Word Study That Sticks
Best Practices, K-6
Corwin Literacy
“Pamela Koutrakos breaks it down for the novice and streamlines word study for the old pro.” – Jeff Anderson, author of Patterns of Power
Take word learning to the next level in your classroom
Hungry for lively and engaging ways to augment word study? Looking for ways to empower your students and give voice to their ideas? In Word Study That Sticks, teacher and literacy consultant Pamela Koutrakos provides a step-by-step approach that makes word learning jubilant and fun – and encourages students to take ownership of word learning.
This hands-on guide connects research with experience to deliver challenging, discovery-based instructional practices that can support all learners in any subject area. You’ll learn how to
- Set up the physical classroom, prioritize materials, and launch activities
- Instill curiosity and a self-starting attitude toward vocabulary development
- Devise routines that highlight phonemic awareness, phonics, meaning, and spelling
- Differentiate and personalize word study activities
- Embed word study into all content areas for transfer of learning
Word Study That Sticks can be used alone or in conjunction with another program to help you take word learning to the next level. Lesson ideas, word study routines, charts, photos, key practices, and special advice for beginning teachers make word study instruction accessible for educators working at every experience level.
Free resources
Connecting With Caregivers: How to Keep On Exploring Words Beyond 3:00 – and All Summer Long
It is important for teachers, administrators, and coaches to serve as a conduit, connecting current ideas and and explaining classroom practices to our students’ caregivers—our partners in children’s learning. Read this blog from Pam Koutrakos, author of Word Study That Sticks and The Word Study That Sticks Companion, for three ideas that yield buy in and intend to ignite the imagination of families.
Operation Word Study Roll Out
In this blog post from Pamela Koutrakos, author of Word Study That Sticks and The Word Study That Sticks Companion, she explains that, for word study to be an integral part of your classroom routine, you can't wait until the “perfect time” to get started. Read her tips to going right away.
Ideas for Reflection and Celebration
Use this chart from Word Study That Sticks by Pamela Koutrakos to inspire ideas for getting your class to reflect on and celebrate their progress.
A Tour of Word Study in Action
In this excerpt from Word Study That Sticks by Pamela Koutrakos, get a tour of word study in action and listen in and hear how real word exploring might go.
Sample Word Study Schedules
Use these example cycle schedules from Word Study That Sticks by Pamela Koutrakos to help you plan out daily time for word study to ensure it happens consistently.
Assessment Types At A Glance
Use this chart from Word Study That Sticks by Pamela Koutrakos to help you pick the right assessment type to assess word learning.
3 Ready-To-Go Ways to Infuse Word Study into the Content Areas
Read this blog post from Pamela Koutrakos, author of Word Study that Sticks, to learn three ready-to-go ways to infuse word study into the content areas.
Word Study That Sticks Activity: Yep! Maybe . . . Huh?
There's no sense to learning to spell words we don't understand. This activity from Word Study That Sticks helps you review with your K-2 students the words they understand (or don't) for greater clarity.