Round Rock ISD has adopted the Words Their Way Word Study program.
Words Their Way (WTW) instruction is a research based program that accelerates sight word acquisition, phonics, vocabulary as well as spelling. For some parents it will be an adjustment not to have a traditional spelling program. The philosophy (in a nut shell) is that if a child memorizes spelling words for the week and is tested, all the memory accessed is short-term. They will not transfer their learning to their reading or writing. By establishing a foundation in phonics and having the students determine generalizations for word spelling patterns, the data clearly indicates that students not only retain the information but can apply it when decoding unfamiliar words and use it in their writing. For example, if you ask a third grader to memorize the spelling of the word "photography", you have missed the opportunity to have that child learn dozens of vocabulary words that share the roots "photo" and "graph" which could help them decode the meaning of the word "telephoto" or "telegraph".
Students will be introduced to a word study routine at the beginning of the year. Specific instruction on phonics, syllabication, prefixes/suffixes etc. will be taught. Students will be introduced to a word sort at their individual level each Monday. They will complete various activities and games throughout the week. Students will be assessed on their understanding of the pattern every other week.
