Words Their Way Classroom

Words Their Way Classroom is a supplemental phonics practice program for grades K-5, built around word sorting. It was developed by Donald Bear, Marcia Invernizzi, Francine Johnston, Shane Templeton and Lori Helman, and is published by Savvas Learning Company.

Students work at one of five developmental stages, so each child practices at the level they are ready for. In the earliest stage, picture and sound sorts help children who are still learning the alphabet sort pictures by beginning consonant sound. Later stages move to word sorts by sound-spelling pattern, vowel sound and syllable pattern, and the scope and sequence works through all six syllable types of English with open and closed sorts.

Sorts come in hands-on and digital versions, including drag-and-drop activities, and the program also uses letter and writing sorts. Savvas positions it as extended practice for skills already taught: phonology, sound-symbol association, morphology and syllabication. It is meant to run alongside a core reading or foundational-skills program rather than replace one.

For families, the sorting routine is simple to repeat at home once a child has been placed at the right stage. It is sold to schools and districts through Savvas Learning Company, which took over Pearson's K-12 programs. There is no consumer homeschool bundle on the Savvas site, so families buying for home use should contact Savvas or look for the student and teacher editions through used-curriculum sellers.