Word Study Ugh!

I've been working on two projects; word study ActivInspire flipcharts and vocabulary "units". Last summer I made flipcharts for all of the SA sorts since I knew the bulk of my students would fall in the SA category. I knew I'd have a few in WW and DR too, but I knew I could do theirs during the school year. I completed a lot of each but didn't finish them. So now I have been working on finishing them up. I have done quite a few of the WW sorts, but am spending most of my time in DR sorts. 5th graders really shouldn't be in the WW category anymore, but I understand why some of them still are.

Last year was the second year that I had done word study, well at least the way my district does it. I had previously done Sitton Spelling, which I personally love because it is really word study, not just spelling patterns, although it is part of it. Anyway, the first year was a learn-on-the-job experience and I managed to keep my head above water. Last year, I set up an 8 day cycle, with Fridays off, for each unit. Students worked with me only on the first day of a new sort and then on the eighth day for their test. The other days they made sorts in various ways, including using the game UpWords, speed sorts, and of course, the flipcharts I had made. What I noticed was students, well most of them, really learned the sorts....for the test.

All the practice allowed most students to remember which words went under each header, but they didn't really learn how to spell. Okay, a few of them actually did learn them, but most didn't. If they had to write the same words a week later they spelled them wrong. That was frustrating!

When I teach I teach to bring about learning, not just rote memorization. So word study has been a complete waste of time for me. So, why keep making flipcharts? Well, because that was one of the activities that they really enjoyed.  And of course, I'm required to teach it. But I do need to figure out how to do it so they are actually learning something and can then apply what they've learned to any writing they do.

I really do need to figure out a way to accomplish that. I had to learn to spell by memorization. Not only because that was how it was done back in the day, but because I struggle with spelling. Spell check is my best friend. The reason I have trouble spelling is because I have trouble distinguishing between sounds. Short vowels are killers for me; they all the same to me. Hard g and c also are hard for me too. When I spell certain words I go through a rhyme that helps me figure out how to do it.

I can't be the only one in the world like this. There are many reasons why people can't spell and my difficulty is just one of the reasons. By that way, it affects how I read too, so if I mispronounce a word it's because I truly have no idea what the sound is supposed to be. Yup, and I teach children to read. Actually, I teaching has helped  me learn too. When a 5th grade student struggles with reading I realize that it might be a problem with letter sounds, like mine.

So once again, I need to figure out how to do this. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!