GirlSMART adopted Words Their Way, a differentiated word study program that focuses on phonics, vocabulary and spelling instruction to assist group leaders in providing girls with engaging activities that are appropriate for their developmental spelling level.
Words Their Way identifies the following developmental spelling stages: Emergent, Letter-Name Alphabetic, Within Word Pattern, Syllables and Affixes, and Derivational. The Emergent Stage usually occurs from preschool through kindergarten, the Letter-Name Alphabetic Stage occurs from kindergarten through the middle of second grade, Within Word Pattern Stage occurs somewhere between first and the middle of fourth grade, Syllables and Affixes Stage is from third through approximately eighth grade and Derivational Relations Stage occurs in individuals somewhere between fifth and twelfth grade. Most GirlSMART girls will be in the Letter-Name Alphabetic, Within Word Pattern, or Syllables and Affixes stage.
To learn more about the spelling patterns taught at each stage refer to Appendix J: Scope and Sequence in the GirlSMART Program Guide. You can also refer to the book, Words Their Way and supplementary books with additional word sorts. Your site should have a copy of these important resources.
Sample sorts to come!