Happy Weekend everyone! I’m popping in quickly tonight to share a parent communication tool that I just started using this week. As my team and I implement Words Their Way, we continue finding new things that we need to create in order to launch this program successfully. One thing that has become evident from the start, was how to communicate with families. Since every child will no longer be receiving the same spelling words on the same day, we struggled to figure out how to best communicate to families the skills that children would be working on.
In the past, I have always posted our spelling pattern of the week on our website, typed up our weekly spelling words and placed them into our B.I.R.D. books, and included them with our spelling tic-tac-toe homework. But, this year things are completely different. Groups of students do not all get their new sorts on the same day anymore and this presented us with a problem. We needed to keep the lines of communication open with our parents and wanted to give them a guide to help them practice with their children at home. With the help of my teammates, we finally came up with a solution to our problem; word study parent letters.
When creating our word study groups, my team realized that regardless of where our students needed to start, they would all begin with a sort included in the Letter Name book. So, I decided to type up these parent letters for EACH sort used in the Letter Name book. Each time a group meets with the teacher and receives a new sort, they will also be given these letters to take home to their families.
Each letter is written the same format but outlines the current spelling pattern that the student will be working on. The letters also include example words that follow the pattern our students are currently working on in order to help guide families’ at home practice.
Since my team has decided to not give traditional spelling tests with this program, we don’t want to just give parents a list of words to study with their children. By giving example words and guidelines, we’re hoping that families keep in mind the pattern that their child is currently working on in school and will assist them in practicing these patterns by hunting for words around the house, in books that they are reading at home, and by creating other opportunities for additional review.
If you’re interested in sending these letters home with your students for a simple and consistent way to keep the lines of communication open, you can check them out in my TpT store here! This packet will be on sale throughout the weekend! I hope you can find it useful!
If you’re just getting WTW up and running in your classroom like me, make sure to check out my Word Study Starter Pack for student schedules, extension activities, and planning sheets by clicking the image below. It has really been a life-saver so far this year!
Thank you so much for stopping by! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend!
1 Comment
This is a great idea! We use Words Their Way at my school too. The parents don't always understand how the sort works. I think the letters could really help them stay involved.
Marie
Once Upon a Classroom: A Teacher's Tales