Spark Student Motivation:Buddy Study

I am linking up with Head Over Heels for Teaching for her linky Spark Student Motivation. At my school we have a literacy program that is very structured for students to be group homogeneously and therefore, teachers are able to instruct students at their level for reading and spelling. For today, I am sharing our Buddy Study program. We have principles that apply to the grade level of spelling words that we teach for a two week period. For example, I teach all fourth grade students who are on a second grade spelling level. We have students who are on first grade through fifth grade level, so they have words that they are working through on their level instead of the whole homeroom class being assigned the same set of words. We test the students at the beginning of the year and base their levels and place them accordingly. Below are our two weeks activities broken down day by day. I have roughly ten or so principles for the second grade students I teach. After we complete all of the principles I retest and either move on to third grade or go back and reteach certain principles. 

Sorting Words by Meaning- Day 1

How do the words relate to each other?

Are words alike?

Are words Different?

Discuss the meaning of each word before you sort into groups.

Sorting Words by How they Look- Day 2

Pass out words and have groups sort by how they look

Some examples – how long, tall letters, short letters, hang down letters

Questions to start sort-

·     What do the words look like?

·     How are the word parts the same?

·     How are the word parts different?

Sorting Words by How they sound- Day 3

How do these words sound when you say them?

Do you hear words that sound similar?

Do you hear words that sound different?

Let’s sort these words by listening to their word parts.

Creating a Buddy Study Principle- Day 4

·     How did we sort the words?

·     What did we notice about the words?

·     How can we put it into a principle so we understand what we are learning?

·     Write words on index card and planner.

Exploring the Principle – Day 5

·     Go on a word hunt! Look for words around the room that follow the principle you are learning. Take your index card with you.

·     Find at least 5 and add to your word list.

Word Study- Studying Patterns of Words Using Magnetic Letters- Day 1

Words that rhyme

Words in special categories

Words with one, two, three, four syllables

Words that start with a consonant or vowel

Words that end the same

Words that have same vowel sound

Contractions

Compound Words

Homophones/Synonyms/Antonyms

Same root words

Affixes

Word Study-Visualizing the Word- Day 2

Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check

Word Searches

Crossword Puzzle

Word Making

Word Sorts

Word Study- Buddy Test- Day 3

Spend 5 minutes reviewing words

Gather clipboard, index card, paper and pencil.

Get with partner and give each other the test.

Remember to read the word, say the word in a sentence and read the word again.

Grade each other’s test using a highlighter to highlight word parts missed.

Word Study- Making Connections- Day 4

Discover where the words come from and why they are spelled the way they are!

Choose six words from your principle to make connections

o Find out what the word means

o Find out where it is from (country or origin)

o Talk about the root meaning and how it changes when affixes are added

o Write sentences with the word

o Make a list of other words like it

o Word Sorting

o Words around the room

Word Study- Buddy Test-Day 5

o Gather a clipboard, piece of paper, pencil and index card

o Take turns giving test by calling out each word by saying the word, using the word in a sentence and saying the word again.

o Staple index card to piece of paper and turn in on red table.

o Any words missed will be on next weeks test!