Riggs

Today we began Riggs. Riggs is more than simply spelling. It is a systematic way to analyze words, understand the English language, explore dialects, and learn to love the language we use on a daily basis. Each day all students at Cascade use the Riggs methodology to learn approximately 6 new words introduced by the teacher. They also apply this methodology to thousands of words that they encounter in their own writing and in the books they read.

In 7th grade we get 6 new words a day. In order to meet the needs of all learners, students are placed into 3 groups, based on their latest spelling assessment. The group they are placed in determines what they are responsible for each day.

Everyone is responsible for engaging in the analysis of all six words as they are introduced in class.
Everyone is responsible for writing all six words down in their Riggs book with markings so that the words can be easily decoded.
Everyone is responsible for using all six words in sentences that meet the rules outlined in their Riggs book.
Group 1 is responsible for writing the first two words, three times each for homework.
Group 2 is responsible for writing the first four words, three times each for homework.
Group 3 is responsible for writing all six words, three times each for homework.
Everyone takes the spelling test every day. Students should attempt every word. They will only be scored on the words they were responsible for practicing. Students will receive a 3 on the scoring rubric when they are consistently spelling the first 4 words correctly each day.

Student levels will be reevaluated every month when we take our Orthography test. The purpose of the different levels is to provide practice with words that are just hard enough to challenge each individual student. This will allow them to use the skills they are learning without being overwhelmed. As the skills become second nature, they will being working with more difficult words.

If you have any questions about this, please let me know!