Word Sorts and More, First Edition: Sound, Pattern, and Meaning Explorations K-3

by Kathy Ganske PhD

Overview

A tremendous timesaver for teachers, this indispensable book contains more than 200 word, picture, and letter sorts, ready to photocopy and use in K-3 classrooms. Provided are engaging categorization activities that span the stages of emergent, letter name, and within word pattern spelling. Also featured are decoding activities, assessment materials, tips from other teachers, recommended links to children's literature, and strategies for working with diverse students, including English-language learners and struggling older readers.

See also Ganske's Word Journeys, Second Edition: Assessment-Guided Phonics, Spelling, and Vocabulary Instruction, which provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and building word knowledge, and Mindful of Words: Spelling and Vocabulary Explorations 4-8, which presents word study activities for the intermediate and middle grades. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781593850500
Publisher:	Guilford Publications, Inc.
Publication date:	05/25/2006
Series:	Solving Problems in the Teaching of Literacy
Edition description:	First Edition
Pages:	404
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 10.40(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	5 - 8 Years

About the Author

Kathy Ganske, PhD, is Professor of the Practice of Literacy and Director of Graduate Elementary Education at Vanderbilt University. She has been involved in using, refining, and teaching about word study practices for over 25 years. Her work is grounded in extensive teaching experience in elementary classrooms. Dr. Ganske's current research interests include discussion during small-group word study instruction and literacy teacher preparation. She is the author or coauthor of several books, including  Word Journeys, Word Sorts and More and Mindful of Words, as well as numerous articles and book chapters.

Table of Contents

Preface
Part 1. Setting the Stage
Part 2. Word Study for Emergent Learners
Part 3. Word Study for Letter Name Spellers
Part 4. Word Study for Within Word Pattern Spellers
Appendix A. Emergent Literacy Assessments
Appendix B. Oh No! Card Game
Appendix C. Make-It, Break-It Letter Cards
Appendix D. Working with Spanish-Speaking English-Language Learners
Appendix E. Templates and Other Materials
References
Children's Literature

Interviews

Classroom teachers, staff developers, teacher educators, students in elementary education and literacy education.

Editorial Reviews

"If you’re a K-3 teacher or teacher educator, you’ll want this book by well-known literacy teacher and scholar Kathy Ganske! As the book quickly reveals, Ganske understands children, teachers, classrooms, and literacy teaching and scholarship. A central feature of this book is an emphasis on teachers as professional problem solvers in their work with children. Myriad concrete examples of classroom interactions between teachers and children illustrate how, when, and why teachers might enact the many word study activities presented in this text."—Cynthia H. Brock, PhD, University of Nevada, Reno

"Word Sorts and More is a useful resource for busy primary-grade literacy teachers who want to engage their students in hands-on word study. This practical book offers descriptions and materials for over 200 word sort activities at a variety of developmental levels, and includes lists of suggested children's books to connect the activities to authentic text. Teachers can easily integrate these research-based tasks into an existing curriculum to help their students develop a better understanding of how words work."—Nancy Logan, MA, Littlewood Elementary School, Gainesville, Florida

"This book provides a variety of ideas and strategies to aid the classroom teacher. The read-aloud literature links at each step are helpful components. With all the games and hands-on activities, who knew reading instruction could be this fun! This book is concise and easy to follow, and would be great for use in tandem with any reading curriculum."—Kelly Fairfield, MA, Peoria Public Schools, Illinois

"Many primary-grade classroom teachers have been waiting for a book like this one. The activities presented here help teachers make greater use of the power of sorting or categorizing words to help children internalize the phonological, orthographic, and morphological structure of words. I expect this book will become one of the nation's most widely used primary-grade classroom resources!"—D. Ray Reutzel, PhD, Utah State University

"Word Sorts and More is a valuable addition to the reading teacher’s professional library. It provides fresh new insights into the teaching and learning processes involved in word learning. Kudos and thanks to Kathy Ganske!"—Robert B. Cooter, Jr., EdD, University of Memphis

From the Publisher

"Ganske offers an excellent tool filled with fun, meaningful hands-on activities. Busy primary teachers will especially appreciate the numerous research-based, reproducible sorts (word, picture, and letter), templates, and games included in this title."

Curriculum Connections