Appendix D: Sample Letters to Families
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Dear Families,
Welcome to Bookworms K–5 Reading & Writing! Bookworms is a literacy program for students in kindergarten through fifth grade. It was written with a commitment to active learning. In Bookworms RW students are actively reading, writing, listening, and speaking about complex ideas every day.
A Bookworms classroom has three designated literacy blocks each day. The Shared Reading block features real books that are written for that particular grade level. Students will read these books with the support of teachers and peer partners. The purpose of these lessons is to build students’ ability to read fluently, build vocabulary, and to think critically about text. The English Language Arts block features an Interactive Read Aloud that is nearly always above grade level. The purpose of working with an above-grade-level text is to build language and vocabulary knowledge, build world knowledge, and improve students’ inferential thinking. During this time, students also participate in high-level grammar instruction by studying sentences that are written by authors of the read aloud book. The final block of time is called Differentiation. During that time, teachers address the needs of students revealed through assessments. When they are not working with the teacher, students write in response to their Shared Reading and then choose books to read on their own.
Another component of the Bookworms Reading and Writing day is a dedication to word study. Word study is a type of spelling instruction that is designed to help students link understanding of the sound of words and the patterns we use to spell them so that they can read and spell unknown words. In the primary grades, there is a set list of words for each week featuring two to four patterns. There is a traditional Word Study Assessment each week to help us understand progress. For Grades 3–5, word study helps students decode longer words and builds their vocabulary knowledge. Words are selected each week from the Shared Reading text. They also have a traditional Word Study Assessment each week, with three words to spell and three words selected to be written in sentences that demonstrate their meanings. Students in all grade levels have a daily designated time for word study instruction and for time to practice the words across the week.
Our approach to teaching writing is to engage students over and over in the work that writers do to plan, draft, revise, and edit. Our goal is for your child to confidently compose original texts in the three genres highlighted in our standards: narratives, opinions, and informational selections. We do this by providing extensive teacher support at first, and then by reducing support over time.
The best way you can help at home is to read to and with your child every day. The type of text chosen does not matter. Students can choose magazines, books, newspapers, blogs, informative texts, fiction texts, cookbooks, or any other text you have at your home or you can find in the library. All provide an opportunity for students to build vocabulary, world knowledge, and understanding of text structures. You can also talk to your children about the books they are reading in class. You will likely find them willing to share much about the road to becoming a bookworm this year.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Your Teacher / Admin / Principal
Grade 2 Word Study Family Letter
Second Grade Families,
In second grade, we spend instructional time each day on word study. Word study is phonics and spelling instruction. There is a set list of words for each week, featuring two to four patterns that we work with daily. We use these as examples so students can learn that sound and spelling are related. We give a Word Study Assessment approximately every fifth day to monitor progress.
At the beginning of the second grade year, we will use transfer words. For the Word Study Assessment, your child will spell at least one transfer word for each spelling pattern in addition to the words featured on the weekly list. Transfer words are words that have not been directly taught, but have the same spelling pattern. This will help us to know whether your child is understanding that we mark long vowel sounds in spellings.
Once we transition to long vowel spellings as our primary focus, we will be teaching that the same sound can be spelled in more than one way. During this time, we may see many students using but confusing these patterns. For example, a child might spell the word plate as plait. That is because the sound is the same. With high-volume reading practice and vocabulary instruction, students will learn to link the correct spelling with the correct meaning.
Our intent is to help your child learn spelling patterns and help them apply these patterns to untaught words when they read. As your child is exposed to a variety of spelling patterns through reading and writing, they will learn the correct patterns to use when they write.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Your Teacher / Admin / Principal
Grade 3 Word Study Family Letter
Third Grade Families,
In third grade, we spend instructional time each day on word study. Word study is spelling and vocabulary instruction. There is a set list of words for each week. In the beginning of the year, these words are chosen to help students learn how to spell words when they add -ing and -ed to words. This practice will help them to write more confidently.
Once we finish with this, we link our spelling instruction with vocabulary development. For those words, students learn both spellings and meanings. The words themselves come from the books that students are reading. We give a word study test approximately every fifth day to monitor progress.
You may notice that the words are challenging. We teach students a procedure for dividing them into chunks that are easier to spell. That procedure uses a set of sound and spelling relationships called syllable types. These types are part of our instruction to help make the spellings easier, but they are not part of our testing.
For our vocabulary work, we want students to be able to use the words, not just memorize definitions. For the word study test, your child will spell the words for the week and also be asked to use some of them in sentences that demonstrate their meaning. Our procedure for this is called Super Sentences, and we help students practice planning and writing sentences during the week, reviewing spellings and meanings the day before the test.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Your Teacher / Admin / Principal
Grade 4 Word Study Family Letter
Fourth Grade Families,
In fourth grade, we link our spelling instruction with vocabulary development. For those words, students learn both spellings and meanings. The words themselves come from the books that students are reading. We give a word study test approximately every fifth day to monitor progress.
You may notice that the words are challenging. We teach students a procedure for dividing them into chunks that are easier to spell. That procedure uses a set of sound and spelling relationships called syllable types. These types are part of our instruction to help make the spellings easier, but they are not part of our testing.
For our vocabulary work, we want students to be able to use the words, not just memorize definitions. For the word study test, your child will spell the words for the week and also be asked to use some of them in sentences that demonstrate their meaning. Our procedure for this is called Super Sentences, and we help students practice planning and writing sentences during the week, reviewing spellings and meanings the day before the test.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Your Teacher / Admin / Principal
Grade 5 Word Study Family Letter
Fifth Grade Families,
In fifth grade, we link our spelling instruction with vocabulary development. For those words, students learn both spellings and meanings. The words themselves come from the books that students are reading. We give a word study test approximately every fifth day to monitor progress.
You may notice that the words are challenging. We teach students a procedure for dividing them into chunks that are easier to spell. That procedure uses a set of sound and spelling relationships called syllable types. These types are part of our instruction to help make the spellings easier, but they are not part of our testing.
For our vocabulary work, we want students to be able to use the words, not just memorize definitions. For the word study test, your child will spell the words for the week and also be asked to use some of them in sentences that demonstrate their meaning. Our procedure for this is called Super Sentences, and we help students practice planning and writing sentences during the week, reviewing spellings and meanings the day before the test.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Sincerely,
Your Teacher / Admin / Principal