Not every word that contains the letter a makes the short-a sound. Many words fit the short-a spelling pattern. Students will brainstorm a list of words that include the short-a sound. Students will think about word patterns as they relate to spelling.
It also results in a richer list of words than does the process of presenting students with a pre-made list of words that follow a given pattern. Allowing students to think about the words that follow a pattern lets them become more invested in the lesson. This lesson uses the /a/ (short-a) sound, although any spelling pattern could be used, including words that include "qu," homophones, and compound words. Students use the think, pair, share strategy to explore spelling patterns.
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