Untitled-1 1 10/10/17 9:08 AM

SPELL-LINKS TO READING & WRITINGTM

Class Links for Classrooms

Activities for Tier 1 Structured Literacy Instruction

Book 1

© 2009, 2014, 2016, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc.

P.O. Box 5448
Evanston, IL 60204-5448
[Link]

These materials may not be reproduced without permission, except under the following
conditions: a) any portion reproduced will by used exclusively for educational purposes and only
by the organization or a bona fide member of the organization who has documented proof of
purchase for the original set of materials; and b) any portion used will be reproduced in its entirety
and remain unaltered in any way.
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION
SPELL-LINKS
Program Overview pg. 1 CLASS LINKS BOOK 1
Prerequisites pg. 2 COMPANION CLOUD

Setting Up the Classroom &

Organizing the Materials pg. 2 MATERIALS LIBRARY

Implementation Guidelines pg. 8 Print & Go

Ideas for Added Fun & Games pg. 12 Teacher Binder Materials
Home Support pg. 15 Student Binder Materials
FAQs pg. 15 Activity Worksheets

SPELL-Links Strategy Guide

LESSONS
Home Links Activities
Consonants ‘b, p, t, d, v, z, k, j’ Lesson Planning Worksheet
(SPELL-Links Lesson 1) 1st Tab
Mastery Measurements
Consonants ‘f, s, m, n, x’
nd
(SPELL-Links Lesson 2) 2 Tab Performance Tracking Sheets

Short Vowel a Sound Prerequisites Checklist

(SPELL-Links Lesson 20) 3rd Tab
Student Notebook Pages
Short Vowel e Sound
th
(SPELL-Links Lesson 21) 4 Tab Word Gallery Materials

Short Vowel i Sound Keyword Pictures

(SPELL-Links Lesson 22) 5th Tab
Word Gallery Pages
Short Vowel o Sound
(SPELL-Links Lesson 23) 6th Tab Word Gallery Picture Frame

Short Vowel u Sound Word Study Journal Pages

(SPELL-Links Lesson 24) 7th Tab

Consonants ‘r, l’ before a vowel READING LIBRARY

(SPELL-Links Lesson 3) 8th Tab
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing
Consonants ‘g, h, w, y, qu’ Decodable, Sequenced Books
Correlated with SPELL-Links Class Links
(SPELL-Links Lesson 4) 9th Tab
Book 1

APPENDIX

SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing book To access your SPELL-Links

titles aligned with lessons in SPELL-Links
Class Links Book 1 Class Links Book 1 digital materials, go
to [Link] and click
on the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1
Companion Cloud icon. When prompted
for your password enter:
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S
Book

1
Program Overview

SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing Class Links for Classrooms™

makes Tier 1 implementation of the structured literacy word study
activities featured in the SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing Word Study
Curriculum™ quick, easy, and enjoyable for the whole class.

The SPELL-Links Class Links program features a collection of grade-level

classroom activities that teach word study knowledge, skills, and strategies;
improve spelling, word decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension;
build vocabulary and use of oral language; and enhance writing performance.
Most activities can be implemented in just 30 minutes and enable students to have
fun while developing and strengthening literacy skills.

The SPELL-Links Class Links program can be used on its own or as a supplement
to your current language arts curriculum. Either way, you can be confident you are
delivering the most effective research-based instruction that addresses the literacy
needs of all students, including struggling readers and writers.

Each SPELL-Links Class Links program kit contains time-saving components and
materials that make classroom implementation of the highly praised SPELL-Links
to Reading & Writing Word Study Curriculum a snap!

Everything you need to implement each Tier 1 SPELL-Links Class Links activity is
included in the kit. To gain more in-depth understanding of the research and
pedagogical methods that support the activities, we encourage you to refer to the
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing Word Study Curriculum or visit our website
[Link]. While the SPELL-Links Class Links activities help you
teach literacy skills to all students, they will also help you identify students who
might benefit from more intensive (Tier 2 and Tier 3) instruction.
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Prerequisites
SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 activities are appropriate for students who are
acquiring or have mastered the following skills:

letter-name knowledge;

letter writing (formation of alphabet letters);

early phonological awareness (concept of spoken word, ability to segment spoken
words into syllables, awareness of word rhyme, and ability to isolate sounds in
words);

basic concept knowledge (left/right, above/below, over/under, top/bottom, first/last,
now/then, etc.);

ability to follow 1-2 step oral directions.

Use the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 prerequisites checklist (located in the
SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud) to record specific measures
used to help determine when students have met the prerequisites and are ready to
begin the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 program.

Setting Up the Classroom & Organizing the Materials

Create an environment that will support you and your students for SPELL-Links
Class Links instruction and application throughout the year.

SPELL-Links Class Links Materials

We recommend organizing your materials at the beginning of the school year and
keeping all materials in a single location so that they are always ready when you
need them.

Your SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 kit includes the following:

grade-level SPELL-Links Class Links spiral-bound activity book with step-by-step
directions for Tier 1 classroom instruction;

access to the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud materials library
where you can print or display the prerequisite checklist, lesson planning
worksheets, activity worksheets, activity support materials and displays, keyword
pictures, word gallery picture frame, student performance tracking sheets, Home
Links activities, word study journal pages, word gallery pages, word gallery picture
frame, student notebook pages; and mastery measurements.

14 Strategies for Success classroom poster;

14 Strategies for Success self-adhesive labels;

access to the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud reading library
where you can print a collection of SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing decodable,
sequenced, and lesson-correlated books for use in the decoding and reading
fluency and the connected writing activities and for extended reading practice at
home;

package of plastic sheet protectors.

2
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Teachers will also need chalk or markers (dry erase or regular), tokens or other
trinkets, dice, two different colored cups, and a three-minute timer. Students will
need notebooks (standard notebooks or simply print and bind the SPELL-Links
Class Links Book 1 notebook pages; a complete Word Study Journal is
recommended for each student – see below), pencils with erasers, colored
pencils, dry erase markers and erasers, and grade-level reading books (the
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing decodable, sequenced, and lesson-correlated
books available in the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud reading
library are recommended). To order additional supplies and related products,
please visit [Link].

Displaying and Organizing the Materials

We recommend that you display and organize your SPELL-Links Class Links
Book 1 materials as follows:

Strategy Poster: Display your SPELL-Links 14 Strategies for Success poster in a

prominent location. This will serve as a reminder for all the students and adults in
your room to incorporate these strategies not only during SPELL-Links Class Links
activities, but whenever a challenging word is encountered during any reading or
writing activity.

Keyword Pictures / Word Gallery: Unlike traditional word walls which organize
words classified as ‘sight words’ alphabetically, a SPELL-Links Class Link word
gallery arranges words by speech sounds. Setting up a SPELL-Links Class Links
word gallery in a highly visible location in your classroom will foster a speech-to-
print approach to reading and writing, allow your students to gain a richer
understanding of allowable spellings for each speech sound, and provide more
effective support for students during classroom writing and reading.

Use your keyword pictures (located in the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1
Companion Cloud) and word gallery words to build your wall as you move through
your SPELL-Links Class Links lessons. Be sure to include your students in the
building of the word gallery to reinforce both the sound structure and spelling of
these words that contain uncommon spellings.

Teacher Binder: We recommend that you organize all SPELL-Links Class Links
lesson planning worksheets, activity support materials, and data collection
documents in a single binder and keep this binder together with your SPELL-Links
Class Links spiral-bound activity book. Organizing these documents in a single
binder will help you pace your SPELL-Links Class Links lessons, be prepared for
each lesson, and track which students may need more instructional support.

3
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

To make this easy for you, there is a single Print & Go document in the SPELL-
Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud which contains all teacher binder
materials with lesson-specific materials organized lesson-by-lesson. See pg. 4,
Preparing Your SPELL-Links Class Link Teacher Binder.

Word Study Journal Binder: We recommend that each student has a Word Study
Journal binder to keep his or her SPELL-Links Class Links materials organized.
Keeping all of your students’ SPELL-Links Class Links materials in a single binder
will help with their overall organization as well as increasing the ease and
efficiency of implementing SPELL-Links Class Links activities.

Students should keep their Word Study Journals at their desks for easy access
during word study activities. If need be, a student’s Word Study Journal can travel
with the student to other learning environments and is ready to go in the student’s
backpack to support Home Links activities. You may want to prepare a few extra
Word Study Journals and keep these on hand for students who may misplace their
journal along the way!

To make this easy for you, there is a single Print & Go document in the SPELL-
Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud which contains all student word study
journal materials, organized lesson by lesson. See pg. 6, Preparing a Word Study
Journal for Each Student.

Home Links: If you have a classroom website you may wish to upload the
SPELL-Links Class Links Home Links activities (located in the SPELL-Links Class
Links Book 1 Companion Cloud) to your site for easy assignment and easy access
by parents. Alternatively, you may want to organize these PDF files on your hard
drive for quick access and emailing to parents at the completion of a classroom
activity to reinforce the day’s learning and to help build and strengthen literacy
skills.

Preparing Your SPELL-Links Class Links Teacher Binder

All materials needed for your teacher binder are located in the SPELL-Links Class
Links Book 1 Companion Cloud. The materials are compiled in a single Print & Go
document.

We recommend keeping the prerequisites checklist, list of Word Gallery words,

and the sample visual for your classroom Word Gallery at the front of your binder.
Your Weekly Lesson Plan guide initially may be located at the front of your binder
and be moved through each lesson in the binder as you proceed through the
SPELL-Links Class Links lessons.

4
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

For each lesson, your teacher binder materials include:

Performance Tracking Sheet: Keep track of students’ performance on each activity

within the lesson so that you can quickly identify students who need additional
support and the specific area of support needed.

Annotated My Word Study Journal Page: Use this reference to assist your students
with creating their personal My Word Study Journal page for the lesson.

Reading Support Chart (Lessons 1 and 2 only): Use this reference to

support your students during the lesson’s decoding activities and during all their
authentic reading endeavors. For lessons other than lessons 1 and 2, you and
your students can use the My Word Study Journal pages to support reading.

Pattern Loaded Stories: Use these masters to lead the lesson’s reading activity
and to follow along as your students read the stories.

Writing Support Chart: Use this reference to support your students during the
lesson’s writing activities and during all their authentic writing endeavors.
Alternatively, you and your students can use the My Word Study Journal pages to
support authentic writing.

Mastery Measurements: You will use this word list to assess your students’
mastery of both decoding and encoding. At the completion of each SPELL-Links
Class Links lesson, administer the decoding mastery measurement as you would
a traditional decoding inventory. In order for test results to be valid, these word
lists should not be shared with students or parents in advance of test
administration. After administering the decoding mastery measurement, administer
the corresponding spelling mastery measurement.

Mastery Measurement Tracking Sheet: Record and analyze students’ decoding and
spelling data on the Mastery Measurement Tracking Sheet and identify your action
plan for supplemental instruction for students who have not achieved mastery.

A front pocket in your SPELL-Links Class Links Teacher Binder is a great place to
keep the SPELL-Links Strategy Guide for quick reference to the 14 Strategies for
Spelling Success (located in the companion cloud) and a supply of strategy
stickers (sold separately) to reward students for their use of these powerful
metacognitive strategies.

5
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Preparing a Word Study Journal Binder for Each Student

All materials needed for a student’s word study journal binder are located in the
SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud. The materials are compiled in
a single Print & Go document. Print one set of these materials for each student in
your class; you may wish to print additional copies of some pages as noted below.

For each lesson, your student binder materials include:

Lesson Specific Worksheets: if applicable.

My Notebook Pages: Feel free to print as many of these as needed or use your
own lined paper.

My Word Study Journal Page: Students complete these as they move through
each lesson.

My Word Gallery Page: Print as many as you need for each lesson.

Reading Support Charts (Lessons 1 and 2 only): For all other lessons, you and
your students can use the My Word Study Journal pages to support reading.

Student copy of pattern loaded stories: Students may use these during the SPELL-
Links Class Links Reading activity. Alternatively, you may use your own pattern-
loaded or decodable reading material.

Writing Support Charts (Lessons 1 and 2 only): For all other lessons, you and your
students can use the My Word Study Journal pages to support writing.

A front pocket of a SPELL-Links Class Links Student Word Study Journal binder
SPELL-Links is a perfect place to keep the SPELL-Links Strategy Guide for quick
reference to the 14 Strategies for Spelling Success (located in the companion
cloud) for parents’ quick reference to the 14 Strategies for Spelling Success when
supporting their child’s Home Links work.

The front or back cover of a Class Links Student Word Study Journal binder is a
great place to affix the 14 Strategies for Success label and a letter strip or other
visual to support letter formation.

6
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

SPELL-Links Class Links Equipment

Because the SPELL-Links Class Links activities are designed for use with a large
group of students, you will need to use one of the options listed below, or create
your own, to display activity worksheets and support materials to the entire class.

Display Option 1: Digital whiteboard
Using this option, you can display digital files of activity worksheets and
support materials.

Display Option 2: Computer, projector, and traditional whiteboard
Using this option, you can display digital files of activity worksheets and
support materials onto the whiteboard.

Display Option 3: Overhead projector
Using this option, you can display activity worksheets and support materials
printed on transparencies.

Display Option 4: Chalkboard, whiteboard, or flip chart and chalk or markers
Using this option, you can display re-created activity worksheets and support
materials.

Many activities also require a central work area that the teacher and/or students
will use to write. The central work area should be viewable by the entire group. It
may be the same as the display area or you may choose to use a separate tool
(e.g., chalkboard, whiteboard, or flip chart) for the central work area.

7
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Implementation Guidelines
After setting up your classroom and preparing SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1
binders for yourself and each of your students, take time to read the SPELL-Links
Class Links Implementation Guidelines.

If you are using SPELL-Links Class Links as a stand-alone structured literacy

word study program, we strongly recommend that you teach the lessons in the
same order that they are presented in the book. This sequence ensures that
instruction gradually progresses from the sounds and letter patterns that are most
linguistically simple to those that are most complex. Please note that the section
and lesson numbers that appear at the top left of each SPELL-Links Class Links
activity page correspond to the section and lesson numbers in the SPELL-Links to
Reading & Writing Word Study Curriculum and do not indicate a grade-level
instruction sequence.

SPELL-Links Class Links Lesson Planning

All SPELL-Links Class Links lessons feature several word-level instructional
activities, a decoding and reading fluency activity, and a connected writing activity.
The learning objectives are clearly identified at the top of each activity page. As
mentioned previously, if you are using SPELL-Links Class Links as a stand-alone
word study program we strongly recommend that you teach the lessons in the
same order that they are presented in the book.

When planning your instruction, you will want to consider the total number of
activities. In general, you will need approximately 30 minutes to complete each
activity. Depending on your class size and make-up, however, you may wish to
spend more time on some activities. When you do, look for the clock icon – –
which alerts you to an activity’s recommended breaking point. You may also wish
to repeat one or more activities within a lesson to allow students to focus on one
consonant letter or sound or simply to provide review and extra practice.

Each lesson concludes with a decoding and spelling mastery measurement. You
will want to include time for administration of the lesson’s mastery measurement in
your lesson planning.

Use your Weekly Lesson Plan sheets to plan your instruction but write in pencil
because your pacing through the program is dependent upon your students’
mastery of each activity.

8
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Two sample lesson plans are shown below.

Lesson Plan, Lesson 3

Week 1
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Lesson 3 Lesson 3 Lesson 3 Lesson 3 Lesson 3

Segmenting Segmenting Letter-Sound Letter-Sound Decoding &
Sounds Sounds Relationships Relationships Reading Fluency
Tap & Map Tap & Map Let’m Roll Let’m Roll
/r/ /l/ /r/ /l/

Week 2
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Lesson 3 Lesson 3 Lesson 3

Decoding & Connected Mastery
Reading Fluency Writing Measurements

Lesson Plan, Lesson 20

Week 3
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Lesson 20 Lesson 20 Lesson 20 Lesson 20 Lesson 20

Segmenting Discriminating Letter-Sound Letter Patterns & Mental Images of
Sounds Sounds Relationships Spelling Rules Words
Tap & Map Smack Jack Sort It Out What’s the Take Time to
Pattern? Inspect the Rime

Week 4
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Lesson 20 Lesson 20 Lesson 20 Lesson 20 Lesson 20

Mental Images of Decoding & Decoding & Connected Connected
Words Reading Fluency Reading Fluency Writing Writing; Mastery
Measurements
Picture This!

9
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

SPELL-Links Class Links Activity Preparation

SPELL-Links Class Links activity preparation can be completed in 5-10 minutes.

Gather activity materials.

Review the Starter Word List (when applicable) and, if desired, add grade-level
words relevant to your curriculum.

Read through the step-by-step activity directions.

Each word-level instructional activity has a starter word list with grade-level
words carefully selected to facilitate successful mastery of learning objectives.
SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 starter word lists are appropriate for K-1 Tier 1
instruction.

Starter word lists may be limited by the number of grade-level words that contain
the targeted letters or sounds or because instruction is focused on quick, easy,
and fun activities that teach spelling strategies rather than the spellings of
individual words. Occasionally, a starter word list will contain one or more words
above the target grade level when certain word exemplars are needed to illustrate
and teach a specific word study concept.

You may choose to add grade-level words relevant to your curriculum if time
allows. You can create your own word lists or use SPELL-Links Word List Maker™
software (sold separately) to instantly create customized word lists. The SPELL-
Links Word List Maker software allows you to search for words by spelling pattern,
letter, or sound. You can then filter results by position of letter, sound, or spelling
pattern in word, grade level of word, specific letters in word, or number of syllables
in word. You can also organize word lists by position, grade level, syllables, and
word frequency.

In order to keep things simple, we chose to use alphabet letters instead of IPA
(International Phonetic Alphabet) symbols to represent consonant sounds within
SPELL-Links Class Links activities. For example, the “letter Y sound” is
represented by / y / instead of the IPA symbol / j /. For vowel sounds, however, we
felt the use of IPA symbols was necessary to identify each specific vowel sound
required. When letters or IPA symbols appear between slash marks (e.g., / b /),
pronounce the corresponding sounds instead of saying the letter names.
Allowable spellings for letter sounds are divided into three categories and are color
coded in the activity support materials: common (blue), less common (green), and
uncommon (red/orange).

SPELL-Links Class Links Performance Tracking

Use the student performance tracking sheets, one for each lesson, to take note of
students who seem to be having difficulty with activity learning objectives (see
example below). The performance tracking sheets will help you more easily

10
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

identify students who require more intensive and targeted instruction to improve
their reading, writing, and spelling. The tracking sheets will also help you organize
targeted small group instruction by providing a snapshot of each student’s
performance by spelling pattern and specific skill area.

Performance Tracking Sheet

‘r, l’ after a vowel (Lesson 3)

Student Name Segmenting Letter-Sound Decoding Connected Writing

Sounds Relationships & Reading
Fluency
Tap & Map Let’m Roll

Jonah + + + +
Salma + + + +
Caitlin + +  
Matthew + +  
CeCe    
Peter    
David + + + +
Colleen + + + +
Matan + + + +
Larkin + + + +
Trent + + + +
Annabel    
Stephanie + + + +

SPELL-Links Class Links Mastery Measurements

Use the decoding and spelling mastery measurements, one for each lesson, to
identify which students have and which students have not mastered the word
study knowledge, skills, and strategies by the end of each lesson.

We recommend moving to a new lesson once most of your students have

demonstrated mastery of the lesson. For students who do not demonstrate lesson
mastery, use the data collected on the performance tracking sheet for that lesson
to identify where to focus remedial help to close the gaps and help keep these
students on track with their peers.

11
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Ideas for Added Fun & Games

Students and teachers alike will love the engaging SPELL-Links Class Links
activities that promote active, hands-on learning and interaction among students
and teachers. You may choose to add another layer of fun to activities by
implementing some of the suggestions listed below. Visit the SPELL-Link’d
community forum on our website [Link] for more ideas – or
to share some of your own!

Segmenting Sounds

For Tap & Map activities, give each student a copy of the Tap & Map
worksheet and allow them to place colored bingo chips in the sound boxes as
you tap them on the displayed worksheet.

Use musical notes to stand for the syllables, or beats, within words. Outline or
place one musical note made from colored paper on the central work area for
each beat counted in a word. Then write the letter(s) that represent the vowel
sound inside the musical notes.

Give each student a sheet of colored dot stickers and direct them to place one
dot on their paper for each sound in a word. Then have students write the
letter(s) that represent the sounds inside (or under) the corresponding stickers.
You may choose to allow students to use their own choice of colors or you may
direct them to use one color for consonant sounds and another color for vowel
sounds.
Discriminating Sounds

Include your students’ names in the activity word list if the name contains the
target vowel or consonant sounds.

Allow students to stand up instead of raising their hands.
Letter-Sound Relationships

Allow students to walk to different areas of the room instead of pointing.

Allow students to stand up instead of raising their hands.

Write words on 3x5 scraps of paper and have students sort the word “cards”
into piles, one pile for each different spelling.

Allow students to use glitter glue, gel pens, etc. to trace over the allowable
spellings of a target sound.
Letter Pattern & Spelling Rules

Assign each of the allowable spellings to a separate student and direct those
students to jump up when someone calls out a word that is spelled with their
assigned spelling.

Allow students to use glitter glue, gel pens, etc. to trace over the spellings that
are predicted by the target spelling rule.

12
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Mental Images of Words

Print empty Word Picture Frames (available in the SPELL-Links Class Links
Book 1 Companion Cloud). Have students “frame” the words studied during the
activity and hang them in the classroom Word Gallery.

Use Rhyme This Time
▫ Write words on 3x5 scraps of paper and have students sort the word into
piles, one pile for each different word ending.
▫ Allow students to use glitter glue, gel pens, etc. to trace over the letters that
spell the word ending of rhyming words, using different colors for different
rimes if possible.
▫ Ask students to make up fun sentences using all the words with the same
word ending, “The elf fell off the shelf and scared himself.”

Picture This!
▫ Allow students to take turns spelling a word backwards, with one student
saying each letter in the word.
▫ Allow two students to work together to spell a word backwards, with the
students taking turns saying alternating letters.
▫ Allow students to use crayons to write the word they see in their “mind’s
eye”, using one color for the vowel letters and another color for the
consonant letters.
Vocabulary & Reading Comprehension

Allow students to take turns acting out the verbal answers given to post-
reading/pre-writing questions.

Allow students to play charades, taking turns acting out a vocabulary word and
challenging the other students to guess the vocabulary word.
Decoding & Reading Fluency

Challenge students to find or re-create a piece of writing from everyday life
(handwritten note, email, advertisement, product container, etc.) that contains
all the target letters of the current lesson. Have the students underline the
letters and sort the words by different spellings of individual sounds. You may
wish to award a prize to the student who finds the most instances of the target
letters or instances of each different spelling of the target sounds.

Challenge students to identify all words that contain certain letters or sounds in
a short story, book, or other selected reading material. Write all the words
found by students on the central work area and divide students into groups.
Have each group work together to complete an assigned task with these
words. Challenge students to see which group is the first to complete the task.
Tasks may include: sorting words by number of sounds, by number of
syllables, or by position of letter or sound in word (beginning, middle, or end).
Alternatively, you may allow three minutes per task and see which group
correctly sorts the most words in the allotted time. When all sorting tasks have
been finished, call on students to read the short story, book, or other selected
reading material aloud.

13
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Connected Writing

Challenge students, individually or in groups, to write a story, poem, or song
lyrics using as many of the words from a lesson as possible; you may also
choose to have them add illustrations or music. When they have finished,
consider allowing students to present their creations to the class.

Challenge students to write a story using each allowable spelling of the target
sound(s) at least once. You can keep the stories in the writing center to use for
individual review and practice.

Review student writing to find and circle misspelled words or ask students to
review their own writing. You can then place the appropriate strategy
sticker(s)* above each circled word and challenge students to self-correct their
own spelling mistakes. Alternatively, challenge students to identify the
appropriate strategy or strategies that can help them to correctly spell the
misspelled words. *sold separately
Classroom Extension Ideas

Dismiss students to recess based on the number of target sounds in their
names.

Each morning, review the lunch menu. Say the words in slow motion and ask
students to quickly blend the sounds together. Then ask students to segment
the words.

Display the 14 Strategies for Success classroom poster. When the class
encounters a new word during instruction, challenge them to explain how to
use one or more of the strategies to spell the word. Allow one student to write
the word on a word wall and affix the appropriate strategy sticker(s)* next to
the word. When every strategy has been used, consider offering a class
reward. *sold separately

Have each student create their own word journal using construction paper for
the front and back covers and notebook paper for the inside pages. Students
may staple the papers together or use a hole punch and yarn to make a book.
Be sure to have students add a title and their names as authors. When a
student misspells a word, ask him/her to add that word to their word journal
and to place the appropriate strategy sticker(s)* next to the word. When every
strategy has been used, offer students a reward, such as a special sticker to
decorate their book covers. *sold separately

14
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Home Support
Most SPELL-Links Class Links word-level activities have a related Home Links
activity (available in the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud).
Each Home Links activity takes just 5-10 minutes to complete with the help of a
parent, learning coach, or homework helper. The activities reinforce target learning
objectives and help build and strengthen literacy skills.

Word Study Journal pages (also available in the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1
Companion Cloud) summarize the allowable spellings, spelling rules, and
strategies for each spelling pattern and are a great reference tool for successful
completion of Home Links activities. If you choose to use the Home Links
activities, be sure to have students write words studied during Mental Images of
Words activities in the My Word Gallery section of the corresponding Word Study
Journal page (in addition to writing these words in their notebooks as directed in
the activity). Doing so will ensure that everything students need to complete the
Home Links activities will be available on a single page.

FAQs
1. When teaching a lesson that addresses more than one target sound (for
example, Lesson 3 address the target sounds / r / and / l /), is it OK to focus on
one target sound and its corresponding allowable spellings at a time?

Yes. You may teach one target sound at a time when presenting activities with
multiple target sounds to allow students to focus on one sound at a time.

2. When teaching a Take Time to Inspect the Rime that addresses more than one
word ending (for example, the starter word list for Lesson 21 has eight different
word endings), is it OK to present only some of the word endings?

Yes. You may teach a subset of the word endings, selecting the word endings
that are most appropriate for the instructional level of your students.

3. Do I need to use all the words in a starter word list?

Not necessarily. The starter word list is carefully controlled to help students
achieve the activity’s learning objectives. If students grasp the word study skills
and strategies before all words in the starter word list have been presented, it
is not necessary to go through the complete list.

15
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

4. Is it OK to modify a starter word list?

The starter word list is carefully controlled to help students achieve an activity’s
learning objectives. Depending on the ability level of your students and your
activity goals (e.g., teach vs. enhance word study skills), you may choose to
modify the starter word list by replacing or adding words with the target spelling
pattern. The SPELL-Links Word List Maker software (sold separately) allows
you to search for words by spelling pattern, letter, or sound. You can then filter
results by position of letter, sound, or spelling pattern in word; grade level of
word; specific letters in word; or number of syllables in word. You can also
organize word lists by position, grade level, syllables, and word frequency.

5. Is it OK to present different words to different groups of students within the

same activity in order to match words to student ability levels?

Yes, this is an acceptable teaching strategy and a great way to individualize

SPELL-Links Class Links instruction.

6. Are students expected to memorize all the allowable spellings presented in

Letter-Sound Relationships activities?

No. The goal of the Letter-Sound Relationships activities is for students to gain
exposure to these allowable spellings in words, to become aware that a sound
may be represented with more than one spelling, and to gain proficiency with
written language through the speech-to-print, multi-linguistic, meta-linguistic
approach featured in SPELL-Links Class Links.

7. Can I present only some of the allowable spellings during the Letter-Sound
Relationships activities?

We recommend that you always present all of the allowable spellings during
the Letter-Sound Relationships activities. Exposure to all allowable spellings,
not just grade-level spellings, of a target sound is a core component of the
word study approach featured in SPELL-Links Class Links and the words
containing the allowable spellings provide an excellent opportunity for
vocabulary and oral language development.

8. Can I modify the wording of the directions or the activity itself to a level more
appropriate for a particular group of students?

Yes. Nobody knows your students better than you do so feel free to modify the
wording or the activity to best match your students’ level of development and
interest. You may modify a task (for example, in the Hidden Treasure activity
you may wish to place a sticker under a sheet of paper instead of placing a

16
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

trinket under a paper cup) as long as you do not modify the pedagogical
principles (e.g., speech-to-print, multi-linguistic, meta-linguistic) and elements
(e.g., explanation, modeling, practice, feedback, reflection) as presented in the
activity.

You may also discover that your students require more explanation of some
terms or concepts than is provided in the scripted activity. Never hesitate to
modify an activity in order to provide additional explanation, instruction, or
modeling. For example, in the Lesson 20 Tap & Map activity, the concept of
phoneme vs. syllable is an integral part of the word study instruction. If your
students do not already understand the difference between a phoneme (i.e.,
speech sound) and a spoken syllable, take the time needed to teach these
important concepts before proceeding with the activity.

9. Some students require more assistance than I can provide in whole class
teaching. How can I modify SPELL-Links Class Links to accommodate these
students?

You may wish to consider separating the class into smaller groups, each group
working with a teacher or aide. Alternatively, one or more groups may be
assigned independent word study work while you work directly with another
group.

10. When do I proceed from one activity to the next within a lesson?

Each activity builds on the preceding activity within that lesson. Therefore,
repeat an activity until students master the activity’s learning objectives before
proceeding to the next activity within the lesson. Mastery is demonstrated
when students independently perform the stated learning objective for the
activity. When repeating an activity with a group of students, you can use the
SPELL-Links Word List Maker software (sold separately) to select more
challenging words for those students who have already achieved mastery with
the words in the Starter Word List. For students who do not demonstrate
mastery of an activity, identify a plan for more intensive instruction to help
those students master the skills of the activity and help keep these students on
track with their peers.

11. When do I proceed from one lesson to the next lesson?

We recommend moving to a new lesson once most of your students have

demonstrated mastery on the current lesson’s mastery measurement of
decoding and spelling (located in the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1
Companion Cloud). For students who do not demonstrate lesson mastery, use
the data collected on the performance tracking sheet for that lesson to identify

17
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

where to focus remedial help to close the gaps and help keep these students
on track with their peers.

12. Do my students need to simultaneously say sounds as they write letters during
all activities, or just during the segmenting activities that teach this skill?

Saying sounds as you write letters is a critical word study skill and should be
practiced continuously so that it becomes second nature. In fact, while each
SPELL-Links Class Links activity teaches one or more specific word study
skills, instruction should always focus on helping students achieve integrated
use all of the word study skills.

13. During the connected writing activities, should I expect students to correctly
spell all words or just words with the target spelling pattern?

The focus of the SPELL-Links Class Links connected writing activities is

always on the target spelling pattern. You may choose to ignore spelling errors
that occur on patterns that are beyond the students’ current level of word study
or you may wish to simply provide the correct spellings and reassure students
that they will learn how to correctly spell those patterns another time. If,
however, students make errors on patterns previously studied and learned, you
may call attention to the misspellings and facilitate the correct spelling of those
patterns as well.

14. Am I meeting Common Core Standards when I teach SPELL-Links Class Links
lessons?

Yes. With Common Core State Standards, your students are expected to
perform with higher levels of cognition and application in reading, language
arts, listening, and speaking. The integrated multi-linguistic and meta-linguistic
teaching methods featured in SPELL-Links Class Links foster the development
of cognitive and executive functioning skills that help your students succeed
with these new standards. SPELL-Links Class Links is aligned with Common
Core standards for language arts, reading, speaking, and listening. Visit our
website [Link] to see which standards are met by each
SPELL-Links Class Links lesson.

18
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Have more questions about SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing?

Join SPELL-Link’d!

Your research-to-practice community forum.

Get answers to your questions.

Share activity ideas.

View SPELL-Links product demos.

Inspire and be inspired by other professionals using our products.

Want to learn more about the research and best practices?

Join SPELLTalk!

Network with colleagues and share your knowledge

Stay on top of current word study research

Find answers to your questions, hone your professional skills, and keep current
with best practices

Learn about useful tools and resources for research-based word study
assessment and instruction

19
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Letter-Sound
SegmentingRelationships
Sounds

Section
3 Lines & Letters
s
Short Vowels
Learning Objectives: 1) segment phonemes and map vowel letters to the short vowel
Lesson 21
e sound; 2) identify two strategies for spelling grade-level words containing the short
vowel e sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Say, “In this activity we are going to have fun with words that have the short vowel e
sound. You are going to count how many sounds you hear in a word, say each sound
correctly, and write the letter or letters that spell each sound.”
2. Say, “Bed. We sleep in a bed. Bed. First, we need to figure out how many sounds this
word has.” Draw horizontal lines, from left to right, on the central work area as you
Activity Materials clearly and correctly pronounce each sound in the target word (e.g., / b / not ‘buh’).
• Central work area Then say, “I drew three lines. Bed has three sounds. Now I will sound out the word bed again
and write the letter or letters that spell each sound on the lines.” Sound out the word again,
Starter Word List writing the letters ‘b, e, d’ on separate lines as you say each sound.
3. Direct students to open their notebooks to a new page. Say, “Now it’s your turn.
1 syllable
Listen to me say a word, then sound out the word and draw one line as you say each

bed bed sound.” Read aloud a new word from the word list. Monitor students to make sure

set set they are correctly pronouncing sounds. When students finish, write the word on

head head the central work area. Then say, “Read the word and sound it out again. As you say
each sound, write the letter or letters that spell each sound on the lines. If you’re not sure

said said
what letters to write, you can copy the letters from here (point to the word written on the

tell tell central work area).” Repeat this step for each word in the word list.

well well 4. Say, “Every syllable – or beat – in a word has one vowel sound. That means every

then then syllable must have at least one vowel letter. Let’s count the beats in each word we wrote.”

when when Clap once as you say the word “bed”, then say, “Bed has one syllable. I’m going to
trace the one vowel sound line. Is there at least one vowel letter on the vowel sound line?
2 syllables Yes, ‘e’ is a vowel letter.” Repeat this step for all the words in the word list, allowing

penny students to take turns counting syllables, tracing vowel sound lines, and
penny confirming that each syllable has at least one vowel letter.

hello 5. Say, “Let’s talk about two strategies that you can use to correctly spell words with the
short vowel e sound. Look at the 14 Strategies for Spelling Success poster.” Point to
hello
strategies 1 and 3 and say, “Think about what you did in this activity and tell me how
the ‘Sound It Out’ strategy and the ‘Catch the Beat’ strategy help us to correctly spell
words.” Guide student responses as needed. Then say, “Now write the strategy
numbers next to the words you wrote in your notebooks today.”

Sound It Out! I can say a word out loud, one sound at a time, and write
the matching letters as I say the sounds. I must pronounce the sounds
correctly as I sound out the word and write at least one letter for each
sound that I hear.

Catch the Beat! I need to make sure that I write at least one vowel
letter for each syllable in a word.

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Discriminating Sounds

Section
3 Hear Here
Short Vowels
Learning Objectives: 1) discriminate between different vowel sounds; 2) map vowel
Lesson 21
letters to the short vowel e sound; 3) identify one strategy for spelling grade-level words
containing the short vowel e sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Say, “In this activity you will listen for words that have the short vowel e sound – / ε / –
as in ever and bed. Then you will underline the letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound in
each word.”
2. Model the short vowel e sound again and direct students to repeat the sound.

Activity Materials 3. Display the Lesson 21 keyword picture. Say, “Bed. You hear / ε / in the middle of the
word bed. Look at the picture to help remember the / ε / sound. Bed.”
• Lesson 21 keyword
picture (in cloud) 4. Divide students into two groups. Say, “I will read some words. Group 1, your job is
to close your eyes and listen. Raise a hand if you hear the / ε / sound in a word. Group 2,
• Display equipment your job is to count the number of raised hands.”
• Central work area 5. Read a word from the word list. Allow a moment for students to respond, then tell
Starter Word List group 1 to open their eyes but to keep their hands in the same position. If any
student responded incorrectly, say, “You have to listen very carefully to correctly hear
Short vowel e sound vowel sounds. Listen carefully as I say the word again. Do you hear / ε / in (say the word)?
Raise a hand if you hear the / ε / sound; keep your hands down if you hear another vowel

bed
sound.” If the word contained the / ε / sound, say the word again and write it on

set the central work area.

head
6. After reading all the words from the word list, ask students from each group to

said take turns reading aloud the words written on the central work area, using the

then words in spoken sentences, and underlining the letter or letters that spell the / ε /

when sound in each word. Then say, “Open your notebooks to a new page. Write the words
we reviewed today and underline the letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound in each

them
word.”
Short vowel a sound 7. Say, “Let’s talk about a strategy that you can use to correctly spell words that have the

pat short vowel e sound – / ε /. Look at the 14 Strategies for Spelling Success poster.” Point

bad to strategy 4 and say, “Think about what you did in this activity and tell me how the
‘Listen Up’ strategy helps us to correctly spell words.” Guide student responses as

sat needed. Then say, “Now write the strategy number next to the words you wrote in your

am notebooks today.”
Short vowel i sound

sit Listen Up! I need to listen very carefully to correctly name the sounds

bit I hear in a word.

pin

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Letter-Sound Relationships

Section
3 Sort It Out
Short Vowels
Learning Objectives: 1) develop knowledge of allowable spellings for the short vowel
Lesson 21
e sound; 2) identify one strategy for spelling grade-level words containing the short vowel
e sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Say, “In this activity you will discover different ways you can spell the short vowel e
sound. You will also learn a strategy that will help you spell this vowel sound.”
2. Display the Lesson 21 keyword picture and say, “Look at this picture. Bed. A bed is
a piece of furniture used for sleeping. Bed. You hear the short vowel e sound in the middle
of the word – / ε / – bed. Now listen to some more words.”
Activity Materials
3. Say, “For each word I read, raise a hand if you hear the short vowel e sound.” Read
• Lesson 21 keyword aloud the rest of the words from the word list in random order. Repeat each
picture (in cloud) correct response (e.g., “That’s right, you hear the / ε / sound in the word set.”).
• Display equipment 4. Say, “Now let’s write each of the words that have the short vowel e sound and underline
• Central work area the letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound in each. I’ll write the words up here and you
• Colored pencils – 1 write the words in your notebooks. Write each word on a new line.” Say each word as
you write it on the central work area and underline the letter(s) that spell the
for each student short vowel e sound.
Starter Word List 5. Say, “In just a moment I want you to softly read aloud the words in your notebooks and
use your colored pencils to trace the letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound in each word.
‘e’
Fold your hands together on top of your desk when you are done.” Model the

bed instructions, then say, “Ready, set, go!” When students finish tracing the letters that

set spell the short vowel e sound, say, “Look at the letter or letters that spell the / ε /

then sound in each word. How many different ways did we spell the / ε / sound?”

when
6. Once the correct number has been identified, ask, “What are eight different ways
‘ea’ you can spell the / ε / sound?” As students respond, write each of the allowable

head spellings from left to right on the central work area, creating a column for each.
‘a’ Direct students to do the same in their notebooks. Then ask, “Would you ever spell
the / ε / sound with the letter ‘u’? Why or why not?”

many
7. Say, “Now I want you to sort the words in your notebook by writing each word in one of
‘ai’
the columns. For example, you’ll write set in the ‘e’ column because the / ε / sound in the

said word set is spelled with the letter ‘e’.”
‘ie’ 8. Say, “Let’s talk about a strategy that you can use to correctly spell words that have the

friend / ε / sound. Look at the 14 Strategies for Spelling Success poster.” Point to strategy 6
‘ee’ and say, “Think about what you did in this activity and tell me how the ‘No Fouls’

been strategy helps us to correctly spell words.” Guide student responses as needed.
Then say, “Now write the strategy number next to the words you wrote in your
‘eo’ notebooks today.”

leopard
‘ei’

heifer No Fouls! There are several allowable spellings of the short vowel e
sound. I must use one of these allowable spellings when spelling the
Foil Words

eat short vowel e sound in a word.

please

key

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Letter Patterns & Spelling Rules

Section
3 What’s the Pattern?
0
Short Vowels
Learning Objectives: 1) develop knowledge of a spelling rule for the short vowel
Lesson 21
e sound; 2) identify one strategy for spelling grade-level words containing the short
vowel e sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Divide the central work area into eight columns and write one of the allowable
spellings for the short vowel e sound at the top of each column. Then say, “There
are eight allowable spellings of the short vowel e sound – / ε /. In this activity you will
discover a spelling rule and a strategy to help you correctly spell words with the short
vowel e sound.”
Activity Materials 2. Direct students to open their notebooks to a new page, then say, “I want you to
• Central work area draw seven lines from the top of the page to the bottom to make eight columns like this
(point to the central work area). Then write one of the eight allowable spellings of the short
Starter Word List vowel e sound at the top of each column.”
‘e’ 3. Say, “Now I want you to think of as many words as you can that have the / ε / sound.

went Don’t worry if you don’t know how to spell a word because I’m going to write the words

red up here. Let’s see how many words we can think of in the next three minutes. Raise a hand

elephant when you think of a word with the short vowel e sound. Ready, set, go!” As students call

get out words, use each word in a sentence and write the word in the appropriate

yellow column. If necessary, write words from the word list to get started or to keep the
pace going; you’ll also want to make sure there is at least one word written in
‘ea’ each column and that the ‘e’ column has the most words.

bread
4. After three minutes, say, “Look at our word lists. Which list has the most words?

breakfast Why?” Then say, “Now, I want you to write the words that have the / ε / sound spelled
‘a’ with the letter ‘e’ in your notebooks in column that has the letter ‘e’ at the top.”

many 5. Write a nonsense word containing the short vowel e sound on the central work
‘ai’ area, drawing a line to represent the / ε / sound (e.g., d_st). Then say, “Here’s a

said word you’ve never seen before. The word is dest. What letter or letters can we use to spell

again the / ε / sound in this word? If you don’t know how to spell the short vowel e sound, what
spelling will you try first? Why?” After you receive the correct response, say, That’s
‘ie’ right, the / ε / sound is usually spelled with the letter ‘e’. If you’re not sure how to spell the

friend / ε / sound in a word, use this spelling rule and you will usually spell the short vowel e
sound correctly.”
‘ee’

been 6. Ask a student volunteer to come up to the central work area, then say, “I want
everyone to take turns making up silly words that have the short vowel e sound. When I
‘eo’ point to you, call out a silly word and (volunteer student) and I will write the word up

leopard here. Since these are nonsense words and we’ve never seen them before, we won’t know
‘ei’ how to spell the / ε / sound. To correctly spell these words, we’ll have to follow the

heifer spelling rule we just learned.” Remind the student volunteer to “Play by the Rules”.
7. Say, “Let’s talk about a strategy that you can use to correctly spell words that have the
/ ε / sound. Look at the 14 Strategies for Spelling Success poster.” Point to strategy 7
and say, “Think about what you did in this activity and tell me how the ‘Play by the
Rules’ strategy helps us to correctly spell words.” Guide student responses as
needed. Then say, “Now write the strategy number next to the words you wrote in your
notebooks today.”

Play by the Rules! The short vowel e sound is usually spelled with the
letter ‘e’. If I’m not sure how to spell the short vowel e sound in a word, I
can use this rule to help me correctly spell this vowel sound.

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Mental Images of Words

Section
3 Take Time to Inspect the Rime
Short Vowels
Learning Objectives: 1) develop clear and complete mental images of words with the
Lesson 21
short vowel e sound; 2) identify one strategy for spelling words with the short vowel e
sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Say, “In this activity you will learn a strategy that can help you correctly spell words with
the short vowel e sound.”
2. Read aloud a word from the word list and use the word in a sentence. Then say,
“I’ll write the word up here and you write the word in your notebooks. Next, we’ll
underline the first vowel letter in the word and all the letters that come after it, like this.”
Activity Materials Present the rest of the words in random order, writing the words on the central
• Central work area work area and underlining the appropriate letters on the central work area.
3. Ask, “What different word endings did you discover in these words with the short vowel
Starter Word List e sound?” As students respond, write each of the eight word endings from left to
‘-ed’ right on the central work area, creating a column for each.

bed 4. Direct students to copy the columns in their notebooks. Then say, “Okay, let’s sort

fed the words by writing them underneath their matching endings. Bed. In which column should we
write the word bed?” After you receive the correct response, write the word in the
‘-ead’ appropriate column, and ask a student to use the word in a spoken sentence. Repeat

head this step for the rest of the words.

dead
5. Say, “Now close your eyes and listen as I read the words from the first column.” Read
‘-eld’ aloud the words, then ask, “What did you hear as you listened to the words in this

held column? What is the same in all of these words?” After you receive the correct

weld response, say, “That’s right, the words in this column sound the same at the end. The
words rhyme.” Repeat this step for the word lists from each column.
‘-elf’

elf 6. Now erase the word endings from the top of each column but leave the word lists.

shelf Say, “Let’s write some new words. When I call on you, you’ll come up and write a word I
say. These will be made-up words so I know you’ve never seen them, but I bet you can

self
figure out how to spell them.” Call a student up and say a nonsense word
‘-ell’ containing one of the word endings excluding ‘-ed’ and ‘-ead’ (e.g., neld, delf,

bell zelp, etc.). Then say, “Write the word in the correct column.” After several words

fell have been added, ask, “How did you figure out the correct spellings of these made-up

tell words?” Once you receive the correct response, say, “That’s right, you can use the
spelling of a rhyming word to spell a word you don’t know how to spell.”
‘-elp’

help 7. Circle as you read aloud the words in the ‘-ed’ and ‘-ead’ columns, then ask,
“How could the rhyming strategy help you figure out the correct spellings of words like

yelp
bread and sled?” After you receive the correct response, say, “That’s right, you can

kelp try different spellings of the word ending of rhyming words, like this (write the correct and
‘-elt’ incorrect spellings of each word on the central work area). One of these spellings is correct and

belt the other spelling looks funny.”

felt 8. Say, “Let’s talk about a strategy that you can use to correctly spell words that have the

melt short vowel e sound. Look at the 14 Strategies for Spelling Success poster.” Point to strategy
8 and say, “Think about what you did in this activity and tell me how the ‘Use Rhyme This
‘-ealth’ Time’ strategy helps us to correctly spell words.” Guide student responses as needed.

health Then say, “Now write the strategy number next to the words you wrote in your notebooks.”

wealth
Use Rhyme This Time! If I don’t know how to spell a word, I can
think of a rhyming word. I can use the spelling of the rhyming word to
spell the word I don’t know how to spell. I need to remember that there
may be more than one way to spell the word ending of rhyming words.

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Mental Images of Words

Section
3 Picture This!
Short Vowels
Learning Objectives: 1) develop clear and complete mental images of words with
Lesson 21
uncommon spellings of the short vowel e sound; 2) identify one strategy for
spelling grade-level words with uncommon spellings of the short vowel e sound.
Short Vowel e Sound
as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Say, “In this activity you will learn how to use the ‘camera in your mind’ to ‘make
pictures inside your head’ of words that have uncommon spellings of the short vowel e –
/ ε / – sound and words in which the vowel sounds is hard to hear. The pictures will help
you remember the right way to spell these words. The pictures will also help you know
when the words are not spelled the right way.”
Activity Materials 2. Display the first Lesson 21 Picture This! word. Say, “Look at this word. Many. I
• Lesson 21 Picture have many papers in my desk. Many. Look carefully at each letter in this word and take a
This! words (in cloud) picture using the ‘camera in your mind’ so that you will be able to ‘see’ the letters of the
word when I take it away.”
• Lesson 21 keyword
3. Allow a few moments for students to examine the spelling of the word and then
picture with
remove the word from the display area. Call on individual students to answer the
allowable spellings (in following questions to demonstrate clear visualization of the target word.
cloud)
How many letters do you see in your picture?
How many letters are consonants?
• Display equipment
How many letters are vowels?
Can you spell the word backwards?
• Central work area 4. Repeat steps 2–3 for the rest of the words in the word list.
Starter Word List
5. Display the Lesson 21 keyword picture with allowable spellings of the short vowel
 any e sound and say, “Remember, there are different ways to spell the / ε / sound. Here are
 many the allowable spellings of the short vowel e sound.”
 said 6. Now write each of the words from the word list on the central work area, using
 been incorrect spellings for the uncommon spellings of the short vowel e sound
(e.g., ‘meny for ‘many’ and ‘fraind’ for ‘friend’).
 very
 again 7. Point to a word, read it aloud, and say, “Which part of the word looks funny? Write
the word in your notebooks, using one of the allowable spellings to fix the part that looks
 ready funny. Keep trying different spellings until your brain says, ‘Oh, that looks right!’” When
 friend the correct spelling has been identified, write the word on the central work area
 breakfast and underline the letter(s) that represent the short vowel e sound, and ask a
student to use the word in a spoken sentence. Repeat this step for all the words
in the word list.
8. Say, “Now I want you to write the words again in your notebooks. Write the letters as
you say each sound. Then underline the letter or letters that spell the / ε / sound.”
9. Say, “Let’s talk about a strategy that you can use to correctly spell words with
uncommon spellings of the short vowel e – / ε / – sound. Look at the 14 Strategies for
Spelling Success poster.” Point to strategy 13 and say, “Think about what you did in
this activity and tell me how the ‘Fix the Funny Stuff’ strategy helps us to correctly spell
words.” Guide student responses as needed. Then say, “Now write the strategy
number next to the words you wrote in your notebooks today.”

Fix the Funny Stuff! I can look carefully at the spelling of a word
and make a picture of the word in my mind to remember the
correct spelling and to help me correct the spelling if the word looks
funny. If the spelling of the word looks funny, I can try different
allowable spellings for a part of the word that doesn’t look right.

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Decoding & Reading Fluency

Section
3 Reading
Short Vowels
Learning Objectives: 1) improve word decoding; 2) develop reading fluency;
Lesson 21
3) reinforce the link between reading and spelling.

Short Vowel e Sound

as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Display the Lesson 21 keyword picture with allowable spellings. Say, “In this
activity you will use what you know about sounds, letters, and words to correctly read
words with the short vowel e sound – / ε / – as in bed (point to the keyword picture).”
2. Show students how to insert a page of their books (begin with the title page)
inside the plastic sheet protector.
Activity Materials
3. Say, “I’ll read this page aloud. I want you to follow along and listen carefully to each
• Lesson 21 keyword word. If you hear the / ε / sound in a word, use your marker to draw a line under the letter
picture with or letters that spell the / ε / sound. If you need help finding the letter or letters that spell
allowable spellings the short vowel e sound in a word, look here (point to the allowable spellings).” Slowly read
(in cloud) the page, pausing briefly between each word to allow students time to think about
• Display equipment the sounds in the words and to mark the words. Challenge students to identify all
the words on the page that have the short vowel e sound.
• Central work area
4. When students have finished, ask them to share the words they found. Sound
• Grade-level reading
out the words, one sound at a time, as you write them on the central work area.
books* Underline the letter or letters that spell the short vowel e sound as you
• Plastic sheet pronounce the vowel sound. You may choose to have students add these words
protectors to their notebooks.
• Dry erase markers 5. Ask one student to read the page aloud. Then say, “Now I want everyone to erase
the underlines they made and turn to the next page in the book so that we can hunt for
and erasers
more letters.”
6. Repeat steps 3–5 for each page in the book.
7. If time allows, ask students to take turns reading the entire book aloud, beginning
with the title page. Use the reading strategies listed below to facilitate accurate
decoding and fluency.
• Direct students to read as if they were telling the story to a very young child
to facilitate natural expression and fluency.
• Assist individual students, as needed, by reading aloud “puzzle words”
(i.e., words used in the story that are phonetically irregular or have letter-
sound correspondences that may be unfamiliar to students).
• Model decoding of non-puzzle words using slow-motion talking, which
requires blending one sound into the next with no pause between sounds
(e.g., / lleeetss / for “let’s”). Be sure to pronounce words naturally after
decoding them.
• Do NOT allow students to “guess and go”, which is the process of guessing
the identity of a word after decoding only the first letter(s) of the word. If this
happens, tell students to look at all of the letters in the word.
• Re-read the story, if possible, to maximize student exposure to words spelled
with the short vowel e sound and to provide additional guidance and
feedback. (You might want to assign repeated readings as homework.)
* Let’s Send Ken and Where
Have You Been My Friend? (in
cloud Reading Library) are
recommended. If using other
books, select ones in which the
text includes multiple instances
of the target spelling pattern.

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
 SPELL-Links Class Links
Connected Writing

Section
3 Writing
Short Vowels
Learning Objective: 1) improve spelling of the short vowel e sound in connected
Lesson 21 writing.

Short Vowel e Sound

as in bed, head Activity Directions
1. Say, “Let’s talk about the story we read.” Ask simple questions related to the story
(see sample questions). When finished say, “Now take out your notebooks so you
can write about the story.”
2. Display the Lesson 21 writing support chart. Point to the appropriate sections on
the chart as you say, “In this writing activity you will use the strategies, allowable
Activity Materials spellings, and spelling rule you have learned to help spell words with the short vowel e –
• Lesson 21 writing / ε / – sound.”
support chart (in cloud) 3. Briefly review the strategies, allowable spellings, and the spelling rule. Then
• Display equipment point to the writing support chart and say, “If you need help spelling a word during
the next part of this activity, look here.”
• Central work area
• Grade-level reading 4. Ask the same story-related questions, pausing after each to allow students time
to write. You may choose to require students to write responses using phrases or
books* complete sentences. Encourage students to verbally rehearse before writing.
Sample Questions** Remind students to focus on the correct spelling of the short vowel e sound as
they write their responses.

What are the
5. As students write their responses, remind them to use their strategies when
names of the main
writing. For example, you might say, “Don’t forget to ‘Sound It Out’. Be sure to
characters? ‘Listen Up’. Maybe you can ‘Use Rhyme This Time’.” Monitor student writing and

What is the setting note words that contain misspellings of the short vowel e sound. Write any
(time and place) of misspelled words on the central work area and underline the letter(s) used to
spell this vowel sound. If you do not find any misspellings of the short vowel e
the story?
sound, the activity is finished.

What happened at
6. When students finish their writing, point to a word on the central work area and
the beginning of the say, “Here is a word that was not spelled correctly. This is the word ____.” Then ask,
story? “Which strategy or strategies can help you to correctly spell this word?” Discuss the

What are some misspelling and the strategy or strategies that can be used to correctly spell the
highlights from the word. After, erase the misspelled word and write the correctly spelled word on the
central work area. Repeat this step for all misspelled words.
middle of the story?

What happened at 7. Say, “Now write the correctly spelled words in your notebooks and underline the letter or
letters that correctly spell the / ε / sound in each word.”
the end of the
story?

**Sample questions for recommended SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing titles:

Let’s Send Ken Where Have You Been My Friend?

What does Ken get sent when he What do the friends do together?
is upset? Where do they eat breakfast?
Where can you go on a jet? What does the boy ask the girl?
* Let’s Send Ken and Where What does it mean to be a pest? What do you like to eat for breakfast?
Have You Been My Friend? (in What is a jest? What do you like to talk about with your
cloud Reading Library) are What is text? friends?
recommended. If using other
books, select ones in which the
text includes multiple instances
of the target spelling pattern.

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 © 2009, 2014, 2017 Learning By Design, Inc. [Link]
S P E L L - L I N K S C L A S S L I N K S B O O K 1

Appendix
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing book titles
aligned with lessons in SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1.

SPELL-Links
Class Links Lesson SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing Book Titles*

1 At the Zoo
A Job at the Zoo

2 On the Bus
Fun on a Bus

20 In the Van
Can a Giraffe Laugh?

21 Let’s Send Ken

Where Have You Been My Friend?

22 Timid Tim
Build It, Lift It

23 On the Job
In the Car We Are

24 What…
Come at Once

3 Let’s Run for Fun

Lop Rabbit & Red Robin

4 Hot With No Hat

It’s a Quiz

* located in the SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 Companion Cloud reading library
 [Link] [Link]

Written by j. m. skylar

Short Vowel e Sound

correlated with Lesson 21
Decodable, sequenced book

SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing

I’m Ken.
I’m Ken.

Let’s Send Ken Let’s Send Ken

Fold 1

Fold 1

License to copy and use this material for instructional purposes only
has been granted to the person holding documented proof of
purchase of Class-Links Book 1 and to their legal assignees. All other
Correlation:
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing use is a violation of the law.
Fold 2

Fold 2

Lesson 21
Short Vowel e Sound © 2015 Learning By Design, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
11 2
Fold 2
Fold 2

when Ken is fed, when Ken is set,

Fold 1
Fold 1
let’s send Ken off to bed. Let’s send Ken,
Good night
12 1
3 10

let’s send Ken on a jet. Let’s send Ken,

Fold 1

Fold 1

Let’s send Ken, let’s send Ken a jest in text.

Fold 2

Fold 2

4 9
5 8

when Ken’s upset, when Ken’s a pest,

Fold 1

Fold 1

let’s send Ken seven pets. Let’s send Ken,

Fold 2

Fold 2

6 7
 [Link] [Link]

Written by j. m. skylar

Short Vowel e Sound

correlated with Lesson 21
Decodable, sequenced book

SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing

Been My Friend? Been My Friend?

Where Have You Where Have You

Fold 1

Fold 1

License to copy and use this material for instructional purposes only
has been granted to the person holding documented proof of
Correlation: purchase of Class-Links Book 1 and to their legal assignees. All other
SPELL-Links to Reading & Writing
use is a violation of the law.
Fold 2

Fold 2

Lesson 21
Short Vowel e Sound © 2015 Learning By Design, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
1 12

my friend? my friend?
Where have you been, When can I see you next,

Fold 1

Fold 1

I’m happy to see you again,

I’m happy to see you again! my friend!
Fold 2

Fold 2

2 11
9 4
Fold 2
Fold 2

I kept the pets in the pen. Breakfast is set in the den.

Fold 1
Fold 1
Let’s have breakfast,
So the pets can’t get in the my friend.
den. So the pets can’t have
any bread.
10 3
7 6
Fold 2
Fold 2

he said. “I will have this instead.”

“Do you have any pets?” “No, no bread,” he said.
Fold 1
Fold 1
“I have many pets,” I said. “Go ahead, my friend,”
I said. “Any bread for
you, my friend?”
8 5
 Book 1 - Prerequisites Checklist

Student Name ______________________________________ Date ___________________

SPELL-Links Class Links Book 1 activities are appropriate for students who are
acquiring or have mastered, as noted, the following skills:

Letter-name knowledge (prerequisite: MASTERED)

□ Does student correctly name all 26 letters, upper and lower case, when presented out of
alphabetic order?

Letter writing / formation of alphabet letters (prerequisite: MOSTLY MASTERED)
□ Is student able to write most alphabet letters, upper and lower case, in a recognizable form?

Early phonological awareness (concept of spoken word, ability to segment spoken
words into syllables, awareness of word rhyme, ability to isolate and identify sounds
in words)
□ Is the student able to correctly segment (by clapping, tapping, counting, etc.) spoken
sentences into words? (prerequisite: MASTERED)
□ Is the student able to segment (by clapping, tapping, counting, etc.) most spoken words
containing 1-2 syllables into the correct number of syllables? (prerequisite:

EMERGING)
□ When presented with a spoken word, is the student able to say two or more rhyming words?
(prerequisite: MOSTLY MASTERED)
□ When presented with a spoken / CVC / word, is the student able to identify, by saying,
the first sounds in the word (e.g., “What sound do you hear at the beginning of ‘cat’?”
student response: / k /)? (prerequisite: EMERGING)

Basic concept knowledge (left/right, above/below, over/under, top/bottom, first/last,
now/then, etc.)
□ Does the student demonstrate understanding of these concepts with physical
manipulation of objects (e.g., “Put the block on the left side of your desk”) and with paper
and pencil (e.g., “Draw a line under the letter ‘p’ on your paper.”)?
(prerequisite: MOSTLY MASTERED)

Ability to follow 1-2 step oral directions
□ Is the student able to independently and correctly follow 1 step oral directions (e.g.,
“Underline the word”) and 2 step oral directions (e.g., “Say the sounds and touch the
matching letters”)? (prerequisite: MOSTLY MASTERED)