7 Ideas to Make Word Study Fun and Engaging
As teachers, we all know that routines are essential to...well, everything! Having well-established routines directly correlates to managing student behavior, keeping materials and plans organized, running the day-to-day smoothly, and being able to fit in all of our curriculum standards. BUT, if you are like me, when you masterfully get your word study routines down pat, you may begin to itch for a little something to make them more fun and engaging. Just like our students, we sometimes get bored using the same activities and routines year after year. While I would NEVER recommend that you throw all of your tried and true activities and lessons out the window, word study is one area where I know I can personally sprinkle in more spice and fun to increase student engagement...so, I wanted to share my ideas for making word study more fun and engaging this upcoming school year with you!
What are some ways to make word study one of the best times in your schedule?! First, let’s talk about those routines again!
TIP 1) SET UP A ROUTINE THAT ALLOWS FOR UNINTERRUPTED SMALL GROUP TIME
Small group time...yes, I said it! The BEST part of my word study routine is the small group time that I get to have with students. As teachers, we have challenging days. Car-rider pick up time always seemed to be my reflection time on those tough days. One afternoon, I was trying to find a morsel of my day that I felt good about and I realized that the time I really enjoyed that day was when I was working one-on-one or in a small group with just a few of my students. It just felt better than the parts of the day where I was talking to “all” students at once. When our routines are running like a well-oiled machine and our students *mostly* know what to do without us, we have the freedom to meet with and be present with our small groups.
Your routines should allow for small group time where students who are not working with you know exactly what to do. This will make your word study time more fun, engaging and ENJOYABLE for YOU...and that enjoyment will spread to your students!
TIP 2) DON’T LET YOUR WORD STUDY ROUTINE GET STALE!
From the very beginning of the year, I establish a 7-8 day word study rotation with my students. After assessing my students with a word-features inventory (I use the one from Words Their Way), I divide my students into ability-based small groups. I then create a schedule where students rotate through a sequence of activities every seven or eight days (depending on how many activities I want to include).
The beauty of having a built-in schedule from the beginning of the school year is that it makes it super easy to change things up. For example, I may only implement word study notebooks and word searches during first quarter, but can add independent games and activities after students get comfortable with our routines. With a well-built schedule, the themes of your 7-8 day rotation may remain the same, but the activities students complete can easily be varied throughout the year. Refreshing certain activities every once in a while creates a little excitement for students and also allows me to cater to a variety of learning styles, all without disrupting our routine and throwing all of my organizational plates into the air. (Ewww! None of us want to do that!)
TIP 3) INCORPORATE GAMES INTO YOUR WORD STUDY PLANS!
Games are a win-win in my book. Not only do they add excitement and engagement to our word study routine, but students get SO much out of “game play time” because the games require them to apply what they are learning in new and unique ways.
In the past year, I’ve added games like match and memory, different kinds of board games, and picture boards with spinners. I like to include a few recurring game formats in my plans so that students play a variety of games throughout the year, BUT easily remember how to play the games the next time they see them with new word patterns.
Are you thinking students will just goof off during game play and activity time (and that’s why it will be more fun 🤣), well, you don’t know me very well yet, but I hope we become good teacher-friends...you better believe, my students have a recording sheet to accompany almost every game and activity they play! These activity sheets not only keep them accountable to playing for a purpose, but allow me to assess their understanding and check in where needed!
And, if you don’t follow a rotating schedule like I mentioned above, there are still so many ways you can sneak games into your word study block. Read more here.
TIP 4) ALLOW FOR PARTNER WORK DURING WORD STUDY
We all know that many of our upper elementary students love to socialize and spend time with their peers. Word study is all about recognizing patterns, categorizing words, and making generalizations about how the English Language works. Allowing students to discuss their work together and collaborate on their findings adds a huge touch of meaningful engagement and enjoyment for them. The collaborative spirit can help students develop their word study knowledge at a faster pace. Make sure that the activities you have built into your routine allow opportunities for students to work together frequently.
You may be worried about off-task behaviors when you allow students to work together, but it’s not a guarantee that my students always get to work together during word study time. I’ve designed activities and games that have major flexibility and can be completed independently, with a partner, or with a small group. You can also scaffold some activities at the beginning of the year where you allow students to work with a partner, then using the gradual-release model, wean them off of working with a partner. This approach works well with my word study word searches and word study notebook activities because students benefit from the support of working together to build their confidence in completing them, but pick up momentum and can work more independently as the year goes on.
TIP 5) ALLOW FOR MOVEMENT AND HANDS-ON, TACTILE ACTIVITIES
If each of your word study lessons and activities involves students sitting at their desks and working with paper and a pencil, consider adding some movement and hands-on activities to their routines. Incorporate manipulatives like letter tiles that students are able to build with and word cards that students physically move and sort into various categories.
Adding movement also includes housing certain activities in other spaces and letting students work around the room. In my classroom, I usually have my small group table, a long rectangular table, our meeting carpet, and a small card table as “break-out” spaces for students. I allow students to complete specific activities in those various spaces and teach them those options when I set up our routines. When working with a partner on word searches or word study notebooks, students can grab a clipboard and sit against the wall. They appreciate this variety so much!
I’ve already mentioned my word study games and activities, but activities like Spin, Cover, Build, Write, board games, and card games are the perfect way to add a hands-on element to your word study plans. Students will be not-so-patiently awaiting their word study “game day.”
TIP 6) INCORPORATE TECHNOLOGY WHEN POSSIBLE
Many of us had to shift to virtual word study lessons and activities in 2020-2021 due to the pandemic. While it looks like the majority of students will return to classrooms for the 2021-22 school year, there are definitely arguments for sticking with digital options for some word study activities. I hashed out the pros and cons of having students complete their word study notebook activities digitally in this previous post.
Not only will incorporating technology help provide variety in your word study routine and likely keep your students more engaged in what they are studying, but computers have become a great tool for differentiating and modifying student work. For example, nothing says you have to allow all students to complete their word study activities digitally - - - your higher level students who can already spell most words correctly could use the computer for their word study notebooks while your students who need self-checking activities with instant feedback could play digital games, but complete their word study notebooks on paper.
TIP 7) BE SURE TO DIFFERENTIATE YOUR WORD STUDY PROGRAM!
Ummmm, I can’t believe I saved this one for last. My word study program wouldn’t exist without differentiation. Why, you ask?! Want to kill student engagement? Have all of your students working on the same word sort concept with the same set of words all at the same time. (This may even be what led you to this post!) Differentiation, especially in word study, ensures that students are being challenged at their own level. Students who are working within their zone of proximal development on those concepts that are just within their developmental reach (because you have differentiated for them) can remain healthily engaged in learning.
YOUR WORD STUDY PEP-TALK!
It may seem overwhelming at first to have several different word study groups, but if you set up a schedule and organize your plans and materials at the beginning of every quarter, your word study block will run like a well-oiled machine and you can rest easy knowing your students are getting quality instruction and activities with words that are a good fit for them.
Nearly all of these tips for word study block can be applied with an awesome plan and schedule, and if you apply just a few of these ideas, you are sure to increase the engagement for students and the enjoyment for yourself! ! Even better, I’ve got you covered with some sample schedules and ideas for setting up a fantastic word study routine in an upcoming post! 😊
Which of these tips do you feel you already do a good job with in your word study routine? Which strategies do you hope to incorporate this year?
Because I’ve realized that the hands-on FUN was missing from my word study routine, I’ve spent 2021 running down the long path of creating word study games and activities for all levels of word study. These games and centers are aligned to Words Their Way, but can complement any word study program where the focus is on word patterns and sounds. See what these are all about here! With the addition of board games, card games, spinners, and picture board activities, you are sure to find the spark of joy in word study that I’ve felt all these years!