We believe that the hands-on word sorting approach to word study is invaluable to you and your students.  These stage-specific companion volumes to Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction provide a complete curriculum of reproducible sorts and detailed directions for the teacher working with students in each stage of spelling development, from emergent through derivational relations.  This first volume introduces the idea of concept sorts for students in the emergent stage of spelling development (Pre-K through Grade 1). The word study lesson plan format of demonstrate, sort, check, and reflect is expanded in this stage to include reading aloud and writing activities.  The early concept sorting activities are followed with picture sorts that develop phonemic awareness and include activities for rhyming, syllabication, and sound play.  Alphabet knowledge and letter recognition are then covered, along with sorts that look at concept of word in print, as well as poems, jingles and short text selections that can be shared with children.  Students are then ushered into sorts that introduce beginning consonants with pictures, laying the foundation for the letter-name stage.