Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, 4th Edition (Book, CD & DVD) [Paperback]

Donald R. Bear (Author), Marcia Invernizzi (Author), Shane Templeton (Author), Francine Johnston (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 013223968X | ISBN-13: 978-0132239684 | Publication Date: May 21, 2007 | Edition: 4

Words Their Way’s developmentally-driven, hands-on instructional approach has been a phenomenon in word study, providing a practical way to study words with students.  The keys to this research-based approach are to know your students’ literacy progress, organize for instruction, and implement word study.  This streamlined book and the DVD and CD-ROM that accompany it gives you all the tools you need to carry out word study instruction that will motivate and engage your students, and help them to succeed in literacy learning.  Ordered in a developmental format, Words Their Way complements the use of any existing phonics, spelling, and vocabulary curricula.

 

Knowing Your Students

• Streamlined Chapter 2 provides step by step guidelines for assessing students.
• Words Their Way Word Study Resources CD: Assessment Planning and Additional Interactive Word Sorts contains computerized assessments to gauge students’ developmental levels.
• Word Study with English Learner sections in each chapter help you organize and adapt instruction to meet the needs of students whose first language is not English.

Organizing for Instruction

• Words Their Way DVD Tutorial: Planning for Word Study in K-8 Classrooms reinforces and illustrates classroom organization and management, as outlined in Chapter 3.
• Word Study Routines and Management sections in every chapter give you practical guidance on managing and implementing word study in your classroom.
• Tech Notes throughout chapters pinpoint opportunities for you to use the DVD and CD-ROM to prepare for instruction.

Implementing Word Study

• Classroom-proven, research-driven activities end each developmental chapter, giving you the instructional practices to get your word study instruction up and running immediately.
• Words Their Way Word Study Resources CD: Assessment Planning and Additional Interactive Word Sorts provides more than just assessments.  You’ll also find hundreds of additional word and picture sorts, games and templates, and an interactive Create Your Own section.
• The Appendix at the back of the book contains a comprehensive bank of word lists, word sorts, picture sorts, games and templates.

"This book would be very useful for both university reading courses and classroom teachers.  I use Words Their Way both in my first grade classroom and with college students as a way to implement word study".--Kristi McNeal, CSU Fresno

"The theory behind and practice for word sorts allows even the novice teacher to understand how to use the assessments to organize instruction.  The organization of the last five chapters creates a useful resource for teachers.  Each begins with a research-based description and moves into sound instructional practices, giving the teacher a complete understanding of how to meet the needs of students."--Cathy Blanchfield, CSU Fresno 

 

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This book would be very useful for both university reading courses and classroom teachers.  I use Words Their Way both in my first grade classroom and with college students as a way to implement word study.

Kristi McNeal, CSU Fresno

 

 

Words Their Way’s developmentally-driven, hands-on instructional approach has been a phenomenon in word study, providing a practical way to study words with students.  The keys to this research-based approach are to know your students’ literacy progress, organize for instruction, and implement word study.  This streamlined text and the DVD and CD-ROM that accompany it gives you all the tools you need to carry out word study instruction that will motivate and engage your students, and help them to succeed in literacy learning.  Ordered in a developmental format, Words Their Way complements the use of any existing phonics, spelling, and vocabulary curricula.

 

Knowing Your Students

• Streamlined Chapter 2 provides step by step guidelines for assessing students.
• NEW! Words Their Way Word Study Resources CD: Assessment Planning and Additional Interactive Word Sorts contains computerized assessments to gauge students’ developmental levels.
• Word Study with English Learner sections in each chapter help you organize and adapt instruction to meet the needs of students whose first language is not English.

Organizing for Instruction

• NEW! Words Their Way DVD Tutorial: Planning for Word Study in K-8 Classrooms reinforces and illustrates classroom organization and management, as outlined in Chapter 3.
• Word Study Routines and Management sections in every chapter give you practical guidance on managing and implementing word study in your classroom.
• NEW! Tech Notes throughout chapters pinpoint opportunities for you to use the DVD and CD-ROM to prepare for instruction.

Implementing Word Study

• Classroom-proven, research-driven activities end each developmental chapter, giving you the instructional practices to get your word study instruction up and running immediately.
• NEW! Words Their Way Word Study Resources CD: Assessment Planning and Additional Interactive Word Sorts provides more than just assessments.  You’ll also find hundreds of additional word and picture sorts, games and templates, and an interactive Create Your Own section.
• The Appendix at the back of the book contains a comprehensive bank of word lists, word sorts, picture sorts, games and templates.

 

 

The theory behind and practice for word sorts allows even the novice teacher to understand how to use the assessments to organize instruction.  The organization of the last five chapters creates a useful resource for teachers.  Each begins with a research-based description and moves into sound instructional practices, giving the teacher a complete understanding of how to meet the needs of students.

Cathy Blanchfield, CSU Fresno 

 

Meet the Authors

• Donald Bear is Director of the E.L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy at the University of Nevada, Reno, assessing and teaching students who experience difficulties learning to read and write.  A former preschool and elementary teacher, Donald currently researches literacy development with a special interest in students who speak languages other than English, and he partners with schools and districts to consider assessment and literacy instruction.
• Marcia Invernizzi is Director of the McGuffey Reading Center at the University of Virginia exploring developmental universals in non-English orthographies.  A former English and reading teacher, Marcia works with children experiencing difficulties learning to read and write in intervention programs such as Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative and Book Buddies.
• Shane Templeton is Foundation Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno.  A former classroom teacher at the primary and secondary levels, he researches the development of orthographic and vocabulary knowledge
• Francine Johnston is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she teaches reading, language arts, and children’s literature.  A former first-grade teacher and reading specialist.

About the Author

Donald R. Bear is director of the E. L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy where he and preservice, Master’s and doctoral students teach and assess children who struggle to learn to read and write. Donald is a professor in the Department of Educational Specialties in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. Donald has been a classroom teacher and he researches and writes about literacy development and instruction. He is an author of numerous articles, book chapters, and books, including Words Their Way, Words Their Way with English Learners, and Vocabulary Their Way.

Shane Templeton is Foundation Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he is Program Coordinator for Literacy Studies. A former elementary and secondary teacher, his research focuses on the development of orthographic knowledge. He has written several books on the teaching and learning of reading and language arts and is a member of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary. He is author of the "Spelling Logics" column in Voices from the Middle, the middle school journal of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Marcia Invernizzi is a professor of reading education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Marcia is also the director of the McGuffey Reading Center, where she teaches the clinical practica in reading diagnosis and remedial reading. Formerly an English and reading teacher, she works with Book Buddies, Virginia's Early Intervention Reading Initiative (EIRI), and Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS).

Francine Johnston is a former first grade teacher and reading specialist who learned about word study during her graduate work at the University of Virginia. She is now an associate professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she teaches courses in reading, language arts, and children's literature. Francine frequently works with regional school systems as a consultant and researcher. Her research interests include current spelling practices and materials as well as the relationship between spelling and reading achievement.

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 4 edition (May 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 013223968X
• ISBN-13: 978-0132239684
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,562 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very useful for homeschoolers too..., October 28, 2007

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Learning All The Time "It's Never Too Late to... (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, 4th Edition (Book, CD & DVD) (Paperback)

My children attended a public school where this program was used. When I brought them home due to their various LDs/allergies, I balked at the $40 price tag of this book and opted for the less expensive Spectrum Spelling books for their grade level. I found those to be rather annoying because often my children already knew the words. And the ones they didn't know, they would spell correctly on the tests, but they didn't necessarily continue to spell the words correctly in their writing. Mid-way through the year I abandoned the Spectrum books and purchased this one.

My favorite thing about this approach is how the kids really think about and interact with the words. It is a disciplined program, I require my kids to do a word sort and an activity in their spelling journals every day -- their choice. However, this typically takes less than 10 minutes a day.

The other thing I do is pretest the kids every week to find out which words they need to study. If they already know a spelling pattern, then I don't give it to them and move on to the next one. Sometimes I pull misspelled words out of their writing, and then find the pattern that applies and give them those words for the week.

I will say, that for most homeschoolers, this book is pretty heavy on the theory, and the "how-to" is mixed up with the theory so it may take more work up front to start the program if you are unfamiliar with the idea of spelling notebooks and word activities. But it is quite fascinating, and will give you a new appreciation for a young child's emerging spelling skills, as well as concrete strategies for helping older students with more complex words.

As for content, the book covers spelling from pre-K through at least middle school, perhaps early high school.

And the CD-Rom is a real time-saver too, with its words for sorts and activities.

All in all, quite effective, very interesting, and a great value - you buy this once and then purchase simple notebooks or composition books for their spelling journals, and you are set for years to come.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Good but Caution!, November 5, 2010

By 

Bakermixx "Bakermixx" (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, 4th Edition (Book, CD & DVD) (Paperback)

The research in this book is excellent, and the resources (sorting pictures) and lists are also great however this program is most successfully implemented through school training and inservice for teachers. Many schools in Virginia have adopted this program because the research was done out of the University of Virginia. It is not a traditional "introduce the words on Monday and test on Friday approach"--it involves a total understanding that children go through specific phases of spelling ability and the program is mostly individualized. If you are a center based teacher and you don't mind lots of cutting and prep and you devote a big chunk of your language arts time to spelling then this might be the book for you. It is very well written and thorough, but it is also long winded. I learned the program through inservice and still had difficulty seeing how it actually worked until I observed teachers using the program. As a reading specialist and veteran primary teacher, I have used this program as well as traditional programs and I don't see a big difference in the outcome of my spellers nor my scores.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for parents wanting to help their child, January 25, 2010

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P. Salvaggio (Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction, 4th Edition (Book, CD & DVD) (Paperback)

I bought this book in hopes of finding some guidance for tutoring my daughter in phonics. I am not a teacher and have no background in it. However, this book is well documented, has sources cited, a glossary, terrific appendices and a cd. I learned about the connection between reading, spelling and writing development. The easy to administer spelling test and grading highlighted the phonic areas she needs to work on. I am very excited about the possibilities this gives me to help her. It is NOT a workbook, tear out the sheets type of book. This is for parents and educators who seek to understand and teach more effectively. It has loads of lists, guidance on how to use them and in each section indicates the additional help available on the cd.