Bringing Word Study to Intermediate Classrooms

This article addresses word study for upper elementary and middle school classrooms. Word study is often neglected in classrooms due to misconceptions and fears of classroom teachers, especially teachers of older students. Conclusions from a research project conducted with teachers reveal both positive and negative understandings of implementing word study. In addition, the research indicates that teachers demonstrated three levels of word study knowledge and practice in the classroom. The research provided the rationale and motivation to develop short, integrated word study units that intermediate teachers could implement: incidental word study activities. The authors provide a brief conceptual overview of word study and describe the four incidental word study units that can be implemented by teachers. These units include daily root activities, homophones—within word pattern, homographs—syllable juncture stage, and word endings—derivational constancy activities. The authors include a word sort, an application activity, and a reinforcement game for each unit. With these activities, teachers can begin their own adventure with word study.