A study analyzed whether a word study instruction based on open sorting would allow children to have more conventions or strategies available for spelling words in their written work. Subjects, all 22 third-grade students in a suburb of a large midwestern city, were given the Qualitative Inventory of Word Knowledge as pre- and posttests. Three writing samples were collected over an entire school year to examine the carry over of the word knowledge gained by weekly word sorting tasks. Results indicated that the children: (1) paid more attention to all the sounds when attempting new words; (2) engaged in a good deal of risk-taking in the selection of language they used in their writings; (3) developed an awareness of words and often spontaneously found words in other works that were like a pattern studied; and (4) became increasingly articulate over the year about their understandings of words. Findings suggest that: the children were actively involved in a hands-on task; the instruction provided a way to assess as well as inform; and the instruction shifted the focus from spelling errors to making spelling predictive according to the patterns and meanings studied. (A table listing the spelling stage characteristics and a table presenting an example of word lists used for sorting are included.) (RS)