This inventory is designed to assess the word knowledge students bring to their reading and spelling. Students are not to study these words since that would invalidate the purpose of this inventory which is to find out what they truly know.
You can administer this same list of words three times: in September, January and May to measure students’ progress.
The words are ordered by their difficulty for grade levels K – 5. For this reason, have students spell words that sample the features students are to master during the year.
Have students spell enough words to give a sense of the range of ability in your class. For Kindergarten, students spell the first five to eight words. First graders spell at least 15 words and 2nd and 3rd grader spell all of the words on this list. Students who spell nearly all of the words correctly can be asked to spell words from the Elementary Spelling Inventory.
Administration
- Administer the spelling inventory the same way you would a spelling test.
- Use the words in a sentence to be sure students know the exact word.
- Assure them that this is not for a grade but to help you plan for their needs.
- Seat students to minimize copying, or test students in small groups, particularly for Kindergarten and early first grade students.
- Analyze students’ papers. Copy a Feature or Error Guide for each student. Do not count reversed letters as errors.
- Staple each student’s paper to the Feature or Error Guide.
Directions for using the Feature Guide
- For each word, check the features that are noted in the columns at the top of the feature guide on page XXX.
- Add an additional point in the “correct” column if the word is spelled correctly. Note that not all orthographic features are scored for all words, and the number of feature points varies.
- Total the number of points under each feature and across each word, allowing you to double check your numbers.
- The total score can be compared over time but the most useful information will be the feature analysis.
- Look down each feature column to determine the needs of individual students. For example, a student who spells 6 of 7 short vowels correctly on the primary inventory is knowledgeable about short vowels although some review work might be in order. A student who spells only 2 or 3 of the 7 short vowels needs to be involved in word study around this feature. If a student did not get any points for a feature, then the feature is beyond the student’s instructional range and earlier features need to be studied first.
- Arrange students’ papers in order from highest total points to lowest total points before transferring the numbers across the bottom row of each student’s feature guide to the Class Composite on page XXX.
- For a sense of your groups’ needs and to form groups for instruction, highlight students who make two or more errors on a particular feature. If you call out less than the total list adjust the totals on the Class Composite.
Directions for using the Error Guide
- Using the Error Guide on page XXX, circle each error or write in the student’s spelling by the error that is most similar. When a word is spelled correctly, circle the spelling at the end of the string of errors.
- After all words have been scored, determine where most circled words lie and look at the top row of the table for the developmental spelling level for this student.
- Total the words spelled correctly and note where the student is within the stage: early in the stage, in the middle or late in the stage.
- Use the Spelling-by-Stage Classroom Organization Chart on page xxx to organize word study groups and to find the developmental levels, the types of features, and the chapter in Words Their Way to turn to for activities.
Sentences to use with the Primary Spelling Inventory
- fan I could use a fan on a hot day. fan
- pet I have a pet cat who likes to play. pet
- dig He will dig a hole in the sand. dig
- rob A raccoon will rob a bird’s nest for eggs. rob
- hope I hope you will do well on this test. hope
- wait You will need to wait for the letter. wait
- gum I stepped on some bubble gum. gum
- sled The dog sled was pulled by huskies. sled(You may stop here for Kindergarten unless a child has spelled 5 correctly.)
- stick I used a stick to poke in the hole. stick
- shine He rubbed the coin to make it shine. shine
- dream I had a funny dream last night. dream
- blade The blade of the knife was very sharp. blade
- coach The coach called the team off the field. coach
- fright She was a fright in her Halloween costume. fright
- chewing Don’t talk until you finish chewing your food. chewing (You may stop here for First Grade unless a child has spelled 10 correct.)
- crawl You will get dirty if you crawl under the bed. crawl
- wishes In fairy tales wishes often come true. wishes
- thorn The thorn from the rose bush stuck me. thorn
- shouted They shouted at the barking dog. shouted
- spoil The food will spoil if it sits out too long. spoil
- growl The dog will growl if you bother him. growl
- third I was the third person in line. third
- camped We camped down by the river last weekend. camped
- tries He tries hard every day to finish his work. tries
- clapping The audience was clapping after the program. clapping
- riding They are riding their bikes to the park today. riding
Downloads:
Using the Word Inventory to create WTW groups
The Primary Spelling Inventory (matches pages 266 – 269 in your WTW Book)