Stick to the Program

Ok, so my SPELLING SUPER PACK is finally done and available at my TpT Store.  Phew!  That baby took me a while to finish because...er...um...ok, fine- I'm a teeny tiny bit of a perfectionist.  

Enough about that, however.  The real purpose of this post is to fill you in on how this lil program changed spelling instruction in my room.  The history- I struggled with spelling instruction for many reasons.  I feel that spelling instruction should be authentic (as in right in the moment of writing) and individualized (because I always have SO many different achievement levels in my room).  On the other hand, trying to make everything authentic and individualized for each student would be impossible.  Seriously, I actually tried it one year and it did not take long for kids to start falling through the cracks.  My solution....develop a spelling program that has predictable weekly lists, BUT also provides the opportunity for differentiation AND (while I'm at it) throw in some opportunities for family involvement and student goal setting.  

Here's what I did.  I took the first 125 words on the Dolch Sight Words List and divided it by five (you can find a great resource here).  I gave each list a color name.  No real thought went into the color names, by the way.  I just happened to see a pack of stickers in the checkout lane at the grocery story and they had pink, blue, orange, purple, and green star stickers.  Next, I made a star like this for every student...

Five points, five lists- a match made in heaven.

The next thing I did was create a bulletin board like this...

Cute, huh?  I will explain the streamers later!

Now the hard part...getting the students to believe in spelling development.  Luckily, first graders are naturally curious, so on the first day of school it takes about 4.2 seconds for the first little cutie to ask, "Teacher, what's that for?"  Ha!  Hooked!  They're mine!  I use the next few minutes to explain the program using as many life-changing nouns and verbs as possible, all the while making spelling this magical and mystical being until they are literally begging me to do something...anything...that has to do with spelling.  Ok, really they just get a little excited and then ask when lunch is, but it's a start.

 Here's the gist of what I tell them:

• We have five lists of 25 words to cover this year.  At the end of the year you will be able to say, "I can read and spell 125 words!"
• I will send the whole list home at the beginning of each unit.  You can tell me when you are ready to be tested, or you can just go week by week with the rest of the class (differentiation) and I'll test you at the end of the unit.
• To help you practice our 5 weekly words, I will send home a "Fridge Facts" sheet for you to hang on your refrigerator.  
• When you master an entire list (via a spelling test AND evidence by me that you're actually using the words correctly in your daily writing) you get to add a sticker to your "Spelling Star" that coordinates with the list you mastered, and we will also celebrate your hard work by cheering and clapping because spelling is SUCH a big deal!
• I will also give you an award certificate to take home and show your parents, AND you will get to stand on your chair to announce that you've met your goal. (I so wish I had a picture of this because it is "goosebumps awesome".)  Many read the goal right off their award certificate.

 See?  It's right there on the certificate!

Pretty soon the stars start to look like this...Man, they'll work hard for those little stickers!

Here are a few other things you should know:

Differentiation for Advanced Students:

As I mentioned previously, I tell the kids that they can tell me they're ready to be tested at any time  (Check out the "I'm Ready to Be Tested" section in this post).  Most kids just go with the flow of the class and learn the words five at a time each week.  Some, however, get the entire unit list on a Friday and then ask to be tested the following Monday.  I'm pretty sure these kids don't leave their bedrooms and/or drive their parents absolutely crazy over the weekend, but who cares!  That's awesome!  If they do happen to master the list, then they get all the kudos and hurrahs mentioned above.  For the rest of that unit, I engage these kids in something more appropriate for their achievement level (more on that, as well as what to do to help kids practice those words they just can't seem to master in future posts) during our regular spelling time.  

Differentiation for Struggling Students:

In some of my previous posts, I've mentioned that I teach in a full-inclusion/co-taught classroom.  My students range from cognitively impaired or learning disabled aaaaaaall the way up to advanced...as in Oh, Geez!  What am I going to do with YOU? advanced.  In my mind there would be nothing worse than seeing your classmates' stars fill up with stickers only to have yours sit empty because you you just can't master that many words at a time no matter how hard you try.  Here's what I came up with to handle this dilemma:

• I took the first 25 words on the Pre-Primer list only and divided those words by five. 
• I gave each of those lists a color name (just like the original lists).
• I created modified versions of all the take-home and practice materials.
• Each week these students still sit for the mini-lesson on the 5 words from the original word list, but when they go off to do individual seat work I provide them with materials that go along with their modified list.

When these kids get their sticker, absolutely no one in class even knows there was a modification.

Incentives:

Aside from the reward certificates and getting to stand on their chairs, we throw a "color party" when every student masters an entire list.  When the students all master the Pink List, for example, I purchase a few different pink snacks.  A little hot pink punch, pink glazed animal crackers, and pink gumballs go a loooooong way.  We spend a few extra minutes at our normal snack time toasting, cheering, and congratulating each other.

Then, we do one more thing...
Remember those streamers on the Spelling Stars bulletin board?

My teaching partner Angie came up with this clever idea...we tear off the color of the list they all mastered and hang it in our doorway under a sign that says, "Ask us about learning to spell 25 new words!"  Every guest that walks into our room is brushed by our streamer, which always prompts that person to ask all about it.  I get to stand back and gush (and sometimes tear up) as one student fills the guest in on the class' awesomeness.

I hope this is useful to you.  I just love how it all works now.  I can't wait to do it again this year, especially with my new and improved materials! It's sorta hard to explain all the nitty gritty details, so leave a comment if you have questions.

“Yours is the light by which my spirit's born: - you are my sun, my moon, and all my stars.” 
― E.E. Cummings