There are several 4th grade standards that relate to word study. In order to meet these standards, we are using a program called Systematic Word Study. It was written by Cheryl Sigmon, who is a well-known teacher, researcher, and expert in the field of word study, four blocks, and balanced literacy instruction. The following is information that has been excerpted from her book to help you understand the process we are using and the foundations for doing so.
With most basic print and language concepts under their belts, fourth-, fifth-, and sixth grade students are ready to move into more sophisticated aspects of word study. The lessons in our word study program are designed to help your child engage with words by having them look at the semantic features of the words and gain greater understanding of the nuances and relationships these words present. At fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, students have the capacity to appreciate the complex nature of words—their multiple meanings, their use in idioms, their meaningful word parts and derivations, and the multifaceted relationships among them. Powerful instruction in some necessary high frequency words, content vocabulary, and general academic vocabulary are embedded in each weekly lesson.
Additionally, knowing a word by sight and sound and knowing its dictionary definition are not the same as knowing how to use it correctly and understanding it in various contexts (Miller & Gildea, 1987). Words are learned when new words can be connected to our existing knowledge (Bromley, 2007). The activities in our program seek to engage students so that the words in the lessons become known words—words that will transfer into other situations. The following elements appear in each lesson during the week.
Day One: Meet the Words
In this opening activity we introduce the words for the week and offer direct, explicit information about them and how this information should be used. The final word in many lessons have a brief Word History feature. Lessons 1–19 contain 10 weekly words, and Lessons 20–35 feature 12 weekly words. In this activity, students will do the following:
• recognize each word for the week
• learn why the words are important to know—whether they are high-frequency or content words
• understand how their knowledge of the words can transfer into their reading and writing
• learn how the spelling patterns of some words help us read and write many other words
• learn how to use the features of the words to their advantage, such as grasping the
meanings of word parts that help unlock meaning of other words
• understand the language of word study—syllables, consonants, vowels, plural/singular
forms, tenses, suffixes, prefixes, origins
• learn the derivations and etymology of words that are both interesting and useful
in word study
Day Two: Word Activities
Word Combo
In this activity, we challenge students to fill in the missing word in a sentence with a word that is a combination of word parts from the two to four words listed below each sentence. In this activity, students will do the following:
• identify chunks of words—prefixes, suffixes and bases
• learn many new words
• discuss word parts and their meanings
• develop greater awareness of how words work
Clustering
We ask questions about all or some of the words and have pairs or groups respond. In this activity, students will do the following:
• analyze degrees of word meaning
• explore differences and relationships among words
• demonstrate their understanding of the meanings and nuances of words by categorizing and arranging them
Picture That
Students process the words by drawing sketches to show their meanings. In this activity, students will do the following:
• make a personal connection with the word
• represent words artistically
• use their creative talents
• apply critical-thinking skills
Day 3: Word Builder
In this activity, each student manipulates letter strips at the teacher’s direction. They build many words, working up to a single word that can be spelled with all the letters. In building the words, students will learn to do the following:
• manipulate letters and sounds to create words
• use patterns of language to help spell new words and apply certain rules for spelling
• practice the language of word study—prefixes, suffixes, affixes, consonants, vowels,
and so on
• build one- and two-syllable words as well as many multisyllabic words with our guidance
• learn and discuss new vocabulary words
Day 4 Activities:
Linkage
Students see how many words they can find in a long chain of letters. This linkage includes weekly words as well as many additional words. In this activity, students will do the following:
• identify the weekly words in a unique context
• be challenged by finding as many additional words as possible
• learn new words
• enjoy competition with other students
Word Action
In these activities, students get to display their creative talents as they apply their
knowledge about the week’s words. Word Action asks pairs or groups to write their own
script for a skit or create a comic to show their understanding of a word. In these activities, students will do the following:
• apply their knowledge of the words
• use critical-thinking skills
• demonstrate their creative talents
• use writing skills for an authentic purpose
Stump the Class
In this activity, we issue a challenge for each student, pair, or small group to analyze the words for the week to determine relationships among them. Students use critical-thinking skills to find and categorize these relationships. There are no limits to the relationships they can explore—physical features, semantic features, content-related connections, or even more personal connections they might make. Students may even relate the words to popular culture—which can help them process the words at a deeper level! The real challenge here is for students to find unique categories that will stump their classmates as they share their word groupings. This activity requires students to operate at the top of Bloom’s Taxonomy, where they will do the following:
• create, evaluate, and analyze words and their connections
• use critical-thinking skills
• categorize words based on connections
• articulate the connections to others
Day 5: Word Smart
The Word Smart challenge is the culmination of everything that students have learned about these words throughout the week. They will demonstrate an understanding of the following:
• physical and semantic features
• meaningful word parts—prefixes, bases, and suffixes
• hidden words that may help students remember spellings
• relationships and connections among words
• parts of speech
• word origins
• word meanings
Basically, students show that they understand the words, have processed the words in
a new and different way, and can have fun with and be challenged by the words as well.
These lessons become appropriately more difficult, but they always remain multilevel in order to meet the needs of all our students.
How can you support your child’s learning at home?
- · Play word based games like Scrabble and Crossword Puzzles
- · Review the words of the week as a family. What makes each word special or unique?
- · Have your child apply what they are doing in class as they read and write at home. Notice interesting words and use their growing knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and word parts to infer meaning in new words.
4th Grade Common Core Standards
4.RF.3
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Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Use combined knowledge of all letter-sound correspondences, syllabication patterns, and morphology (e.g., roots and affixes) to read accurately unfamiliar multisyllabic words in context and out of context.
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4.L.4
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Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 4 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
a. Use context (e.g., definitions, examples, or restatements in text) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.
b. Use common, grade-appropriate Greek and Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., telegraph, photograph, autograph).
c. Consult reference materials (e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauri), both print and digital, to find the pronunciation and determine or clarify the precise meaning of key words and phrases.
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4.L.5
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Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings.
a. Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context.
b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs.
c. Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms).
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4.L.6
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Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation).
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Bromley, K. (2007). Nine things every teacher should know about words and vocabulary
instruction. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 50(7), pp. 528–537.
Miller, G. A., & Gildea, P. M. (1987). How children learn words. Scientific American, 257(3),
94–99.
