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- Subjects:Literacy, Phonics, Word Recognition, Spelling, Vocabulary, Teacher Tips and Strategies
- Skills:Phonics, Spelling, Vocabulary
My November Top Ten List: Word Study in Action
- Grades: 3–5
I've had many teachers ask about the word study program in my classroom, but have been hesitant to share until now because it is still a work in progress. My teaching partner and I evaluated many different spelling programs and resources looking for the "perfect" model, but nothing provided us with a totally comprehensive word study curriculum. And so we decided to create our own word study program that would incorporate word recognition, vocabulary, and phonics, as well as spelling.
READ ON to find out how students are introduced to new spelling patterns each week, take part in literacy activities in which they gain more exposure to the patterns, and practice making and sorting words. You will find word study games and activities to download, resources and templates for creating your own word lists, and a video that provides a detailed look at our word study program in action. (Hint, the video appears as a tiny player so just click on the "expand screen" icon at the bottom of the screen, second from last icon.)
Parents were very used to the weekly spelling tests that our school favored, but research shows students often memorize words for a test and then promptly forget them. Assigned spelling lists often require students to study isolated words rather than the phonics, the sounds that letters make within the words.Therefore, we tried to create a program that does not completely abandon weekly lists, but emphasizes opportunities for students to investigate and understand the patterns in words and build word knowledge that can be applied to both reading and spelling. In this post, I share the two-year process we went through to create our program and give you an overview of what word study looks like in our classroom. (While I teach 3rd grade, this post is not specific to a particular grade level.)
Word Study in Action
The video above will give you an overview of what word study looks like in our classroom, but the top ten list that follows offers a more detailed look at each component of the program and includes sample word lists, game templates, and center activities.
1. Using Inventories to Determine Students' Stage of Spelling Development
We find it important to assess our students before jumping into our word study at the beginning of the school year. In our classroom, we give two different types of spelling inventories to gain information about each student's developmental spelling stage and also to determine where we will start with whole-class instruction.
Words Their Way Elementary Inventory: We administer the Words Their Way Spelling Inventory during the first week of school. I like this inventory because it provides the teacher with specific information about each student's knowledge and application of specific orthographic features. For example, in the inventory below, I can tell the student has mastered short vowels and consonant blends, but needs more work on "within word patterns," etc. This student falls in the "within word pattern" developmental stage of spelling. We use the information from this assessment to plan strategy groups and also to determine where to begin with our whole class instruction/yearlong spelling program. (If we find that most students have already mastered initial consonant blends, we will skip that unit and address it in strategy groups with the few students who need more practice.)
High Frequency Word Inventories: While the Words Their Way assessment is great for obtaining knowledge about students' ability to apply common spelling patterns, it does not provide information about their ability to spell words outside of common spelling patterns and words that they will likely use in their everyday writing. During the first two weeks of school, we divide students into two to three groups according to their estimated spelling stage (based on the Words Their Way Inventory and on recommendations from their teachers from the previous year) and administer high frequency word inventories using the list 1200 high utility words. (The words are listed in the order of their frequency of use in everyday writing.) Some of our 3rd graders are given the first 100, and others start at 200 or even 300.
When we correct their tests, we highlight only the words that they were able to spell correctly on a recording sheet in their word study folder. Students will use this list throughout the school year to create weekly individualized high frequency word lists containing the words they spelled incorrectly on the assessment. We try to give students at least 200 words during the first two weeks of school (broken up into short testing sessions) so that they have enough misspelled words for their weekly lists. (Many students will need additional testing later in the year when they run out of misspelled high frequency words.)
Download high frequency word lists in sets of 100:
1–100 101–200 201–300 301–400 401–500 501–600 601–700
2. Creating a Yearlong Plan
We used a variety of resources to determine the spelling patterns that a typical student should master in 3rd grade. Fountas and Pinnell provide a plan in their book Word Study Lessons: Grade 3 that contains a word study continuum with a suggested order for teaching common spelling patterns. My teaching partner and I looked at this and then determined a specific plan for our 3rd grade class. Download 3rd Grade Word Study Overview
After a few weeks of administering inventories and learning about your students' spelling stages, you may find that your students still need more practice with spelling patterns. Typically, some of our students are still in the late letter-name alphabetic stage, and others are already in the syllables and affixes stage. The majority, however, seem to start the year somewhere in the within word pattern stage. (Read more about the stages of spelling development.) Since it seemed overwhelming to start students at different units within our yearlong plan, we chose to differentiate our program by having a regular list and a challenge list for each unit. That way we can challenge the students who need more difficult words, but still focus on a common spelling pattern for our whole-class instruction.
3. Making Word Lists
There are many different opinions when it comes to weekly spelling tests. We know that students do not master spelling patterns or become good spellers by memorizing words each week, but many parents like having weekly lists to study at home because they want to feel that they play a role in helping their children become better spellers. We tried to strike a balance when creating our program. We do give students a weekly list of ten words that follow the pattern we are studying. They can use the list to compare and contrast spelling patterns, and we can use it in vocabulary activities. However, our word study activities in class do not require students to simply focus on these assigned words, but contain a wide variety of words that follow the pattern we are studying for the week. Also, the final test includes ten additional words that students are not assigned. This helps us assess how well students can apply the spelling pattern to new words.
Once we determined our yearlong plan, my teaching partner and I began creating word lists for each week. This was a time-consuming task because we needed to come up with 40 words for each week.
Below is a description of how we create a word list for a single unit.
Ten Pretest Words: We first choose ten words that follow the pattern we will be introducing for the week. Students who are able to spell at least nine out of ten words correctly on the practice test receive the assigned challenge words for the week and the others receive the regular list.
Twenty Assigned Pattern Words: All students are given ten words to study for the week that follows the weekly patterns. However, we create both a challenge list and a regular list. The regular list contains ten words that follow the patterns in a basic way. The challenge list contains words that follow the patterns, but are more complex. For example, when studying long a words, the regular list might have the word brake, and the challenge list might have the word hesitate. Both words have the "magic e" pattern, but they fall into different stages of spelling development.
Ten New Pattern Words: We also choose ten pattern words that the students are not given ahead of time to study. These words are unknown to the students until the day of the test, but they have been exposed to them during the lesson and during word study center activities. This part of the test shows whether or not students are truly able to apply the weekly spelling pattern to new words that they were not just able to memorize. We tend to choose words similar in difficulty to the regular pattern word list.
Additional Words for Center Activities: We use all of the words from the 40 described above when creating games and other word study center activities, but we also include many other words that follow the weekly pattern that may not be on the list. The goal is not for students to just learn how to spell specific words, but to expose them to as many words as possible that follow the patterns. In doing so, students can compare and contrast the words and begin to internalize the way certain letters work together to make specific sounds in words that share a common pattern.
Where Do We Get the Words? We use a variety of resources to help us create our word lists including Words Their Way, the Words Their Way: Word Sorts series (with different books for each stage of spelling), Fountas & Pinnell's Word Study Lessons, and the First School Years Web site, which provides words lists for a variety of common patterns.
As this is a work in progress, I am just sharing the process we used to create the lists, not the actual lists themselves. Also, I believe that creating your own lists is the best way to most thoroughly "own" your word study program and create activities that are specific to the patterns you are teaching.
4. Word Study Folder
It is important for students to have a place to organize all of their word study materials. We use a duo-tang folder to hold the following resources:
Word Study Notebook: Students keep a small notebook in the front pocket of their folder. They use this notebook to write the five high frequency words they will be studying each week.
High Frequency Word Lists: In the middle of the folder, students have their highlighted high frequency word lists. When their corrected tests are returned to them, they highlight the high frequency words that they spelled correctly. When they make their new list for the week, they choose the next five words that are not highlighted. (Remember, words that are not highlighted are words that they spelled incorrectly on the high frequency word inventory at the beginning of the year.)
Words to Learn List: Students rewrite any pattern word that is spelled incorrectly on their test on this page. This ensures that misspelled words are not ignored. Every so often, students will have a week in which their entire spelling list is made up of these misspelled pattern words from their "Words to Learn" list.
Word Study Center Recording Sheets: Students keep all of their word study center recording sheets in the back pocket of their folder. Every couple of weeks, students staple these sheets together and turn them in to be corrected.
5. Week at a Glance
Once your yearlong plan is in place, your weekly lists are created, and you have completed your individual inventories, it's time to implement your word study program. We usually do not begin our first unit until the third week of school. Each week follows the same routine as described below.
Monday: Every Monday a new spelling pattern is introduced during a 30 minute lesson. Before the pattern is introduced, students take a pretest to assess their ability to apply the pattern to ten teacher-selected words. All students are then given ten pattern words to study at home. Students who score a 90% or better on the pretest are given more challenging words (that follow the same pattern) for their study list. On Monday they get a word study homework packet that explains the new spelling pattern to parents and describes the related word work activities. Students have all week to work on the packet at home and are asked to return it to school on the following Friday, the day of the weekly test.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday: In school, students rotate though a variety of word study centers, spending 25–30 minutes in each one. The centers help them practice both the pattern-based spelling words and their assigned high frequency words.
Friday: This is the day of the weekly spelling test and when the weekly word study homework packet is to be returned. The tests are corrected and returned to students so that they can record any misspelled words on their "Words to Learn" list and highlight any high frequency words that they spelled correctly. (Read more about this in #8: "The Weekly Test.")
6. Introducing New Patterns
A 30 minute lesson introduces students to a new pattern at the beginning of every week. This lesson is similar in format to a Reading Workshop mini-lesson. I first introduce the pattern and give examples of words that follow the pattern. Students then take part in a guided exploration that is similar to the "active engagement" component of a Reading Workshop mini-lesson. During this time, words are often sorted by pattern, and the different patterns are compared and contrasted. I often use my SMART Board to teach the lesson since it allows me to easily manipulate words while studying word parts and using word parts to make new words. All students bring a dry-erase lapboard and marker to the carpet so that they can be directly involved in making words and sorting words by pattern during the lesson. Download a sample long e lesson I created on the SMART Board this year.
7. Word Study Centers
Three days a week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), students go to word study centers in groups of four to six. Our word study center rotation chart shows students which center they will visit each day, and features a picture of the location in the classroom where the activity or game will be played. The corresponding materials for the games are kept in a large pocket chart next to the rotation chart. The labels on the pocket chart match the labels for the games/activities on the rotation chart so that students can easily find the materials they need each day.
We have personally created almost all of the games and activities that are directly related to the patterns for each week. Each game or activity also has a recording sheet so that students are writing words that follow the different patterns as often as possible. It takes some time, but creating your own activities allows you to have them match the exact patterns you are teaching and to differentiate them to accommodate students who may need to be challenged. We have also purchased games, templates, and word sorts from professional books. Following are some resources, including sample game boards, that can be used and altered to match the patterns you're practicing with your students.
Long Vowel Word Race: We use this game for all of the long vowel units. We just change the words on the game board each week to correspond to the different vowel patterns for long a, e, i, o and u. This game is great because it is a creative way to sort words that share a common long vowel pattern. It gives students exposure to many words and helps them begin to recognize general "rules" for applying certain patterns to words. (For example, students learn that ay tends to be used most often when the long a sound is at the end of a word.)
Download Long a Race Track Game Board Download Long a Race Track Word Cards Download Recording Sheet and Directions
Long Vowel Dominoes: This game helps students compare and contrast the different patterns that can be used to make the long vowel sounds. The recording sheet requires students to record the word matches they make so that they are matching up words that share a common pattern. To create, I simply purchased dominoes and attached address labels to them. (You may need to trim the labels to fit the dominoes.)
Download long vowel domino labels, game directions, and recording sheets (WinZip file).
"Trash or Treasure?" (Long Vowel Word Sort): This activity can be used to sort words for a variety of patterns, but we choose to use it for our long vowel units. It is basically a picture sort. Inside a mini treasure chest is a collection of pictures that all have common long vowel sounds. In the photo of the activity shown here, all of the pictures are long a words that fall into one of the long a patterns: a_e, ai, ay, eigh. The words are actually written on the back of the pictures, but students are asked to look at the word AFTER they make a spelling prediction for the object shown on the picture. The word is then added to the correct column on the recording sheet. The game is called "Trash or Treasure?" because students will also find five words that are not long a words that must be recorded in the "trash" column.
Download long a "Trash or Treasure" recording sheet and long a word sort pictures.
Spin-a-Word (Prefix Word Building Game): This game is created by attaching both of the game board files (see links below) to create a 2x2 game board. In this game, students build new words using prefixes and root words. The recording sheet also emphasizes vocabulary development as students must use the words they make in a sentence to show that they understand how a prefix changes the meaning of a word. You will need to create a prefix spinner with the prefixes mis-, pre-, re-, un-, dis-, and de- to play the game. This game can be altered and used for suffixes as well. (You would just need to change the root words and create a suffix spinner.)
Download spin-a-word game board top & spin-a-word game board bottom (The Print Shop files). Download Prefix Spin a Word Recording Sheet (MS Word).
SMART Board Games: There are already tons of online games and activities for so many common spelling patterns, especially on the SMART Exchange. However, you can also create your own! I learned that any board game I have created using The Print Shop can be exported as a JPEG and then inserted into a SMART Board notebook. Below you can see how I took my spin-a-word prefix game and turned it into a SMART Board interactive game board. I just had to add an interactive spinner. I also converted a Candy Land center game (used for practicing initial consonant blends) to a SMART Board game.
Download spin-a-word SMART Notebook file and Candy Land SMART Notebook file.
Resources for Word Study Center Games, Activities, & Word Sorts:
Words Their Way: This book includes game board templates and tons of word sort activities. It also comes with a CD that allows you to easily print word cards and to alter games to make them fit the skills you are teaching.
Words Their Way: Sort Books: This series features words sorts for every developmental stage of spelling. The sorts can be easily copied onto card stock, cut into separate word tiles, and laminated, so they can be reused.
Scholastic Teacher Store: Here you will find many teacher resource books that contain "ready to use" word study center activities and games.
ReallyGoodStuff: If you have money to spend and no time to make your own games, this Web site has some great phonics games!
Lakeshore Learning: This Web site has a variety of interactive games and materials that can be used for your word study centers.
Online Games: Megan Power, my fellow Top Teaching blogger, put together this list of awesome online activities that students can play on individual computers or on an interactive whiteboard during word study center time.
8. The Weekly Test
Administering the Test: On Friday, students take the final test to assess their knowledge and application of the patterns they studied during the week. Since they have different words, students either write a #1 on the top of their test, if they are receiving the regular words, or a #2 on their test for the challenge words. The test is given in the following order:
• Assigned Pattern Words: The teacher first gives the assigned pattern words, going back and forth between the regular list and the challenge list (e.g., "Group #1, your first word is snow. Group #2, your first word is burrow").
• New Pattern Words: Next, all students are given ten words that follow the weekly pattern that they were not able to study. These ten words help us determine how effectively each student is able to apply the spelling pattern to new words.
• High Frequency Words: For the last section of the test, students give their word study notebook to their assigned spelling buddy. Their notebook should have a sticky note marking the page where the student wrote his or her five high frequency words for the week. The buddy reads the words to his or her partner, and the students must use the words in a sentence. This ensures that they are not only able to spell the word, but they also know the meaning of the word and can use it in context. (This is important because there are so many homophones in the high frequency word lists.) Download final test template.
Post-Test Spelling Work: The corrected tests are on the students' desks when they arrive at school on Monday morning, and they complete the following tasks for their morning work:
• High Frequency Word Highlighting: Any of the high frequency words that are spelled correctly on their test are highlighted in the students' word study folder. If they misspell a high frequency word, they do not get to highlight the word (and it will be on their high frequency word list the following week).
• Make New High Frequency Word List for Following Week: Students then take the next "unhighlighted" high frequency words from their individualized HF word list and create a new list of five words in their Word Study Notebook inside their folder.
• Record Misspelled Pattern Words: Students add any pattern words that they missed on the test to their "Words to Learn" list in their word study folder. During short weeks, we have students create spelling lists made up entirely of words they have missed earlier in the year that are on this list. This ensures that misspelled words are not ignored.
9. Word Study Homework
I am not a teacher who uses many worksheets or assigns busy work in my classroom. That is why the phrase "word study packet" initially made me cringe. However, I do feel that what we do in class needs to be reinforced at home. Parents often find spelling to be one thing with which they can confidently provide assistance, so this homework packet is a direct link between our teaching and parent involvement at home. The packet goes home on Monday and is returned to class on Friday, the day of the weekly test. Our word study packet contains three parts:
Cover Letter: The cover letter explains the new patterns to the parents and often gives them specific examples of words that follow (and do not follow) the patterns. The cover letter also lists the ten assigned words they will study at home (regular or challenge list). Students also copy down the five high frequency words that they are studying for the week from their word study notebook so that they can also study them at home.
Download sample parent letter
Pattern Work: The first section of the homework packet is not specific to the assigned words that the student is studying for the week. Instead, this section often features an exploratory word-building activity or a word sort using words that follow the patterns we are studying in class for the week. Download the long a homework sample you see below.
Tic-Tac-Toe: This section allows students to practice their assigned pattern words and their individualized high frequency words. We create many activities that encourage students to focus on the meaning of words so that we also promote vocabulary development. When creating our word study tic-tac-toe activity sheets, students are asked to do any three activities in a row. We try to have rows that include a wide variety of activities that require students to use multiple intelligences and to also use their assigned words in the context of writing.
Download sample tic-tac-toe homework.
10. Strategy Groups & Differentiation
While having a regular list and challenge list allow us to differentiate one small component of our word study program, it is important to make sure that we meet the needs of students on a daily basis. When creating word study center activities, we often make two versions so that students who are assigned the challenge list for the week are challenged when playing the games and doing the word sort activities.
Strategy Groups: These small groups are also a way for us to meet the needs of those students who are falling through the cracks. No matter how thorough my lessons and how purposeful and engaging the games and activities, there will always be some students who need direct instruction and additional guided practice with the teacher. We work with these students both individually and in small groups during center time to ensure that they are able to apply what they are learning to their everyday spelling. Of course this word work is often directly related to reading, so Reading Workshop is another time when we may teach strategy group lessons that are related to the word study concepts we are studying in class.
Record Keeping: We also keep careful track of students' scores on the "new pattern words" section of the test each week. As you can see in the chart below, we highlight students who spell fewer than 70% of the pattern words correctly. This allows us to quickly create strategy groups of students who struggle with common patterns and prevents us from allowing students to just "move on" when they are obviously not secure with patterns taught in a specific unit. This sheet is great to use for writing detailed report card comments and for sharing with parents at parent-teacher conferences.
These sample sheets do not contain information about our actual students.
I know we haven't created a "perfect" word study program, but it is one that my teaching partner and I have found to be effective with our students over the past two years. With that said, we are constantly looking for ways to improve upon and add to our word study program. I welcome all feedback and questions you may have!
Comments (339)
I am wondering if you would email me a copy of your student "spelling inventory" sheets that match up to the "1200 High Frequency Words" list? It would be wonderful to have a pre-made sheet to record their answers on.
Hi Beth,
I am wondering if you would share/post your student "spelling inventory" sheets that match up to the "1200 High Frequency Words" list? It makes it so much easier for students to have a pre-made sheet to record their answers on.
When I click on the 1200 high utility words link, it says it's not available. Is there a way I could get those words please? I need words 800-1200. Thank you
Do you have the spelling inventories test sheets for the high frequency word lists that you could email me? Thanks! firstname.lastname@example.com
Do you have the spelling inventories test sheets for the high frequency word lists that you could email me? Thanks! firstname.lastname@example.com
The link to the 1200 high utility words is not working. Are you able to check this? Thanks so much for this post!
Hi Leanne, I'm wondering if you ever received the 1200 list? It's still not working and I'd love to have them. I thought maybe they had answered your question last fall.
I LOVE this way of doing word study! The high frequency lists are a huge help! I am having some trouble opening the last 2 lists. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Beth,
Wow! I was searching all summer for a spelling program and this was an incredible post!
I am wondering if you would share/post your student "spelling inventory" sheets that match up to the "1200 High Frequency Words" list? It makes it so much easier for students to have a pre-made sheet to record their answers on.
Thanks for all your wisdom!
I would so greatly appreciate any other downloads for Word Study Folder. If you are willing to share parent letters and lists as well, I would greatly appreciate it. I have followed you for years! You are absolutely amazing. I do your classroom economy in my classroom every year! My kids love it!! My email is email@example.com
Heather Coon
Decatur, Alabama
Benjamin Davis Elementary Magnet School
2nd Grade
Thank you for all of these wonderful resources!
I have been looking for another resource for word lists and believe that the high frequency word lists are exactly what I am looking for. However, the links for words 501-600 and 601 to 700 do not point to a document but a zip drive. When I tried to find the document therein, I was not able to find either. Can you please update and/or modify these links?
Thanks for the WONDERFUL resource!!! Simply amazing. You and your teaching partner obviously put a lot of thought and work into this Word Study program...kudos to you both. I am unable to open the game board files. Do you have them available in another format by chance?
Thanks in advance,
This sounds like a fantastic program. I'm just wondering if you are willing to share your word lists. My email is email@example.com
Hi Beth! This is just what I've been working towards and will help my students. You continue to mentor me, and many teachers! Thank you for sharing your expertise with all of us! Hope everything is going great!
I dont know if it is too late for this to be read, but does anyone have 3rd or 4th grade word lists? This program sounds amazing but I just dont have the time to come up with all the lists. Any sharing (paid or unpaid) would be so helpful!
I have a question about the HF word lists - what do you do with student who spell really well? I have students who are always scoring 95% or better on the HF word lists. Two in particular are already into the 700's. Each list gives them about 3-5 words, which, of course, they spell correctly on the test. Basically, they go through a HF word list every week. Testing them seems so laborious. Last week, one of the students said, "Ugh, I got all of them right?" We realized that's NOT the way to be thinking about spelling correctly.
I'm implementing portions of your program this year - slow and steady. I struggle to find as much time as you must have without sacrificing science or history - I would to see a weekly schedule for your class to see if I'm missing a way to fit all of the programs into the week.
One strategy I have used is to do the tests on Thursday, so the students receive the results back Friday morning. Then, we go through your Monday work on Friday, so the students have the weekend to give some of this a try. My tests results improved when I gave the students the weekend to start studying.
Your program well structured and is the best program I've seen because it balances HF with patterns, has differentiation opportunities, and tests students on the "pattern" as much as the word.
Thank you so much for putting this out. It has been so helpful, and I feel like I've finally found the spelling program that works for my class.
Good evening ,I really enjoyed the video and the hands on activities that were posted on your site. How can I purchase your packet.
THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!! THANK YOU!!! I don't know what else to say! You've alleviated so much angst in my life!!!!
Beth, this is amazing! Clearly you've worked hard to put all the pieces together for a rich and meaningful spelling program. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and experience.
Are you willing to share your "Pre-Test" and "Post-Test" templates that you have created?
Hi everyone! I was thinking the same thing, oh, I WISH I could grab a file that had a bunch of lists like this! I would go and surf around on Teachers Pay Teachers. Maybe even check out the seller called the Teaching Duo....3rd Grade Word Study....I just found it, and I think it will 'neatly' fit (if not perfectly!) this program here!!!
Also, any resources you've found useful with WTW and 1st grade?
How do you come up with your challenge words????
Hi Beth !
I have been a fan of yours for years. I am planning on implementing my own version of your word study program. I am trying to download the last two sets of the high frequency words and it isn't working. Would you be able to email them to me? Also, do you have a parent letter that you use to explain your word study program ?
Thank you so much for your time - Mandy Zabel
Loved this site....new to third grade this year and was hoping your October top ten list connection would be up and running soon, it currently brings you to scholastic home page. Your ideas are so solidly centered around curriculum, innovative, interesting and fun! During times when testing is so prevalent, your site was refreshing! It's bookmarked under favorites! Thank you for sharing!
Hello Beth,
Do you have a letter you send to parents at the beginning of the year explaining your word study program. I'm starting to draft one and thought maybe I don't have to invent the wheel! My word study program is very similar to yours. Thanks!!
Will you be publishing your lists or sharing them at a later times?
Hey Beth have been following you for a while and have taken great inspiration from your ideas and classroom structure. I have been using your blend chart but had computer meltdown and lost the copy. Could you direct me to where I could download it again?
I have struggled with ways to make my spelling/word study program as differentiated and relevant as possible. I love Words Their Way, and one year did not use spelling lists, just word families, and the parents really had a hard time with that! I love how you have figured out how to give the parents a list and still test "application" of the spelling pattern in addition to memorization! I also LOVE the individualized HF word assessment and monitoring. I am moving from first to third grade this year, and look forward to using your system as a basis for my own word study program. Thank you, Beth.
This is manna from heaven! I was really struggling to find a differentiated spelling program in my classroom. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. It was a great help. However, I am having a hard time downloading the links from your article. Whenever I try to access them, they seem to be looping endlessly.
More power!
I can't get the high frequency word list to download on either a Mac or PC. It just "spins" until it times out. Any advice?
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful approach to spelling and word study. I will be using all of your hard work in my classroom next year. You have saved me from having to reinvent the wheel in my own classroom. Many thanks for all of your hard work and dedication!
Really likyour lists of high frequeny words. All of them except list 501-600 and 601-700 open up in Microsoft Word. These two dont open up and I cant access them. Can you please email them to me at firstname.lastname@example.com Thanks
Hi Beth...
Thanks for all the great information you are so eager and willing to share. I was wondering your thoughts on the Print Shop Software you use for the games. Is it worth purchasing to create my own game boards etc. Do you find it useful? Also, I see that you can transfer it to the Smart Notebook Software...is this correct? Is this easy? Any other information about it that you are willing to share would be wonderful! Thanks again...
email: email@example.com
Beth, Can you tell me where you got the sort that you sampled for homework? Would appreciate it immensely. Thanks and Happy New Year!
would you be able to post your letter to parents that you send home at the beginning of the year explaining the word study system
thank you
Dear Beth...I am with Ryann on wanting to know where to find the material to print out or book...the activities you do...PLEASE? Thanks :) Susan
I have been wanting to differentiate my spelling lists, phonics instruction and centers, but wasn't sure how to get started. I, too, have had huge concerns about parents' reactions to not having a spelling list to memorize each week. You have some wonderful ideas that I can't wait to implement. You've given me the confidence and materials to start it. Thank you so much.
I too am greatful for your post!!! I have begun my own system but very similar to yours in my 2nd grade class. And return to it often. But I have come to a speed bump as to what the students can do to work on thier high frequency words since they are so individualized. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. firstname.lastname@example.com
Hi Beth,
Ditto on all great compliments given above. I was wondering if you have a link, or would be willing to share your spelling lists that go with each spelling pattern.
Thank you so much,
Hi Beth! I am brand new to third grade and brand new to this spelling unit you have so amazingly developed! I am hoping you would share the word lists, so it isn't another thing I need to re-create on my own, as this new grade & curriculum keeps me busy 24/7! If you could share, please email me at email@example.com
Thank you!
I have so enjoyed reading your articles! Thank you! You truly put so much into your work. I am a third grade teacher as well. I teach only the lnaguage arts component to 3 groups of third graders each day. I have been using a word wall as well as a word study program but am ready to revamp this year. School has started and we are in the process of administering our "PALs" assessments (VA)which are similar to the Words THeir Way word assessmetns you give. I am delaying starting my word study until this is complete and would like to try your program. I noticed that someone else asked if you would be willing to share your lists, would you? I am working on my own and woudl so appreciate the help in getting started. Thank you for sharing all that you have already!!!
I love the differentiation. How are all these different tests administered? Does the teacher test each child individually based on their high frequency word list and then have them create a sentence with those words in it?
I would appreciate it if you could email me back. Thank you!!
I absolutely love your activities! I have a question. I don't understand how the long vowel dominos work. How many dominoes are used per game? I would like to adapt this game for other word patterns.
Thank you for your inspiration!
Have a great school year.
Hello Beth,
You are such a valuable resource to teachers. Your willingness to share is awesome!
I downloaded and made your Magic "e" Uno game from your literacy center website, but was unable to find the directions. Could you please direct me to where I can find them. Thanks so much!
Wonderful ideas! Thank you SO much : ) I'm revamping word study this year and this is it. I'm looking for poems to use for word study hunting/sorting. Does anyone have a resource?
What version of print shop do you use? I want to be able to download the gameboards, but I am unable to open a ban file. Thanks so much!
Tracey Gates
3rd grade
Help I am unable to access the high frequency word list in sets of 100 any more. Does anyone have the link?
If you use internet explorer you'll be able to print from the link.


text:
Mar 07, 2013
Strategy: Assessing Risk in Your Enterprise Compliance Initiative
Risk is everywhere, and it's especially important to understand risk in regulated environments. Within these environments, however, risk management and compliance sometimes overlap only slightly. The goal is to determine where these overlaps exist and how we can leverage one or the other to streamline the efforts of the organization in achieving practical and functional security.
Indeed, no matter what your compliance project, risk is an important element. Many compliance guidelines require a risk assessment; some require that you reduce risk by implementing specific security technologies or practices. In every case, you must weigh the cost of compliance against the risk of noncompliance. But how do you go about measuring risk in a compliance project? This report offers a look at the various roles that risk plays in compliance and offers some recommendations on how to use risk measurement to support your compliance efforts. (S6650313)
Research Report

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Labour and the Environment: A Natural Synergy
Date: 2007
Creator: Smith, John; Albracht, Gerd; Alves Da Silva, Nilvo Luis; Coninck, Sophie de; Fedetow, Igor; French, Hilary et al.
Description: This report presents examples of tools and practices that promote workers' health and safety as well as environmental protection, public health, and corporate responsibility. Issues include climate change, hazardous materials,
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries
Women and the Environment
Date: 2004
Creator: United Nations Environment Programme
Description: This publication focuses on the gender-related aspects of land, water, and biodiversity conservation and management.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries


text:
Wolves and biodiversity
A recent article presented the grey wolf as a creature with the amazing ability to make intelligent decisions that allows the animal to control and dominate its environment. First of all as a primary predator the wolf does have the ability to control its population to a degree, however, it is very limited control. Within the pack the Alpha male can control numbers by establishing a reproductive hierarchy and eliminating subordinate mating by killing or driving subordinates out of the pack. It is more than likely that subordinate excess animals will leave the pack and establish residency in areas unoccupied by other wolves when threatened. That does not reduce numbers in the population but only serves to spread it out to areas where encounters with humans will increase conflict. The claim that wolves only kill the sick and weak in their prey populations is untrue. Wolves are carnivores. They are opportunistic meat eaters who will take a meal where it turns up. It will take the easiest prey possible and if that happens to be your pet or domestic farm animal so be it. Wolves are wilderness animals that are out of place in much of the U.P. which is occupied by humans and that creates conflict. Wolves will frequently kill for sport or to teach their young and waste the animals they prey on. A wolf hunt in Michigan will not be a wide open season but will target areas where wolf-human conflict have created the need to reduce the animals.
SB 78 is another topic that requires explanation. SB 78 does not attempt to eliminate biodiversity from Michigan. First off you cannot eliminate biodiversity. Biodiversity is the sum total of the flora and fauna in a given ecosystem. It is determined by many factors some of which are human related. Biodiversity is not a process or an agenda as some would have us believe. It is the result of processes or activities both natural and human caused. After listening to the Senate hearings on this topic I am convinced that the majority of witnesses – especially those from the environmental protectionist community – did not know what they were testifying about. They are attempting to use biodiversity to create another hands off set aside which will not allow the development of the resources we need to grow the Upper Peninsula. We have enough set aside programs in Michigan to protect our rare and endangered species. We do not need another. Our senator is acting in the best interest of our citizens with this legislation.
G. Dale McNamee


text:
Topic: Tutorial forum?
If we had forum specifically for aggregating Ruby on Rails tutorials, would anyone be interested in contributing? I'm talking more about actually writing original tuturials as opposed to linking to tutorials out there on the web.
This would be akin to Photoshop forums that often have an area dedicated for people to submit tutorials.
I realize it's a lot to ask of people here, but we've attracted such an awesome bunch of people, I thought I'd throw it out there.
Rails Forum - Rails Jobs


text:
92nd Street Y is where inspiration lives and exploration begins—with a diverse range of classes and programs that let everyone pursue what they love. With innovative, top-notch programs, events and concerts, plus over 4,000 classes taught by today's most talented professionals, 92Y has it all—for all ages and interests.
Events range from literary readings, concerts, lectures, single mixers, events, films, and many more.
From people who inspire a world of ideas to entertainers known the world over, find the best minds, brightest stars and most compelling issues at 92Y!
Where the written word comes to life, giving New Yorkers a literary forum unlike any other.
Learn more about the Unterberg Poetry Center
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Celebrate dance through electrifying performances featuring today's masters as well as emerging new talent.
Take your passion for the performing arts even further.
Learn about the
Ceramics Program
Jewelry Center
Fine Art & Design Program
Learn about the School of Music
Learn about the Harkness Dance Center
Our state-of-the-art complex is where New Yorkers find healthy inspiration. With our 25-yard lap pool, 100 weekly classes, plus expert training and services, we make fitness fun, flexible and fresh.
Learn More
Join the Health, Fitness & Sport eNews
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Learn more about the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life
A welcoming and well-rounded resource, providing Jewish education and shared family experiences that engage children of all ages.
92Y is a special place to celebrate Jewish holidays and days of remembrance.
Where parents and children come to learn, explore, discover and celebrate through programs and shared experiences that embrace every age, and every life stage.
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text:
I am not dumb. Well, not completely dumb. So, yes, I know why ESPN does it. I know that they created this monster, and now they need to hype it to freakin' death so the world eats up every morsel.
They tell US what WE want to see. Our job is to agree.
But if I have to hear about the Miami Heat's daily walkthrough one more time I will lose my freakin' mind. I don't care what LeBron's beard looked like or how shiny Wade's sneakers were or how pink Chris Bosh's tutu was. I don't wanna hear anything more about that team. If the earth were to open up and swallow the whole damn state of Florida whole, I want it to be nothing more than a blurb at the end of the Sportscenter, something like "In other news, the Heat's preseason game was cancelled tonight because everyone in Miami is dead. Next - Brett Favre responds to Rex Ryan!"
The time has come for some serious alternative sports news programming. There's only so much NFL Network I can watch before everything's a repeat.
First off, let me say, that this was another great piece and something I really agree with whole-heartidly.
I am curious though...could an alternative possibly be created? Versus, for as bad as it seems is it least trying to satisfy their audience. Being an open wheel fan, I am happy that they don't obsessively make it about how Danica Patrick is doing, and have old stand by's in Bob Jenkins and Jack Arute covering the race.
It would be refreshing to see ESPN forced to actually have some form of competition. The monster it has become is just amazingly bad, something needs to be done.


text:
Linked by culture, history, and economics, as well as social and family ties, the United States and Mexico enjoy one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. The security and prosperity of our two countries are uniquely bound together, so the challenges that we face from organized crime demand that we work together.
Early in this administration, President Obama and Secretary Clinton recognized the principles of joint responsibility, respect for sovereignty, and partnership in fighting transnational criminal organizations, and asked us to create mechanisms to enable the United States and Mexico to strengthen cooperation between our countries and build institutional capacity.
The U.S.-Mexico Merida High-Level Consultative Group has become the principal mechanism through which our governments collaborate on security issues, including implementing the Merida Initiative. Under the leadership of U.S. Secretary of State Clinton and Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Espinosa, the High-Level Consultative Group met today to review and evaluate the successes of our security efforts and to develop a joint approach for the coming year to strengthen the four areas, or pillars, of cooperation under the Merida framework: Disrupting Organized Criminal Groups; Institutionalizing the Rule of Law; Building a 21st Century Border; and Building Strong and Resilient Communities.
In each of these areas, we are making considerable advances toward greater well-being and security for all our citizens. For example, our enhanced sharing of law enforcement information has led to three dozen drug gang leaders being arrested or killed. Improved coordination between U.S. and Mexican authorities along our border has enabled us to open the first new border crossings in a decade to facilitate legitimate trade and travel -- as we simultaneously make our borders more secure. As we train increasing numbers of Mexican law enforcement officers and increase our engagement with civil society, we support the Mexican government's efforts to be more responsive to public needs and foster dialogue with local communities. Both governments are convinced that the result will be to strengthen the rule of law and respect for human rights, hastening the defeat of the drug gangs.
Today's meeting of the High-Level Consultative Group strengthened understanding among the highest officials of both governments, renewed a shared commitment to achieving long-term solutions, and underscored that the United States and Mexico can only meet these challenges through enhanced engagement and shared responsibility. In my eight years working on the U.S-Mexico bilateral relationship, I have never seen this level of shared vision and commitment to a comprehensive and sustainable solution to this tragic problem. We have a strong partnership that I believe is equal to the challenges we face.
Related Content: Secretary Clinton delivers remarks with Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa before their meeting.
Palgye in South Korea writes:
Mexico's FTA with the United States and Mexico, a country dominated by large corporations personally think that you have created. The forces of darkness, they do not know the rule ... People get rid of jobs, undermining the purchasing power to think. Yireonhan, cases made it difficult to negotiate think. People do not think there is an opportunity to participate and how. Mexico in a small workaround by making people buy things as possible, forcing people to buy? Is thought to be.
PS: In South Korea three times and was rejected. Actually more, but, they all laughed around.
Rebecca in the USA writes:
The illegal drug trade between Mexico and the US, along with the associated violence, is a problem with causes and effects on both sides of the border. If anything can be done to stop or lessen the violence and drug trafficking, it must be a joint effort involving both the governments of the US and Mexico. It's good to see that cooperation between the two countries seems to have already started to have a positive effect.
Monica M. in Wisconsin writes:
Although it is encouraging to see U.S. Secretary of State Clinton and Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations Espinosa representing the United States and Mexico working so well together, I would like to hear more about the fourth pillar of the Merida Initiative: Building Strong and Resilient Communities. In what ways has the Merida Initiative increased engagement with civil society? I do see the increased engagement of civil society as a key element to progressive motion, especially in the effort to help the judicial system defeat corruption.
Also, I would be happy to see integrated into the Merida initiative would be a motion on poverty eradication efforts, since that is what forcing youth to join the drug cartels.
One last question: is there any serious talk between Espinosa and Clinton about putting forth policies to lessen the criminalization of drug use. The Latin American Initiative on Drug and Democracy has supported the idea and it seems that such a radical problem will need a radical solution. I say that the U.S. and Mexico should work together to move away from a zero-tolerance drug policy and promote legislation lessening criminalization of drug use and shifting resources from law enforcement and incarceration to prevention, treatment and harm reduction of drug use.
Karla in the USA writes:
Dialogues like this one to evaluate programs are one of the best ways to go about solving the issues of security on both sides of the border. I believe that if both countries continue to be open during these meetings the security programs are likely to change the current security issues for both the United States and Mexico. Nevertheless, I do believe that this is just one part of the plan that both countries need to develop in order to have a better impact on the issues that currently affect both countries. Another important step is to continue to find ways to create jobs on both sides of the border and social programs in order educate and give citizens another alternative to be able to support their families that is not drug trafficking or other criminal activities.
DipNote Blogger Roberta Jacobson writes:
@ Monica M. in Wisconsin:
Long-term success in the fight against drug trafficking depends on building strong and resilient communities able to withstand the pressures of crime and violence and resist the corrosive influence of transnational criminal organizations.
Through the Merida Initiative's Pillar IV: Building Strong and Resilient Communities, the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are partnering with the Government of Mexico and civil society to increase knowledge of and respect for human rights; strengthen social networks and community cohesion; address the needs of vulnerable populations, particularly youth and victims of crime; and increase community and government cooperation. We are also working collaboratively with the Government of Mexico to reduce the demand for drugs in Mexico, establish a culture of lawfulness within communities, and establish anonymous crime reporting systems.
In these efforts, civil society plays a vital role. NGOs support a strong civil society that promotes a culture of lawfulness and respect for human rights while the private sector is the primary driver of the economic opportunities that create legitimate employment for Mexico's youth. Gainful employment, in conjunction with a culture of lawfulness, is a key determinant in whether or not a young person falls prey to the violent alternative offered by drug cartels. Our governments share these aims and under the Pillar IV framework collaborate with civil society to build the strong and resilient communities that we want and need.
In addition to these efforts, groups like the Mexican American Leadership Initiative and the U.S. Mexico Foundation are working to promote ways in which Mexican Americans can support civil society in Mexico.
The Obama Administration does not support legalization of drugs. Decriminalization increases the availability and acceptability of drugs and jeopardizes public health and safety, while keeping drug use illegal helps deter consumption.
Overall, demand for illegal drugs in the United States has dropped dramatically over the past three decades. Due to sustained and comprehensive efforts to address drug use, the number of Americans using illicit drugs today is roughly half the rate it was in the late 1970s.
We recognize that despite major gains, drug use is still too high. The Obama Administration has requested over $10 billion for drug education and treatment programs for fiscal year 2012 to reduce drug consumption. These efforts will not only make the United States healthier and safer, but will also contribute to Mexico's courageous campaign to defeat criminal organizations that threaten citizens on both sides of our border.
Our government is committed to continued cooperation with the Mexican government and to reducing drug consumption within our borders. Our success will require the support of not only our governments, but also the people of our two countries in defeating violent drug cartels and the human, economic, and social damage they inflict on the communities in which they conduct their illegal activities.
John in Canada writes:
The drug business is all about money, more money and more money. It is that simple. When we create a law that makes something illegal, we now create something of profit for organised crime.
They then make more of the illegal stuff and push it. Why? More money! Our response, tougher penalties! What's next? More money = more product to push = more money. This crap sold on the street costs pennies to produce in most cases.
The drug cartels and organised crime together with the legal system create the profitability and the problems and everything everyone fears is happening anyway– we just pay and pay, no matter if you use drugs or not - someone has to pay taxes for judges, lawyers.......jails = unsustainable = bankrupt public purse.
Drugs are so prevalent, what everyone fears of greater access to the stuff is already happening – it's just costing society a fortune and not just money. Law enforcement can never keep up with the cartels.
Drugs have been around long before the laws but our problems with drugs seem to have appeared with drug laws. So what's the problem – the drugs or the law or both?
Make tomatoes illegal and watch the running gun battles in the street.
Whatever happened to freedom or at least a little common sense?
I bet Americas founding fathers used marijuana as a medicine – is not the declaration of independence written on hemp?
How far liberty has fallen
Just say no to dumb


text: "Michigan has allowed promoters of events to consistently fail to comply regarding the reporting of results and any suspensions from mixed martial arts contests. In addition, Michigan has a repeated record of allowing mixed martial artists to compete regardless of medical or drug suspensions in place. In conclusion, the ABC sees no other option but to ask its over eighty-seven member commissions to bar any fighter with a Michigan address, a Michigan mixed martial arts identification card, or a recent record showing competition in Michigan. Otherwise, member Commissions may not realize the true record of the competitors, the medical status of the competitors, and the suspension history of the competitors."


text:
Article Header
GRESHAM, Ore. - Two Beijing gold medalists were named Male and Female Swimmer of the Meet on the final day of the 2009 Spring Can-Am Swimming Championships in Gresham, Ore.
Based on Can-Am long course performance point charts,
Jessica Long
(Baltimore, Md.) was named Female Swimmer of the Meet and
Roy Perkins
(Del Mar, Calif.) was named Male Swimmer of the Meet.
After an impressive 100 breaststroke (SB7), Long finished with 1,040 points and took home gold in all seven events she swam.
"I wasn't expecting it at all," said Long. "I'm excited to receive it. It's always nice to be selected as Swimmer of the Meet."
The 17 year old won four gold medals at the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games.
For the first time in his swimming career, Perkins was named Male Swimmer of the Meet. The two-time Paralympian broke the world record in 100 butterfly (S5) on the first day of competition and was not far off his world record time in the 50 butterfly (S5).
"I have never been named Swimmer of the Meet before," said Perkins. "I'm excited. I had a good meet."
The 18 year old won gold in the 50 butterfly (S5) and took home the bronze medal in the 100 freestyle (S5) at the 2008 Summer Paralympic Games. Perkins finished with 1,039 points and five gold medals.
Day three meant a third American record for
Joe Wise
(Menlo Park, Calif.).
Wise won his third gold medal of the competition with a record breaking swim in the 1500 freestyle (S10). The 17 year old lowered his own record set at last summer's Can-Am Swimming Championships in Victoria, British Columbia by more than 11 seconds.
"I've been training really hard over the last few months and it feels great to finally lower the record," said Wise. "This meet has been special for me. It's been the best meet I've ever had."
Breaking more records was
Kelley Becherer
(Sheboygan, Wisc.) who lowered her own American record in the 100 backstroke (S13).
"I set that record in Beijing," said Becherer. "I'm surprised I broke it again with how fast the pool was there. I've always wanted to go a 1.10.00 in the event and I finally did it."
Becherer finished the competition with a total of six gold medals including gold in the 100 freestyle (S13). The 18 year old won the bronze medal in the event in Beijing and beat the reigning gold medalist Valérie Grand'Maison
of Montreal.
Philip Scholz
(Mount Sinai, N.Y.) had an impressive final day at the Spring Can-Am. Scholz shattered his own 200 butterfly (S11) American record by more than 10 seconds. The record now stands at 2.40.90.
"It was definitely the highlight of the meet for me," said Scholz of his record breaking performance. "It feels good to lower it. I have really worked for it."
dditional Results
Women's 200m Butterfly (S8) - Amanda Everlove (Witchita, Kan.) - 3.13.28 (1)
Men's 200m Butterfly (S10) - Matthew Lamping (Boynton Beach, Fla.) - 2.34.50 (1)
Women's 50m Breaststroke (SB9) - Anna Johannes - 43.74 (1)
Men's 50m Breaststroke (SB7) - Rudy Garcia-Tolson (Bloomington, Calif.) - 46.49 (1)
Men's 50m Breaststroke (SB9) - Kendall Bailey (La Jolla, Calif.) - 36.63 (1)
Women's 100m Backstroke (S6) - Mallory Weggemann (Eagan, Minn.) - 1.35.47 (1)
Men's 100m Backstroke (S9) - Jarrett Perry (Wichita, Kan.) - 1.07.25 (1)
Men's 100m Freestyle (S8) - Tom Miazga (Cedarburg, Wisc.) - 1.08.78 (1)
Men's 100m Freestyle (S12) - Tucker Dupree (Raleigh, N.C.) - 56.17 (1)


text:
You can browse our entire assortment at your leisure, whenever you like and wherever you are—and shipping is always included. You can also see which style and sizes are in stock at Nordstrom Downtown Seattle. That means if the quality, contemporary pairs you want are in stock, you can choose to buy them online and pick them up in person.
Check out our curated inventory of Vince Camuto women's shoes now.


text:
by Anton Shilov
Intel Corp. is investing $12 million to create a new research center that will explore advanced graphics and visual computing technologies. Opening today, the Intel Visual Computing Institute is located at Saarland University in Saarbrücken, Germany. The investment, to be made over 5 years, represents Intel's largest European university collaboration.
"Intel has collaborated with the world-class researchers at Saarland University in visual computing for a number of years. Given the growing importance of visual computing technology, it made perfect sense to expand our relationship and form this new institute," said Justin Rattner, Intel senior fellow and chief technology officer.
A key mission of the latest member of Intel Labs Europe is to contribute to the company's tera-scale research program, which explores how multiple computing cores will be used to produce higher-performance computing and more life-like graphics.
The Intel Visual Computing Institute will deliver more compelling visual computing applications through the development of new software designs and architectures, visual computing algorithms and parallel computing solutions. The institute will establish a feedback loop to Intel's hardware design labs – including in Barcelona, Spain and Braunschweig, Germany – contributing to future visual computing hardware design. Current research contributions are expected to yield new software tools and hardware insights within just a few years.
The lab will conduct both basic and applied research in realistic, interactive computer graphics and natural user interfaces. By year's end the institute will employ about a dozen researchers from such sources as Intel, Saarland University, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Max Planck Institute for Software Systems and the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence.
One of the new lab's charters is to actively solicit other academic and industry partners to join the research activities over time. The number of research professionals employed is expected to grow by more than five times over the next 5 years and include collaborators from across Europe.
Visual computing, by Intel's definition, is the analysis, enhancement and display of visual information to create life-like, real-time experiences and more natural ways for people to interact with computers and other devices. Applications include games, medical imaging and interactive 3D data models used in areas such as scientific research and financial services. Intel's visual computing vision is to realize computer applications that look real, act real and feel real.


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Sunday, May 11, 2008
Reflections on a Wedding Gig...
I recently did the wedding makeup of a bride, maid of honor, and mother of the bride. Being contracted for wedding makeup is a very intersting experience. I thought I'd share a blow by blow play of my last wedding gig.
Pre-Wedding: For this wedding, I had two timed run throughs on the bride as well as
a run-through on the mom and sister. I also worked with the bride to create looks we thought would suit the bridal party. Fortunately, the clients loved the looks!From there I packed my kit with all the essentials including things you might not think of: altoids and visine.
I also made a face chart for the bride and framed it as a special wedding token.
Talk about early morning wake-up. The wedding location is an hour away, and I was meeting up with my clients in the nearby hotel room they were staying at. So I quickly took a shower, dressed in all black (this looks great in pictures where I'm applying makeup on the bride) and loaded up the car. My roomy was my assistant on this gig and came with me.
7:00 am. Arrived at the hotel..it was kind of scary because it was really rainy and dark on the roads but we made it.
7:00-7:10: I chatted with the bride for a few minutes and set up my supplies including the foundation palettes, blush palette, mixing palette, tissues, etc. I made a lil ziplock baggy with specific products I used for each person in order to be as efficient with time as possible. I also had my brush apron which helps so much to prevent extra clutter. My assistant was armed with paper towels and my brush cleaner.
7:10-7:45: The mother of the bride comes to the hotel room ready to go. For 51 years old, she has amazing skin. It's very smooth and fair and she only has a few wrinkles around her eyes. Putting primer and foundation on her was very easy, it just glided on. To deal with fine lines around the eyes, I added extra Smashbox Photofinish primer on top of her wrinkles after applying the foundation. By concentrating the second coat on problem areas, it filled any lines right up and prevented makeup from unattractively settling into the lines. The lighting was not that great since it was still dark out. Next big gig I'm going to invest in a fold up director's chair and clip on lamp so I can save my back and eyes. Another issue I ran into was picking a lipstick color that was appropriate for older women. I went with a nice rose color and pink gloss in the end, and I she loved it. When doing makeup on others you have to think what looks best on them as opposed to what you might like for yourself. It's also best to avoid dark colors in general on mature skin.
7:45-7:50: I threw away any disposable applicators and cleaned up the work area. Melissa handed me the brushes she had cleaned and I prepared for client #2.
7:50-8:40: The maid of honor/sister sat down. Just a reminder, she is the one who has problems with Psoriasis and Eczema, and is also allergic to talc in makeup. I had done a run-through on her 2 days before and her skin was actually pretty clear. The same can not be said for that morning. She had broken out into patches on her forehead as well as her cheeks and had red all over. This was definitely a challenge. I started out by moisturizing her face with a foundation brush and Cetaphil cleanser. Mind you, I scooped out everything beforehand and put it on my steel palette as to not contaminate my products. The moisturizer was used to make sure her face was smooth enough for the foundation. I then applied primer. From there I added concealer using a dabbing motion to get more coverage. I didn't thin out my cream concealer because we needed max coverage. I then set the concealer with powder and moved to foundation. I used a sponge to apply the foundation so that I could really press it into the skin. From there, instead of setting it off with translucent powder like I usually do, I used my graftobian powder palette to get extra coverage. I then went to the eyes and cheeks and those went according to plan. At the end, I did a dusting of translucent powder and made sure to spritz her with fix plus to prevent the foundation from looking too heavy and cakey. The work paid off because she looked absolutely gorgeous.
8:45 – 9:20: dum dum da dummmm…time for the bride! The bride's skin was nice and clear. She had been strict with her facial regimen and it paid off. I pretty much had a smooth surface to work with. The only thing I had to watch out for was some minor acne scarring and some skin discoloration on her neck. I used two different concealers for this…especially since skin is lighter in the middle of the face for some and darker on the edges. I also added extra primer around where her laugh lines emerged as well as under her eyes. This prevented the makeup from creasing during the day. In doing bridal makeup, you have to find the balance between enough coverage so that it looks good and camera and in person. Everything went according to plan. During our run-throughs we were deciding between a pair of MAC #7 lashes and Wispies. In the end she went with the wispies, which I think was a good choice. I finished everything except for her lips and cheeks. We decided to save these for the wedding venue where a photographer would take a few shots of me doing makeup.
***action shots of me doing her makeup at the hotel
9:30: Arrived at the venue. We had some time to kill since the photographer wasn't ready yet. With that said...my assistant and I turned into mini-seamstresses for the brides and bridesmaids. If you do a lot of weddings, here's a tip: carry safety pins, mini scissors, and the double stick fashion tape to hold down clothes. I was pinning and taping like crazy. Anyways, I was able to finish the blush and lips without a problem. I also covered a little pimple on the bride's chest after she had the dress on. A little powder and concealer and it disappeared.
***Photographer's shots of me doing the bride's makeup pre-ceremony
***Fun Shot of the bride before the walk down the aisle
12:05: I went to the room to touch up the bride. Mind you, this was supposed to be an outdoors wedding but it had been raining all day. Fortunately it was only misting at this point and the area outside had a covered walkway and overhang for the ceremony. The only thing I really needed to touch up was add a little more gloss. After that, I went downstairs to where the bridal party was lined up and passed out altoids (gum is a no no at weddings) and powdered a few people, including the groom who has a bald head!
12:30: I finally got to sit down and enjoy the ceremony. From there, I had my kit but really didn't have to use it much except a quick lipstick retouch after the ceremony.
***Touching up the bride's lipstick after her walk down the aisle and the big smooch.
***I was able to do makeup for the bride as well as her sister/maid of honor
1:00-5:30pm From there...we went and enjoyed the reception...chocolate fondue fountain...champagne toast...bouquet toss...cupid shuffle...you know the usual...it was a lot of fun!
7:00pm I arrived home after the ceremony. Exhausted, but satisfied at making a bride to most beautiful she could be on her special day.
More Pics...
***Shot of the happy bride and groom...
***I also did the mother of the bride's makeup.
***Shots of the bride with some of her bridesmaids
***More of the photographer's pre-ceremony "getting ready" shots...isn't the bride beautiful?!
21 comments:
- ilurvemakeup said...
Stunning job!!! 8D Holy hell that is one tight schedule :o I love the jacket you wore, even though I can;t see the whole thing I love the color. I remember my bro's wedding, I was 16 and I was helping hand sew touch ups on ppls dresses. It's crazy in the brides room I tell ya, but so much fun! Thanks for sharing these lovely pics with us ^_^
- May 11, 2008 at 12:31 AM
- Ethereal Prey said...
wow! You did an amazing job! Weddings are always crazy, taping, pinning, pulling, zipping, sucking in, breathing out. Whew! You did an incredible job!
I always wondered if the smashbox primer would work around the eyes, cause i have oily lids and etc, stuff seems to travel...guess it works better on older skin right? keep up the great work!
- May 11, 2008 at 1:15 AM
- njoy. said...
Niiice job! I remember my Aunt's wedding, the MUA was so slow that we were almost late to the wedding. It's a good thing you were super organized and prepared :)
- May 11, 2008 at 1:59 AM
- mayaari said...
thank you for sharing that with us :) you did an amazing job on everyone! all that organizing and preparation really paid off :)
- May 11, 2008 at 2:59 AM
- Askmewhats said...
oh wow! Congratulations!!!!!!!!! Great job!!!! I really love the make up especially the bride's. She looked stunning!
- May 11, 2008 at 7:21 AM
- starLove said...
wow! the bride looks gorgeous! i've always enjoyed looking at your makeup looks but it's definitely a different and more difficult task doing someone else's makeup... but you did great! (: the wedding sounds so hectic but fun!
- May 11, 2008 at 12:41 PM
- spankedelic said...
you did a goooooooooood job. the bride's makeup looks very natural!
- May 11, 2008 at 5:20 PM
- Azia said...
You did a fantastic job. You were so prepared and professional. Kudos!
- May 11, 2008 at 11:16 PM
- Christiana Divine @ Memoirs of A Shopping Addict said...
you did a great job! her mother and her look beautiful! :D i think that's especially cool that you framed the face chart for her as a keep sake. :D
- May 12, 2008 at 1:57 AM
- said...
The bride is gorgeous! Great job on everyone's makeup! Looks like it was a super busy day, but it sounded so fun too. Thanks for sharing :)
- May 12, 2008 at 2:04 AM
- mina said...
Congrats on a job well done! omg I LOVE the brides makeup - it's ah-may-zing!!!!
Keep doin' your thing! And thanks for sharing :)
- May 12, 2008 at 12:24 PM
- yummy411 said...
ren she was so lucky to have you as her makeup artist! fab job and great timing!
- May 12, 2008 at 2:35 PM
- Joyce said...
You did an AMAZING job!!! And she looks stunning!! :)
- May 12, 2008 at 2:37 PM
- Emilee @ GMM said...
She looks amazing; you did such a great job! And all on a tight schedule, too. :)
If I'm ever down in ATL, I am calling you first thing!
- May 13, 2008 at 6:53 AM
- mrslanielovesmac said...
Congratulations, Ren!! What a great job you done on the bride and the bridesmaids. Love it!!
- May 13, 2008 at 7:22 PM
- Gee said...
Great job!!!! Thanks for sharing with us!! You did awesome, just as expected!! Your friend looks gorgeous!
- May 13, 2008 at 9:51 PM
- Vanessa said...
I love it, you really did an awesome job!
- May 14, 2008 at 3:11 PM
- Tracy said...
you did such an excellent job. they all looked gorgeous, thanks to you. keep up the good work!
- May 14, 2008 at 7:01 PM
- suzie wuzie said...
you did an amazing job!
- May 15, 2008 at 10:07 AM
- May Nguyen said...
I am so tired of doing facecharts =( I used to enjoy it when it was fun.. not its like a chore... I normally use the face chart to write down the clients colours and products I ve used but I actually take digital pics and upload it to my iPod and let them see it again on the day of the wedding for approval.
- August 14, 2008 at 5:54 PM
- May Nguyen said...
BTW great job!
- August 14, 2008 at 5:54 PM


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Early morning
Here are my kids at 6:30 AM. This is mid-stage in our usual morning routine. Usually I let Alfie out at 6:15 or so, after he wakes up and woofs quietly from his bed at the foot of mine, more a kind of throat-clearing that means, "Ahem, hate to bother you but.." So I take him downstairs, encountering Lulu en route...(I never know where she sleeps, but she is not allowed to sleep in my bedroom because sometimes she goes into nocturnal-beast mode in the middle of the night and turns anto a panther and attacks my feet)...and let him out. (Lulu is an indoor cat, much as she would prefer otherwise. There are too many predators out there: coyotes, fishers, eagles, hawks, and an occasional car) Then I feed them both and...this is the embarrassing part: we all go back to bed. Zzzzz. Till 8 or even 8:30.
So this picture was taken at 6:30, after Alfie had come back in, and before I fed them both. While they were both eating, I had a sudden enlightened moment: the awareness that I didn't need to go back to bed. i was up. Awake. I could STAY up and awake. I stood there a moment, in my bedroom after we had gone back upstairs, aware that Vice and Virtue live very close together. Vice=bed. Virtue=shower. I wavered. Alfie was already curled up in his own bed, watching me. And ta DA! I went and turned the shower on. I stayed up. And now I am in my office, with coffee and NPR and a feeling of self-worth, and it is still early morning.
Last week I had three friends here and it was fun but meant that I didn't spend much time at my desk. There was too much fun stuff to do. Even when I was at my desk, tending my email or reading the NYT online, I was thinking: If I pick up some pine nuts I could make that good cauliflower thing for dinner or We could go up to North Waterford and have lunch at Melby's......


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Tech Tips is a technology tutorial archive available to all faculty and staff. Tutorials and Q&A webinars are provided to help you utilize the latest technology resources. View the tutorials below or attend available Q&A webinars to receive more information on how to use the technology to enhance your classes and communication. If you have questions about Tech Tips, please email email@example.com. Have a wonderful day!
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Maps as Inexpensive Wall Art
If you devote an entire cabinet to tall bottles, you'll probably only have room for one shelf. Include a pop-top shelf in base or upper cabinetry to make room for taller items, and you'll still get to use two tiers.
A tambour appliance garage and wall oven turn this kitchen corner into a baking center. Heavy objects like a stand mixer slide in and out, and disappear behind the roll-down door when not in use.
10 Quick Decorating Fixes


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Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, made headlines when he told the National Catholic Register that Catholics should no longer support Amnesty International because of the organization's recent policy shift on abortion. Here's a link to the original story by the Register's Tom McFeely.
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Plethora of Winter Carnival performances
SARANAC LAKE – This year's Winter Carnival is packed with events, but the fun doesn't stop when the sun goes down. A few local establishments have made sure there is plenty of music on tap to keep people moving into the night.
Feb. 1
EMEFE, Mosaic Foundation
The Waterhole, upstairs, 10 p.m. $10
The show begins with the Rochester-based roots-reggae band Mosaic Foundation. This seven-piece band produces a danceable wave of smooth-flowing, positive vibrations with an authentic reggae sound. They have opened for many notable names like John Brown's Body, Toots and the Maytals and the Skatalites.
When the 10 members of EMEFE take the stage, people notice. The band utilizes a four-part horn section, drums, percussion. bass and guitar to mix infectious Afrobeat with jazz, funk and rock rhythms.
Karaoke with Keith King
Romano's Saranac Lanes, 10 to 2 a.m. Free
Not in the mood to watch someone else perform? Then grab the microphone and show the world what you can do at Romano's. Keith King will also be at Romano's on Feb. 5 and 7.
Feb. 3
The Reel Jig Band
Grizle T's, 8 to 11 p.m. Free
Come stomp your feet to music by former members of Celtic band Inisheer, Erik VanYserloo, Steve Borst and Sue Grimm Hanley, as they join forces with fiddler Nelson Rock.
Feb. 4
The Blind Owl Band
The Waterhole (downstairs), 10 p.m. Free
Local favorites The Blind Owl Band always hit the crowd with a sonic wall of high-speed string-picking songs. They have toured extensively in the Northeast, playing more than 250 shows and more than 25 festivals along the way. Still celebrating the release of their second album, "This Train We Ride is Made of Wood and Steel," this often-blindingly-fast-but-always-melodic quartet will play twice during Winter Carnival.
Feb. 5
Sophistafunk, Groovestick
The Waterhole (upstairs), 10 p.m. $10
Citing influences like Parliament Funkadelic, Chick Corea and Victor Wooten, Groovestick promises to unleash a wave of progressive funk on any party. Hailing from Albany, this trio employs a simple mixture of drums, guitar, bass and keyboard and organ to produce their distinctive musical flow.
Sophistafunk will bring their winter tour to Saranac Lake just four days after their show in Bozeman, Mont. The Syracuse-based trio's tight, funk-rooted music is dripping with hip-hop and dance-groove overtones, which form a dance-worthy backdrop to their positive and energetic lyrics.
Feb. 6
Start Making Sense,
The Big Mean Sound Machine
The Waterhole (upstairs), 10 p.m. $10
If you can't get enough of the Talking Heads, Start Making Sense is the band for you. This seven-member tribute band can handle all of the Talking Heads' popular songs, as well as some lesser-known tunes like "Cities" and "Nothing But Flowers."
If the question is, "How many people can fit on one stage?", The Big Mean Sound Machine might be the answer. The 12-member band has a full horn section, bass, guitar, organ, a heaping lode of percussion and an array of effects, all coming together to produce their mesmerizing, experimental Afro-beat-dance sound. BMSM started in Ithaca and has since performed in venues throughout the Northeast.
Rushad Eggleston
Pendragon Theater, 7:30 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 the day of the show
With a knack for all things creative, quirky and bizarre, Eggleston promises to bring a show like no other to Saranac Lake. A one-man cello show, the Berklee School of Music in Boston graduate often sports brightly colored tights while prancing about stage, his fingers delicately dancing across the neck of his instrument. Make no mistake – the music is technical and wild, and his lyrics are as infectious as they are absurdly entertaining.
Sven Curth of JIM
Grizzle T's, 9 to 1 a.m. Free
Adirondack singer and songwriter Sven Curth takes a raw and wild approach to music that borders on madness but never quite crosses the line. The music is of the upbeat honky-tonk, rockabilly variety. The musicianship is tight, the lyrics are direct and focus on topics that include drinking, futility, lawlessness and tractors. It might not be for everyone, but everyone is sure to find something they like.
Feb. 7
Conehead Buddha, Blind Spots
The Waterhole (upstairs),
10 p.m. $10
Come celebrate with The Blind Spots as they begin their fifth year as a band. Their highly accessible, poppy mix of indie music and rock has a little something for everyone, and vocalist Maddy Walsh's crooning is sure to delight even the most reluctant of listeners.
Conehead Buddha are regulars at The Waterhole, and this Friday night show promises to be a blowout of never-ending jam grooves and tightly syncopated rhythms that borrow from ska, funk, rock, reggae and salsa. Horns, drums, percussion, bass, guitar and keyboards round out Conehead's addictive sound.
Big Boss Sausage, The Cop Outs
Captain Cook's, 5 p.m. Free
Big Boss Sausage's music is as entertaining to listen to as the band's name is to say. The music has a southern grit that carries a catchy melody for the oftentimes humorous lyrics. The band is playing five shows in four days: Feb. 7 and 8 at Cook's, Smoke Signals on Feb. 7 and Whiteface Mountain's Cloudspin Lodge on Feb. 8 and 9.
Hailing from Morristown, Vt., this self-professed "dirty drunken sailor Irish punk rock band" the Cop Outs compare themselves to Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly and encourages copious drinking and copious amounts of dancing at their shows. The quintet will perform a raucous blend of covers and originals. If you're lucky, they might even play "Brown Eyed Girl."
Feb. 8
Susan Grimm and Celtic Quartet
Left Bank Cafe, 7 to 9 p.m.
Local music teacher and Adirondack folk singer Susan Grimm will perform with a Celtic quartet.
Annie in Water, after-parade show; Big Boss Sausage, 8 p.m.
Captain Cook's, Free
Annie in Water will start the afternoon off right with their mix of high energy originals and catchy top-20 covers. Having played all along the East Coast, the trio of musicians is no stranger to performing in front of crowds of people eager to dance.
The Reel Jig Band, Legend, Damaged Goods
Romano's Saranac Lanes, Free
A triple onslaught of music at Romano's. The Reel Jig Band will take the stage at 2:15 p.m., Legend will hit the stage at 5 p.m. and Damaged Goods will play at 10 p.m.
Blind Owl Band, post-parade
The Waterhole (upstairs), 2 p.m. Free
The Blind Owl Band will perform for the second time during this year's Winter Carnival immediately following the parade. Get there early – the place is likely to be packed.
The Waterhole (upstairs), 10 p.m.
Lucid is such a North Country staple they barely need an introduction. Born in Plattsburgh, the six-member band has performed up and down the East Coast, and they are well-known for their undeniably groovy jams and original, tight-woven combinations of funk, rap, reggae, blues, and the occasional lick of country. Lucid can play for hours at a time, and is willing to do so if the crowd permits it. If you haven't experienced their energy, now's the time to do so.
Feb. 9
Tim Herron Trio
The Waterhole, 2 p.m. Free
If you didn't get enough music during this year's Winter Carnival, the Tim Herron Trio has what you need. Honest, simple lyrics that never come across as preachy complement a mellow and engaging mix of rock and roll, bluegrass and folk, a blend the band affectionately calls AmeriBeat. After more than 14 years and four full length albums, the Tim Herron Trio has established a strong fan base throughout the Northeast.
Annie in Water
Captain Cook's, 4 to 7 p.m.
Annie in Water will perform a free show for the second time as this year's Carnival season comes to a close.
Contact Shaun Kittle at 891-2600 ext. 25 or firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Conservation Status
Northern cardinals appear to have increased in number and geographic range over the last 200 years. This is probably the results of increased habitat due to human activities. There are an estimated 100,000,000 individuals worldwide. This species protected under the U.S. Migratory Bird Act. (Halkin and Linville, 1999)


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The first-ever Youth TechCamp participants arrive in Washington this weekend! And here in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), we couldn't be more thrilled.
This program empowers future leaders from all over the world with the technological training and tools to make a positive impact in their communities and beyond.
Building on a series of TechCamps hosted by the State Department to increase the digital literacy of civil society groups, the Youth TechCamp will involve 21 young adults, aged 18-23 from Egypt, Indonesia, India, Ghana, Kenya, Malaysia, Mozambique, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, and Turkey. All of these amazing young people are alumni of our Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES Program). The Mozilla Foundation's Hackasaurus team will provide hands-on training in open-source web design and development at the offices of InterMedia, a global research and evaluation group.
Their future career goals of the participants are diverse but each of them will definitely need to be fluent in the language of technology, regardless of their academic or professional paths.
Join the conversation with TechCamp participants on Facebook and follow the events on my Twitter account @AnnatState!
Anish S. writes:
Digital literacy really important in the age. Political leaders should be familiar with basic tech tools and gadgets. The government is taking the right steps.
Bencekri K. in Morocco writes:
It's really great, and I say as a TechGirl I wish all the best for the campers, and LEARN as much as you can. It will be the best opportunity ever.
Good luck!
Dr. Baker in North Carolina writes:
On behalf of everyone at the ACLS Certification Institute we want to wish congratulations to the first ever Youth Tech Camp. As volunteers in the USPHS public health symposium this year, we discussed the importance of digital literacy and the advancements we see each day.