Words Their Way: Letter-Name Alphabetic Sorts for Spanish-Speaking English Learners » (5th Edition)

Lori Helman

Lori Helman is Assistant Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her research focuses on the reading and spelling development of students learning English as a new language. Helman was a bilingual teacher, a district literacy coordinator, and a new teacher leader in her region before coming to higher education. She teaches classes in reading development for diverse students, effective instruction for students with reading difficulties, and leadership skills for reading specialists.

Donald R. Bear

Donald is director of the E. L. Cord Foundation Center for Learning and Literacy where he and preservice, Master’s and doctoral students teach and assess children who struggle to learn to read and write. Donald is a professor in the Department of Educational Specialties in the College of Education at the University of Nevada, Reno. Donald has been a classroom teacher and he researches and writes about literacy development and instruction. He is an author of numerous articles, book chapters, and books, including Words Their Way, Words Their Way with English Learners, and Vocabulary Their Way.

Marcia Invernizzi

Marcia Invernizzi is Director of the McGuffey Reading Center at the University of Virginia exploring developmental universals in non-English orthographies. A former English and reading teacher, Marcia works with children experiencing difficulties learning to read and write in intervention programs such as Virginia’s Early Intervention Reading Initiative and Book Buddies.

Shane Templeton

Shane Templetonis Foundation Professor of Literacy Studies at the University of Nevada, Reno. A former classroom teacher at the primary and secondary levels, he researches the development of orthographic and vocabulary knowledge

Francine Johnston

Francine Johnston is Associate Professor in the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where she teaches reading, language arts, and children’s literature. A former first-grade teacher and reading specialist.

Words Their Way ™ : Letter-Name Alphabetic Sorts for Spanish Speaking English Learners a new text providing strategic assistance for teachers working with native Spanish speakers. Based on the same solid research and using the same scope and sequence laid out in Words Their Way with English Learners, this companion volume begins with a series of picture concept sorts that teach students how to sort, providing guidance to help teachers make sorting meaningful. The text develops a routine for introducing the English vocabulary, helping students learn the vocabulary before they sort.

The words for study are selected based on their phonetic properties as well as their usefulness in reading, speaking and understanding grade level content. The text addresses the needs of the letter name-alphabetic speller, whether young or not so young. The text is careful to include sorts more appropriate for older learners, as well as advanced EL students needing more concept and vocabulary support.

Sorts 1-5: Concept Sorts for Vocabulary Development

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Concept Sorts

Sorts 1-5 Concept Sorts for Vocabulary Development

Assessment of Concept Sorts

Sorts 6-9: Beginning Consonant Sounds that are Similar in English and Spanish

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Similar Initial Consonant Sound Sorts

Sorts 6-9

Spell Check 1

Sorts 10-13: Beginning Consonant Sounds that are Distinct in Spanish and English

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Distinct Initial Consonant Sound Sorts

Sorts 10-13

Spell Check 2

Sorts 14-18: Beginning Consonant Sound Contrasts

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Contrasting Problematic Initial Consonant Sound Sorts

Sorts 14-18

Spell Check 3

Sorts 19-34: Beginning Consonant Digraphs and Blends

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Initial Digraphs and Blends Sorts

Sorts 19-34

Spell Checks 4 and 5

Sorts 35-38: Listening for Ending Sounds

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Final Sound Sorts

Sorts 35-38

Spell Check 6

Sorts 39-43: Vowel Sounds Picture Sorts

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Vowel Sound Picture Sorts

Sorts 39-43

Assessment of Vowel Sounds

Sorts 44-58: Same-Vowel Word Families with Pictures

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Same Vowel Word Families

Sorts 44-58

Spell Checks 7 and 8

Sorts 59-63: Mixed Vowel Word Families

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Mixed Short Vowel Word Families

Sorts 59-63

Spell Check 9

Sorts 64-67: Ending Sounds

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Contrasting Final Sounds

Sorts 64-67

Spell Check 10

Sorts 68-72: Short Vowels in CVC Words

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Short Vowels in CVC Words

Sorts 68-72

Spell Check 11

Sorts 73-77: Beginning Digraphs and Blends in CVC Words

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Initial Digraphs and Blends

Sorts 73-77

Spell Check 12

Sorts 78-81: Ending Digraphs and Blends in CVC Words

Notes for the Teacher

Standard Weekly Routines for Use with Final Digraphs and Blends

Sorts 78-81

Spell Check 13