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Looking for a broken Study.com account? I personally have multiple accounts and they are easily accessible across all devices and computers! You will receive a Windows 7 PC or Mac OSX account containing all resumewriters.com reviews courses and links as well as all quiz assignments, paperwork and tests. Email me at if you are interested in purchasing them.

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Looking for a broken Study.com account? I personally have multiple accounts and they are easily accessible across all devices and computers! You will receive a Windows 7 PC or Mac OSX account containing all resumewriters.com reviews courses and links as well as all quiz assignments, paperwork and tests. Email me at if you are interested in purchasing them.

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https://www.resumehelpservices.com/resumewriters-com-review/

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1. What are some other activities that could improve students’ understanding of word
study?

2. What are you going to take back and use in your classroom from this station?

3. How could you use these activities for informal assessment of word study?

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Fourth and Fifth Grade | Florida Center for Reading Research

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Fourth Grade and Fifth Grade Student Center Activities Advanced Phonics | Fluency | Vocabulary | Comprehension

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Second Grade and Third Grade Student Center Activities Phonemic Awareness | Phonics | Fluency | Vocabulary | Comprehension

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Phonological Awareness | Phonics | Fluency | Vocabulary | Comprehension

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Many of you have indicated a need for sorting activities. This page is intended to serve as an index to assorted sorts throughout the site. It will also include new sorting activities that don't fit in other areas. I've been going through my old files (now that I'm retired) and have found some things that I used a long time ago. They will still work for young children today. These will all be available for a CD.

Licensed by www.graphicgarden.com
Licensed by www.art4crafts.com

Word Family Pictures and Words for Sorts

: Alphabet Picture Sorts
AlphabetToons

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Many of you have indicated a need for sorting activities. This page is intended to serve as an index to assorted sorts throughout the site. It will also include new sorting activities that don't fit in other areas. I've been going through my old files (now that I'm retired) and have found some things that I used a long time ago.

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Overview of suggested restructuring

Teach 10-15 "sight words" before phonics instruction begins

Flash Words and Heart Words defined

Flash Words with advanced vowels to teach with early phonics instruction

Flash Words with two and three syllables

Implementing the new model

You are welcome to print copies for non-commercial use, or a limited number for educational purposes, as long as credit is given to Reading Rockets and the author(s). For commercial use, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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A New Model for Teaching High-Frequency Words

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Integrating high-frequency words into phonics lessons allows students to make sense of spelling patterns for these words. To do this, high-frequency words need to be categorized according to whether they are spelled entirely regularly or not. This article describes how to "rethink" teaching of high-frequency words.

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Did you know that sight words make up more than half of the words we read? So, it only makes sense that they are an important part of teaching kids how to read. Learning to read certainly doesn't have to be boring though - it is exciting! These 27 awesome sight word activities for kids provide engaging, hands-on ways to build up sight word knowledge and increase reading skills.

27 Awesome Sight Word Activities

Popcorn Sight Words is a fun way to review words with your little ones. // The Preschool Toolbox

Grab our cut and paste sight words for the year (or by month) below!
Sight Word Sentences for the Year

Latest posts by Alex (see all)

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27 Awesome Sight Word Activities - The Letters of Literacy

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Did you know that sight words make up more than half of the words we read? So, it only makes sense that they are an important part of teaching kids how to read. Learning to read certainly doesn't have to be boring though - it is exciting!

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As a Kindergarten teacher I LOVE centers. It give my students the opportunity to practice what we have learned and keeps them busy so I can do my Guided Reading groups!

Typically I use a lot of alphabet activities in my centers because as we all know, if they don't know the letters and sounds they won't be able to read. But this year - WOW! My students are much more advanced than I am used to. It is like I'm teaching First Grade!!! So I have had to come up with new centers that are at their level, and I made a bunch!

Many of my students are beginning readers, so I made a ton of Sight Word activities to help them practice. Here are some of my favorites!

**NEW** Mystery Sight Words

This is NEW! My students go crazy for this literacy station activity! Students find the initial sound for each picture and it spells a mystery sight word! My kiddos are obsessed with recording sheet, so I give them a paper to write the words down. You can use a marker or magnetic letters! Check it out HERE!

Sight Word Finger Paint

Take a gallon sized zip-lock bag and add a few squirts of paint and some water. You don't want to add too much paint or when they trace the letters they won't see anything! Then press out the air, seal it up tight and tape the edges. Easy!

Fine Motor Sight Words

Students use plastic tweezers to place small puff-balls to make their sight words. Those pincher muscles are extremely important for their fine motor development to help with handwriting. Find the center paper HERE. I also have a longer version with all the Dolch Pre-Primer words HERE!

Kinesthetic Sight Words

Not all students learn the same way, and some need to feel the words to learn them. Add some fine sand into a pencil box and give them an un-sharpened pencil. They can trace the sight words in the sand! And the pencil box keeps the sand neat and tidy!

Build-a-Sight Word

Students use connecting cubes to build their sight words. These take a lot of fine motor strength and a good amount of time! Find the center paper HERE!

Watercolor Sight Words

I write the sight words on small sheets of white paper with white crayon. The students use water color paint to find out what the mystery word is! I keep them in a soft pencil pouch (4 - one for each student!) so that I can keep track of who does what. I also write the word really small in pencil so I can double check!

Sight Word Practice

Students use a pencil, crayon, colored pencil, and marker to practice writing one sight word. It is amazing how excited they get to write in something other than pencil. Really they are pretty easy to please! :) Get the sight word center paper freebie HERE!

Sight Word Jenga

This is one of my favorites. I took a used Jenga game (cheap at yard sales and thrift stores!) and wrote sight words on each end (you could even do the sides!). Students have to be able to read the sight word before they can push/pull out the block. Fun! I also have the students write the word they pulled out on a recording sheet! Check this freebie out HERE!

Sight Word Cookies/Pancakes

This is a cute one. Students take turns to use a spatula to bring cookies/pancakes to their plate. But they need to be able to read the word first! I printed the words onto brown construction paper, laminated the whole sheet and cut out the circles. They won't last forever, but that is OK! Find the sight word paper HERE!

Sight Words with Letter Tiles

This is similar to the Read-Make-Build mat I linked on a previous post. Students use letter tiles to build a sight word and then a wipe-off marker to write it!

Check it out on TPT Here!

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As a Kindergarten teacher I LOVE centers. It give my students the opportunity to practice what we have learned and keeps them busy so I can do my Guided Reading groups! Typically I use a lot of alphabet activities in my centers because as we all know, if they don't know the letters and sounds they won't be able to read.

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My students always tell me that Word Works is their favorite literacy center, and with these simple yet engaging spelling and sight word games it is easy to see why! Here's a look at the center set up in my classroom with explanations of each activity. Make sure to check out each of the 10 activities for downloadable goodies! All of the colorful borders I used in my templates were created using the Scholastic Word Workshop tool.

I love these tubs of blocks for so many reasons. First of all, I really like that each part of speech is color-coded (nouns are yellow, adjectives are orange, verbs are blue, etc.) because it makes it easy for me to pull the blocks for each part of speech we are studying. It also makes sentence diagramming a visual experience for students, helping young learners to recognize that each sentence must have a noun and a verb, for example. The connectable nature of the blocks makes it easy for students to form and rearrange sentences as they'd like. The best part, however, is that you don't have to go out and buy a fancy sentence blocks set - you can make your own! I have found that both Mega Blocks/LEGO Duplos or even just colored wooden pieces make great DIY sentence blocks. Choose a variety of colors and assign each color a part of speech. Go through the blocks and use permanent marker to add words on each side of the blocks to create a varied vocabulary. Don't forget to make blocks for punctuation as well. Your students will love playing with these learning toys and simultaneously build reading and writing skills.

No spelling and sight words center would be complete without a set of mini dry erase boards. These can be used for activities in every subject area, but are especially great for practicing phonics and writing skills. My students love to rainbow write their spelling words and sight words for the week by using multiple colors of dry erase markers. They may write in rainbow order, change colors for consonants and vowels, or even create patterns (ABA, ABC, ABBA, etc.) with the colors of markers they choose. Another fun dry erase board activity is to have students write out a complete sentence for each of their words of the week. By writing their sentences on dry erase boards students are able to go back and edit what they've written, making changes as necessary in order to practice self-correcting.

Scholastic Printables is full of spelling and sight word games that would be perfect in a Word Works center. One of my favorite freebies is Fishing for Spelling Words. All you need to create this spelling game is a plastic fish bowl and the printed pages from the link above. Begin by writing the spelling or sight words of the week on the fish cut outs. Place all the fish in the fish bowl and leave it with the instructions page and a class set of recording sheets. Students can fish for a word, read it aloud, and then write it on their fishy answer sheet. To make the game even more fun, attach a paperclip to each fish card inside the bowl and have students use fishing poles made from a magnet tied to a pencil with a piece of string. This is another great way to make repeated practice of high frequency words and spelling skills both exciting and motivating for students.

I hope you have been able to find a few new ideas for some great spelling and sight words games to use in your classroom. If you try any of them out I'd love to hear how it goes! Got additional ideas of your own? Leave me a comment below and share your centers ideas with everyone.

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10 Spelling and Sight Words Center Activities | Scholastic

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My students always tell me that Word Works is their favorite literacy center, and with these simple yet engaging spelling and sight word games it is easy to see why! Here's a look at the center set up in my classroom with explanations of each activity.

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If your child is learning to read, then you know that sight words are high-frequency words common in most text, words like the, and, they, or she. Knowing these words at a glance makes reading easier. Here you'll find sight word games, apps, multi-sensory activities, and reading ideas. I recommend trying multiple approaches to engage your child's different modalities of learning these words.

Also, it's important to note that schools generally use either the Dolch or the Fry Sight Word lists. The lists are slightly different so make sure you know which one to use.

GAMES

Games bring an element of fun and playfulness to learning. Since many of these games ask for sight word playing cards, make your own using index cards or download free printable cards here for the Dolch list and here for the Fry list.

Memory
Make your own card deck with two of each sight word. Shuffle. Place the cards face down in rows. When it's your turn, turn over two cards and try to get a matching pair. If you don't have a match, turn the cards back over. The winner is the player with the most pairs. (See example on Frogs, Snails and Puppy Dog Tails.)

Bingo
Download premade bingo cards grouped by levels of sight words here. Or, make your own bingo cards with the specific group of words your child is learning.

Go Fish
We played this game a lot when my youngest learned her words. Make a set of sight word pairs (or make four like the original game) for each word. You'll probably want at least 30 cards. Deal out five cards to each player. Play using the Go Fish rules - either looking for two or four cards to make a set.

APPS

Technology often motivates kids to learn, which is why sight word apps can be a helpful tool. Try these learning apps and see which one your child enjoys most.

MULTI-SENSORY

We have many senses other than our visual and auditory senses that can be engaged for optimum learning. These activities add in movement and touch.

Magnet Letters
Make your sight words on a magnetic surface using magnetic letters.

Beads
Practice your words by threading letter beads onto pipe cleaners to make each one.

READING

Flash Cards
You'll want a list of the words your child needs to learn so that you can make your own flash cards or buy them. Then tackle a few each day. When your child has learned a word, post it on a wall to celebrate. Soon you'll have a wall filled with words they can read!

Printable Leveled Booklets
These are short, printable books that you can download for free or for a small price that are text controlled. In other words, you can choose the appropriate reading level with what specific sight words your child needs to learn.
Have other tips for how to help kids learn sight words? Share in the comments below.

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20 Sight Word Games, Activities, and Reading Ideas | Brightly

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Knowing sight words at a glance makes reading easier. Here you'll find sight word games, apps, multi-sensory activities, and reading ideas.

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For Use in the Classroom or with Individual Students

Classroom Activities for Letter Names, Initial Letter Sounds, and Suffixes from "Dr. Jean" Feldman

Word Study Directions and Templates from Words Their Way
Word Games and Templates from Speech Teach
Favorite Word Activities from Cathy Puett Miller
Word Activities from BBC Online
The links on the left side of their page will take you to a host of online and printable games.
Games and Word Activities
Prepared by Sadlier-Oxford Educational Publishing
Using Know Patterns to Write Unfamiliar Words
Connie Campbell Dierking

Online Word Study Exercises

These exercises are most effective when adult guidance is provided.

Working With Words: Games from a core list of words.
Working With Words: Games using a teacher-selected (or parent-selected) "Mystery Word." These interactive games are part of the New York State Elementary Test Prep Center. Be sure to see the Teacher Resource for informative background and instructions.
Phonics Year By Year
Author Louis Fidge has designed some colorful and engaging word games, including word sorts.

Words Their Way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction
Donald R. Bear (Author), Marcia Invernizzi, Shane Templeton, Francine Johnston

Word Journeys
Kathy Ganske

Building Words: A Resource Manual for Teaching Word Analysis and Spelling Strategies
Thomas G. Gunning

Word Matters: Teaching Phonics and Spelling in the Reading/Writing Classroom
Gay Su Pinnell, Irene C. Fountas, Mary Ellen Giacobbe, Arene C. Fountas

Teaching Phonics & Word Study in the Intermediate Grades: A Complete Sourcebook
Wiley Blevins

Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing and Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use
Patricia M. Cunningham

Month-By-Month Reading and Writing for Kindergarten
Month-By-Month Phonics for First Grade: Systematic, Multilevel Instruction
Month-By-Month Phonics for Second Grade
Month-By-Month Phonics for Third Grade
Month-By-Month Phonics for Upper Grades
Dorothy Hall and Patricia Cunningham

Making Words: Multilevel, Hands-On Developmentally Appropriate Spelling and Phonics Activities
Making More Words: Multilevel, Hands-On Phonics and Spelling Activities
Making Big Words: Multilevel, Hands-On Spelling and Phonics Activities
Making More Big Words Patricia M. Cunningham and Dorothy P. Hall designed these popular activities that appeal to students of all ages. Your earliest and most challenged readers, however, may find them too difficult. For those students, I recommend:
Easy Lessons for Teaching Word Families (Grades K-2) by Judy Lynch.

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For Use in the Classroom or with Individual Students Classroom Activities for Letter Names, Initial Letter Sounds, and Suffixes from "Dr. Jean" Feldman Word Study Directions and Templates from Words Their Way Word Games and Templates from Speech Teach Favorite Word Activities from Cathy Puett Miller Word Activities from BBC Online The links on the left side of their page will take you to a host of online and printable games.

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My November Top Ten List: Word Study in Action | Scholastic.com

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My November Top Ten List: Word Study in Action | Scholastic.com

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Teacher to Teacher Ideas in the Top Teaching Blog | Scholastic

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Exciting lesson ideas, classroom strategies, teaching tips, book lists, videos, and reproducibles in a daily blog by teachers from the classrooms of extraordinary mentor

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by Sharon Vaughn and Sylvia Linan-Thompson

This chapter provides an overview of phonics and word study: what it is, how to assess it, the sequence of skills, and how to design instructional activities. The chapter also includes instructional classroom activities to guide teachers and parents and an annotated bibliography.

What Is Phonics and Word Study Instruction?

To learn to read and spell using phonics, children have to learn the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes), and then remember the exact letter patterns and sequences that represent various speech sounds (Moats, 2000). Other terms for phonics include letter-sound correspondences, letter-sound relationships, and sound-symbol associations. There are several forms of phonics instruction, including synthetic, analytic, embedded, spelling-based, and analogy-based phonics. The National Reading Panel (2000) reports that the various forms of phonics instruction vary in 13 important ways, depending on the size of the unit, the pace of instruction, and the precise elements of the learning activities. Because word study is based on the stages of spelling, this chapter describes an explicit approach to phonics instruction that includes a range of skills, from alphabetic knowledge to reading in decodable books.

Given the differences and similarities available across instructional approaches, how will you know if the program you are using is effective? To read successfully-to read independently and construct meaning from text-beginning readers need to be able to identify words automatically and have an effective strategy for decoding unknown words (Bos & Vaughn, 2002; NRP, 2000; Snow, Burns, & Griffin, 1998). To reach this point, students have to learn the relationships between 44 speech sounds and more than 100 spellings used to represent them (Blevins, 1998; Bos & Vaughn, 2002). They then have to apply this knowledge to reading both known and unknown words, in isolation as well as in context, and learn to read irregular words.

An effective phonics program follows a defined sequence and includes direct teaching of a set of letter-sound relationships. Each instructional set includes sound-spelling relationships of both consonants and vowels. Sequencing helps students to learn the relationship between letters and sounds, and to use that knowledge to blend the sounds in order to read words, and to segregate the sounds in order to write words, even before they have learned all the letter-sound correspondences. Effective programs also include books and stories that contain a lot of words for children to decode using letter-sound relationships, and provide children with opportunities to spell words and write their own stories using letter-sound relationships (Blevins, 1998; Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievment [CIERA], 2001; NRP, 2000; Texas Education Agency [TEA], 2000).

Phonics instruction provides key knowledge and skills needed for beginning reading. However, phonics should not be the entire reading program, but should be integrated with other elements such as language activities, story time, and small group tutoring, to create a balanced reading program. While two years of phonics is sufficient for most students, other students may require more instruction. Use assessment information to adapt phonics programs to meet the needs of individual students (NRP, 2000). Most important, starting early is key. As Stahl (2001) notes, "Early and systematic instruction in phonics seems to lead to better achievement in reading than later and less systematic instruction" (p. 333). Adams (2001) points out that to learn to read, "all students must know the letters of the alphabet, understand their linguistic significance (phonemic awareness), and learn the logic and conventions governing their use (phonics); and . . . ensuring students' grasp of these basics must be a serious goal of any responsible program of beginning reading instruction" (pp. 67-68).

Why Should I Teach Phonics and Word Study?

The goals of phonics and word study instruction are to teach children that there are systematic relationships between letters and sounds, that written words are composed of letter patterns representing the sounds of spoken words, that recognizing words quickly and accurately is a way of obtaining meaning from them, and that they can blend sounds to read words and segment words into sounds to spell (Adams, 1990; Chard & Osborn, 1999; NRP, 2000). Gough and Tumner (1986) identify two basic processes necessary for learning to read: learning to convert letters into recognizable words, and comprehending the meaning of print. The first process can be taught through phonics and can lead to students comprehending the meaning of text.

The combination of deficient decoding skills and difficult material results in unrewarding early reading experiences that lead to less involvement with reading activities (Cunningham & Stanovich, 1998). On the other hand, systematic and explicit phonics instruction improves children's word recognition, spelling, and reading comprehension, and is most effective when it begins in kindergarten or 1st grade (CIERA, 2001; NRP, 2000).

What Elements Should I Include in My Phonics and Word Study Instruction?

The crucial elements of phonics and word study are: phonological and phonemic awareness, print awareness, alphabetic knowledge, alphabetic principle, decoding, reading practice with decodable text, irregular or high-frequency words, and reading fluency. How much time you spend on each of these elements will depend on the age and level of your students. As children participate in phonics and word study activities, their understanding of the conventions that govern language will increase. The elements do not have to be taught sequentially; for example, kindergarteners benefit from learning prerequisite skills for strong word recognition, the communicative function of print, alphabetic knowledge, phonemic awareness, and the alphabetic principle (Chard, Simmons, & Kame'enui, 1998). As students master the skills, they can use them to decode and spell regular words and practice reading decodable text. Most students who have had effective phonics instruction can read quickly and easily, and have an effective decoding strategy for reading unknown words.

Print Awareness

Print awareness is the ability to understand that

Written language is related to oral language and carries messages,

Speech can be written down and read,

What is written can be spoken,

The length of a spoken word is usually related to the length of the written word,

Print is read from left to right,

The structures of written language are different from those of spoken language, and

There is a difference between words and nonwords.

Students with print awareness can usually read some signs and logos (Blevins, 1998; Reutzel & Cooter, 1999; TEA, 2000). This awareness of the forms and functions of printed language is a reliable predictor of future reading achievement.
Children develop print awareness when they have opportunities to hear books and participate in read-aloud activities. To help them develop this awareness, you can reinforce the forms and functions of print found on classroom signs, labels, posters, calendars, etc.; explain print conventions such as print directionality, word boundaries, capital letters, and end punctuation; and emphasize book awareness and handling. Listening to and reading predictable, patterned stories and books helps students practice what they are learning (Reutzel & Cooter, 1999; TEA, 2000). These kinds of books help model the concepts of print and conventions, as well as oral reading fluency and expression. Students should read the same predictable and patterned stories repeatedly, and the stories should include the use of context and picture clues and repeating language patterns (Bos & Vaughn, 2002).

Alphabetic Knowledge

Alphabetic knowledge, also known as alphabet recognition, involves knowing the shapes, names, and sounds of letters and progresses from letter names to shapes to sounds. Children should recognize and name letters quickly and accurately (Adams, 1990). Knowledge of letter names is strongly related to the ability to remember the shapes of written words, treat words as sequences of letters, and develop the alphabetic principle (the association of letters with their corresponding sounds). Students who cannot name certain letters are likely to have trouble mapping sounds to their corresponding letters; those who already know something about written letters tend to be more interested and able to learn more about the letters (Chard & Osborn, 1999).

Most children can identify an average of 14 letters when they enter kindergarten (Hiebert & Sawyer, 1984); others do not know any. These children need planned instruction that allows them to see, play with, and compare letters. Specifically, activities should use a sequence of letter introduction that can be adjusted to each student's needs-some might learn several letters each week, whereas others may only learn one. Teachers should include games, songs, and other activities that help children identify letters, learn uppercase and lowercase forms, and point out differences and similarities among the letters. Teachers should also plan writing activities that encourage children to practice writing the letters they are learning and to experiment with and manipulate letters to make words and messages (Blevins, 1998; TEA, 2000).

The Alphabetic Principle

The alphabetic principle refers to the systematic relationship between sounds and letters. Children who understand that the sequence of letters in written words represents the sequence of sounds in spoken words and who know letter-sound correspondences can use this knowledge to decode both familiar and unfamiliar regular words (Bos & Vaughn, 2002; Ehri, 1991; TEA, 2000). Children who understand the alphabetic principle can translate the letters and patterns of written words into speech sounds automatically.

Effective alphabetic principle instruction should be planned and sequenced. To achieve this goal, adopt the following practices:

Teach letter-sound correspondences explicitly and in isolation initially, then provide multiple opportunities daily to practice using this new knowledge to read and write;

Provide practice opportunities with both new and previously taught sound-letter relationships;

Give your students opportunities to apply their knowledge of letter-sound relationships to reading phonetically spelled words that are familiar in meaning (TEA, 2000).

Once you start phonics and word study instruction, some students will begin to make connections between letters and sounds on their own, but many will need explicit instruction to learn all the necessary letter-sound correspondences.
Decoding and Reading Practice with Decodable Text

Decoding is the process of reading letters or letter patterns in a word to determine the meaning of the word; for students, it is a strategy for reading unknown words. Once children develop this skill, they can apply it to reading words automatically and effortlessly. This allows them to focus on getting meaning from what they read (NRP, 2000; TEA, 2000). Students should begin by working with word families, spelling patterns, and onsets and rimes. As they become more sophisticated readers, they will need more advanced decoding strategies that focus on structural analysis: the ability to understand parts of words in order to understand the words as a whole. These parts of words include:

Inflectional endings. Meaningful word parts (morphemes) that indicate tense, number, person, or gender when added to base words (-ed, -es).

Prefixes. Word parts at the beginning of base words (pre-, in-, un-).

Suffixes. Word parts at the end of base words (-ful, -ly).

More advanced students can use structural analysis to identify word parts and multisyllabic words. In addition, structural analysis teaches students about letter combinations and derivatives (words with the same root or base words)-knowledge they can use to segment multisyllabic words into decodable parts to determine their meaning (Henry, 1997). Teaching students about affixes in particular helps them learn that some word parts are common across words.
When teaching structural analysis, teachers should teach meanings along with recognition, and model how to look for word parts. Structural analysis will increase the number of words students can easily decode. Consider the following:

The most common affixes in the primary grades are re-, un-, con-, -ness, -ful, and -ion;

The prefixes un-, re-, in-, im-, ir-, il-, and dis- are used in 58 percent of all prefixed words; and

Three inflectional endings, -s/-es, -ed, and -ing, are found in 65 percent of words that have inflectional endings and suffixes (White, Sowell, & Yanagihara, 1989).

Effective programs allow students to use their knowledge of sound-letter correspondences to practice decoding words both in isolation and in context. The use of decodable text provides teachers with the opportunity to model how to blend and segment sounds, sound out unknown words, and use onset rimes or word chunks to decode words. Students should practice these skills early on, as well as recognize less predictable words by sight as whole words and practice reading words and phrases independently. Students should then learn about letter sounds and simple spelling patterns, and to fluently and independently read words, sentences, and connected text (Bos & Vaughn, 2002).
Decoding lessons should include discussions about the text, to promote comprehension and reinforce the idea that the purpose of reading is to get meaning (TEA, 2000). Decodable books allow students to practice new skills, but teachers should gradually introduce books and stories that are less controlled so that they can extend those skills further.

Irregular Words

Not all words can be read through decoding. For example, in irregular words, some or all of the letters do not represent their most commonly used sound (for example, the vowel sound in from is not the usual sound for a short o). Students should encounter some of these words in texts for beginning readers, and will need to identify them by sight or automatically. To help students learn these words, teachers should introduce them in a reasonable order, and cumulatively review the ones that have been taught.

Sound-letter correspondences are important components in beginning reading instruction; rather than teach them in isolation, teachers should coordinate them to reinforce and extend student learning. Daily, integrated lessons that include explicit introductions to letter-sound relationships and opportunities to blend sounds, build and practice spelling words, and read words and decodable texts will enhance the beginning reading experience (Blevins, 1998).

How Can I Teach Phonics and Word Study?

By emphasizing all of the processes that contribute to growth in reading, teachers will have the best chance of making every child a reader. (National Reading Panel, 2000, p. 92)

Once your students meet the prerequisite conditions for word recognition, print awareness, alphabetic knowledge, and phonemic awareness, you can begin teaching them about the four subprocesses essential to teaching phonics and word study: letter-sound knowledge or alphabetic understanding; regular word reading; irregular word reading; and reading in decodable text.

Letter-Sound Knowledge

Letter-sound knowledge-also known as alphabetic understanding-helps students understand that the letters or clusters of letters that make up words represent separate spoken sounds, and that to read a word they must first identify the most common sound of each letter, then blend the sounds together. Figure 3.1 provides the most frequent spellings of the 44 English sounds, as well as keywords to guide pronunciation. It is important to teach the most common sound for each letter first.

Figure 3.1. Guide to Pronunciation of English Sounds

Though teachers often teach one letter a week, introducing letter sounds in alphabetical order limits the number of words the students can form, thus limiting their ability to practice using the alphabetic principle to read and write. A better strategy is to teach letter-sound associations that can be combined to make words that children can read and understand. The combination of a vowel and a few consonants-for example, /m/, /s/, /a/, /t/-allows children to form several words. Teachers should begin by teaching sounds that are easy to articulate. Continuous sounds, such as /m/ and /s/, are easy to say and hear because the sounds can be held without distortion, whereas stop sounds, such as /p/ and /b/, are easily distorted. It is not practical to teach all the letters with continuous sounds before any with stop sounds, because some stop sounds appear often in books for beginning readers. If a student is having trouble, teachers should focus on letter-sound relationships that are easier to pronounce.

During initial instruction, teachers should separate confusing letter-sound associations, such as letters that are visually or aurally similar, and determine that students have mastered one before teaching the next. Visually similar letters can differ in the vertical direction of their extensions (b/p, d/q), their left-right orientation (b/d, p/q), and their top-bottom orientation (w/m, u/n) (Blevins, 1998). Aurally similar letters include /b/, /p/, and /d/. As with visually similar letters, aurally similar ones should be separated to help students learn each as a distinct sound.

The following is a common sequence for introducing letter-sound correspondences:

1. Initial consonants (m, n, t, s, p)

2. Short vowel and consonant combinations (-at, -in, -ot)

3. Blends (bl, dr, st)

4. Digraphs (th, sh, ph)

5. Long vowels (eat, oat)

6. Final e (-ake, -ute, -ime)

7. Variant vowels and dipthongs (-oi, -ou)

8. Silent letters and inflectional endings (kn, wr, gn, -es, -s) (Blevins, 1998)

The number of letter-sound correspondences teachers introduce each week will vary based on the students, but two per week should be adequate for most. Teachers should remember to select letter-sound relationships that will allow the students to form words.
Here is a basic lesson for introducing letter-sound correspondences once students have learned letter names and forms:

1. Hold up a letter card and tell students the sound. Say, "This letter is A. The sound for A is /a/."

2. Ask students to tell you the name and then the sound. Be sure they know the difference between the two.

3. Ask students to write the letter as they say the sound.

If students at the beginning of first grade know none or only a few letter names, teachers should teach both the letter names and sounds simultaneously.
Regular Word Reading

Once children know three or four letter-sound associations, teachers should begin regular word reading and building activities. For example, students who have learned the letter-sound correspondences for i, t, p, n, and s can begin applying them to reading words such as it, in, pit, pin, sit, sip, and tip. Teaching them the short sound for a can more than double the number of words they can read and write.

Students need opportunities to practice regular word reading. Once they learn enough letter-sound correspondences to form words, teachers should integrate regular word reading into the instruction. Here is a basic regular word reading lesson that teaches students to blend sounds:

1. Sound out words without stopping between sounds. Use words with letters that begin with continuous sounds, like sit, to make this step easier.

2. After students sound out the word, ask them to first read each sound without stopping ("ssssiiit"), and then to say the whole word fast.

3. Teach students to sound words silently first before sounding them aloud.

The following are general guidelines for planning and teaching regular word reading:

During initial instruction, begin with short vowel-consonant and consonant-short vowel-consonant words (it to sit and pit, in to pin and tin) before moving on to patterns that include blends and digraphs (CCVC [stop], CVCC [mast], CVCE [bike], and CCVCC [truck]). Progress from simple to more complex sound spellings.

Teach consonant sounds (/b/, /m/, /s/) before blends (br, cl, sn) or digraphs (sh, ch).

Teach short vowel sounds, then long vowel sounds, then variant vowels (ea, oa) and dipthongs (oi, oy).

Select words that end with stop sounds.

Select words that are familiar to students and that they are likely to encounter in their reading. (Blevins, 1998; Chard & Osborn, 1999)

Students who are taught to apply their lettersound knowledge and given opportunities to do so will be able to read and write sentences even before learning all the letter-sound correspondences.
Since about a quarter of the most frequently used words in children's writing and texts are irregular (Moats, 2000), they should learn to read irregular as well as regular words. Figure 3.2 includes a list of irregular words; because students can't apply their knowledge of letter-sound relationships to these words, they will have to learn them as whole words.

Figure 3.2. Thirty Irregular Words for Beginning Readers

Here are some guidelines for teaching irregular words:

Select and teach words that appear frequently in stories and informational texts.

The number of words taught in each lesson will depend on the student.

Teach new irregular words before they appear in a story. Discuss the words and any special features, and point out parts of the words that are regular.

Review previously taught words on a daily basis.

Provide students with opportunities to use the words in their reading and writing activities. (Blevins, 1998; Chard & Osborn, 1999)

Reading in Decodable Text

Learning letter-sound relationships in isolation is necessary, but not enough. Students must know how to apply their knowledge to reading text. They should begin by reading decodable text comprised largely of words containing previously taught letter-sound relationships and gradually move to less controlled text as their ability and confidence grow. Because most decodable texts contain irregular words, be sure to teach these in advance if students do not know them. Once the class has read a book as a group, teachers should provide opportunities for the students to reread the text. Many publishers have decodable book series, and 1st grade basal programs often include decodable texts. Figure 3.3 provides a list of decodable book series for teachers. (For specific letter-sound relationship lessons, see the instructional activities section of this chapter.)

Progress Monitoring

Monitoring student progress helps teachers plan instruction and alerts them if students are falling behind. Teachers can use the information gleaned from monitoring to group students for instruction and modify the pace of instruction based on the skill level of students in each group. Student progress in every area can be monitored informally. For example, to assess student knowledge of letter-sound relationships, teachers might maintain a list of letter-sound associations that the students have already mastered; about once every two weeks, they can ask the students to identify the sounds of letters on the list, or to give the letter name of a given sound. Teachers can also give students a letter dictation-provide a letter name or sound and have the students write the corresponding letter.

Teachers should monitor regular and irregular words separately, but can use the same process for each type of word. To monitor word reading in isolation, teachers should ask students to read a set of familiar words and see if the students can read them automatically. In most instances, it will take the students fewer than three seconds to read the word. Teachers can also keep a record of the words students miss repeatedly while reading connected text.

Instructional Activities

Note: Each lesson title in the following activites indicates whether the activity is an introduction to a new skill or element or a follow-up practice lesson.

Basic Lesson in Letter-Sound Knowledge: Name That Letter/Say That Sound

Objective. Students will identify letter names and letter sounds.

Materials. Uppercase and lowercase letters.

Sequence. Begin by introducing one vowel and three or four consonants, adding new letters as students master them.

1. Tell students they will be learning the names and sounds of letters so they can begin to form words.

2. Model the task. Show students the first letter and say, "This is A." Then ask, "What letter is this?"

3. Repeat with each letter.

4. Show each letter to students and ask them as a group to name it.

5. After the group names each letter, ask the students to name letters individually, going from student to student as quickly as possible.

6. Repeat steps 2-5 using letter sounds.

Scaffolds. Use one vowel and two consonants; use only lowercase or uppercase letters.

Challenge. Show students a letter. Tell them to listen carefully to directions since they will sometimes be asked to name the letter, and other times to name the sound.

Follow-Up Lesson in Letter-Sound Knowledge: Which Letter Am I?

Objective. Given a letter sound, students will write the letter that makes that sound.

Materials. White boards, markers, erasers.

Sequence. Begin by introducing one vowel and three or four consonants, adding new letters as students master them.

1. After reviewing the letters they've learned, tell students that you will say a letter sound or name, and they will write the corresponding letter as they say the sound.

2. Model the task for the students. Say a letter sound, writing the letter as you do so.

3. Give students a sound and monitor them as they write the corresponding letter.

4. If students write the incorrect letter, show them the correct one. Ask them to say the sound and write the letter slowly as they do so.

5. Say the sound or name of the next letter.

6. Once all students have performed the task correctly, continue giving them letter names or sounds.

Variation. Ask students to write the letter as many times as they can in 10 seconds while saying the sound.

Scaffold. Give students either letter names or sounds.

Follow-Up Lesson in Letter-Sound Knowledge: Slap Cards

Objective. Students will identify letter names or sounds.

Materials. Uppercase and lowercase letters on index cards.

Sequence. Begin by introducing one vowel and three or four consonants, adding new letters as students master them.

1. Tell students whether they will be practicing naming letters or saying letter sounds.

2. Review letter cards.

3. After students have named each letter or identified each sound as a group, ask them to do the same individually.

4. Ask each student to place a card on a pile in the center of a table and say the name of the letter on the card. When a student places a vowel on the pile, all the students slap the pile of cards. The student whose hand is on the bottom takes the pile.

5. Pass out an equal number of cards to each student. Choose a student to start the game.

6. Play until one of the students is out of cards or time is up.

Variations. Use regular or irregular words.

Note: This activity was adapted from the University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts (2001a).

Basic Lesson in Regular Word Reading: Read the Word

Objective. Given a regular word, students will read it.

Materials. Word cards using words from the following list:

VC: in, at, am, it, up, ox

CVC: mat, hop, cut, sit, pin, can, ten, get, not, cup, cut, tap, red, him, cob, run, gum, ham, mad, hid, dip, box, bug, big

CCVC: stop, flap, snap, trip

CVCC: mast, jump, bunk, fall, hand, will, bend, rock, told, dash, back, duck

CVC silent E: bike, take, joke, made, time, more, cape, kite, five, name

CCVCC: truck, sport, blast, small

Sequence.

1. Tell students they will be reading new words.

2. Tell students that when shown a word card, they will first sound out each letter-sound and then read the word fast.

3. Show students a word card. Model the task by saying each sound continuously as you point to each letter ("iiiinnnn").

4. After sounding out the word, read the word fast ("in").

5. Show a word and ask the students to say each sound. Determine that all students have said each sound correctly. If a student makes an error, review the correct letter-sound correspondence and repeat.

6. Once students have sounded out the word, ask them to read it fast. If a student reads the word incorrectly, ask him or her to sound it out first and then read the word fast.

7. Continue with the remaining word cards.

Scaffolds.

Review the individual letter-sound correspondences that appear in the words shown.

Students point to each sound as they pronounce it, and sweep their fingers under the word when reading it fast.

Students use letter tiles, pulling down each tile as they say the sound and sweeping a finger under the tiles when they say the word fast.

Follow-Up Lesson in Regular Word Reading: And the Word Is . . .

Objective. Students will read words containing rime patterns.

Materials. One set of cards containing previously studied onsets, and oneset containing previously studied rimes.
Sequence.

Rimes:

1. VC: -an, -ap, -at, -aw, -in, -ip, -ir, -op, -or, -ug, -it, -an, -et, -ot, -up, -ut

2. VCE: -ake, -ale, -ame, -ate, -ice, -ide, -ine, -ore, -oke, -ade, -ike, -ime

3. VVC: -ail, -ain, -eat, -eek, -een, -oot, -eed, -eep, -ait, -eet, -eem, -oot, -oop

4. VCC: -ack, -ank, -ash, -ell, -est, -ick, -ill, -ing, -ink, -ock, -unk, -ump, -uck

All:

1. Review the onset and rime cards.

2. Place the two sets of cards face down in the middle of the table.

3. Explain to the students that they will pick the top card from each pile, put the two together, and read the word.

4. Model the activity.

5. Ask each student to take a turn. If all students do the activity correctly, have them take turns picking cards and reading the words. After reading a word, each student should say whether it is real or made-up.

Scaffolds.

Limit the number of rimes used. Use rimes with the same vowels, such as -at or -an.

Limit the number of onsets used.

Ask all students to read each word formed.

Follow-Up Lesson in Regular Word Reading: Tic-Tac-Read

Objective. Students will read previously taught regular words.

Materials. A laminated tic-tac-toe board for each pair of students, word cards with regular words, and ten plastic counters, half in one color and the other half in another color.
Sequence.

1. Give each pair of students a game board, a matching set of cards, and counters.

2. Explain how to play the game.

3. In each pair, one student picks a word card from the stack and reads it. The other student decides if the word was read correctly. If it was, the first student places his or her counter on the board. If it was not, the second student reads the word correctly and places his or her counter on the board.

4. Students continue playing until one student in the pair has three counters in a row or all the spaces are filled.

Variation. Fill the squares with irregular words.

Challenge. Impose a time limit for reading the word.

Note: This activity was adapted from the University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts (2001a).

Basic Lesson for Irregular Word Reading: What's the Word?

Objective. Given irregular words, students will read them.

Materials. Three to five word cards, a pocket chart, a notebook that has each page marked with one letter of the alphabet, and pencils.

Sequence. Begin with the most common irregular words.

1. Tell students they will be learning words that do not follow the letter-sound correspondences they already know, so they'll have to learn these words as a whole.

2. Show students the first word card and read the word. Ask them to repeat the word in unison.

3. Spell the word as you point to each letter, then ask the students to spell the word in unison.

4. Ask the students to read the word again and write it in their notebooks.

5. Monitor the students to determine that they spelled the words correctly.

6. Place the word card in the pocket chart.

7. Follow steps two to six with the other words.

8. Review the words taught. Point to each word card in the pocket chart and ask the students to read it in unison. Then ask individual students to read the word.

Variation. Use words from a text that students will be reading.

Follow-Up Lesson in Irregular Word Reading: Irregular Word Road Race

Objective. Students will read irregular words that have been previously taught.

Materials. For each student: a game board (see Figure 3.4), word cards matched to the game board, and a chip or game piece.
Sequence.

1. Explain the game to students. Tell them to place a chip in the start box, read the word in the first box, and then read each word card aloud until finding the card with the word that matches the word in the first box. Next, they will move the chip into the box containing the word. Tell them to repeat the process with the word in the next box on the board, and to continue to the end of the board. (Note that cards are not discarded but are placed back in the pile.)

2. Model for students.

3. Give each student a game board, a set of cards, and a chip. Remind students to read each card in the set aloud.

4. Monitor students to determine mastery of the skill.

Variations. Fill the squares with regular words or specific onset-rime patterns. For kindergarten students and struggling 1st graders, fill each square with a letter, and ask students to provide either the name or sound.

Scaffolds. Pair students with more able partners and ask them to take turns reading the word cards; limit the number of words.

Challenge. Impose a time limit for reading the word.

Note: This activity was adapted from the University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts (2001a).

Basic Lesson in Structural Analysis: Let's Add Word Parts

Objective. Students will understand that affixes change the meanings of words.

Materials. Chart paper, a marker, and a list of root words students can read and give the meaning.

Sequence. Most common prefixes and suffixes, less common prefixes and suffixes.

1. Tell students that adding parts to a word will change its meaning. Tell them that prefixes appear at the beginning of a word, and they will learn the meaning of the prefix, then add it to root words.

2. Write a prefix on the chart paper. Read the prefix and tell students its meaning.

3. Ask students to read the prefix and say what it means.

4. Write a root word on the chart paper. Ask students to read the word and say what it means. If students do not know the meaning, provide it.

5. Write the root word with the prefix. Ask students to read the word.

6. Model how to determine the meaning of the new word. For example, say, "The new word is unhappy. un- means 'not' and happy means 'with joy,' so unhappy means 'not happy' or 'without joy.'"

7. Provide additional root words and ask students to read and define the prefix, read the root word, read the word with prefix added, and define the new word.

8. Repeat steps 2-7 using the second prefix.

Variation. Use suffixes.

Scaffold. Limit the number of prefixes introduced.

Note: This activity was adapted from the University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts (2002b).

Follow-Up Lesson in Structural Analysis: Make a New Word

Objective. Students will add previously taught prefixes or suffixes to a root word, and will give the meaning of the new word.

Materials. Three to four cards with root words written on them per student and 1 × 1.5-inch sticky notes with a prefix or suffix written on each.

Sequence. Most common prefixes and suffixes, less common prefixes and suffixes.

1. Tell students they will review the meaning of prefixes and suffixes they have learned and practice reading words with prefixes and suffixes.

2. Review the prefixes and suffixes written on the sticky notes. Ask students to read them in unison and provide the meaning for each.

3. Ask students to read the root words in unison, then give each of them three to five root word cards.

4. Tell students you will pick an affix from the pile, and each of them will add that affix to his or her root word card before reading the new word and saying what it means.

5. If students have trouble providing the meaning of a word, ask them the meaning of the affix, then the meaning of the root word. If the students still cannot provide the meaning, model the task. For example, say, "'un- means 'not,' and happy means 'with joy,' so unhappy means 'not happy' or 'without joy.'"

6. Repeat with the other affixes.

Scaffolds. Limit the number of affixes used; use only prefixes or suffixes.

Note: This activity was adapted from the University of Texas Center for Reading and Language Arts (2002b).

Bear, D. R., Templeton, S., Ivernizzi, M., & Johnston, F. (1996). Words their way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling. Des Moines, IA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
This book provides an approach to word study instruction based on developmental stages of spelling. The text includes a discussion of the basis for the approach, instructions for assessing students prior to beginning instruction, and activities for students in each of the stages of development.

Blevins, W. (1998). Phonics from A to Z: A practical guide. New York: Scholastic Professional Books.
This guide provides a wealth of information for teachers in a practical, easy-to-read format. The book begins with a brief description of phonics, followed by activities, lists, and teaching guidelines for alphabet recognition, phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondences, and regular and irregular word reading.

http://reading.uoregon.edu/au/index.php.
This Web site includes a definition of alphabetic principle, research findings on phonics, a discussion of the importance of phonics, and instructions on how to sequence phonics skills in grades K-3.

http://reading.uoregon.edu/instruction/.
This Web site provides information on critical phonics skills and features of phonics instruction.

http://www.texasreading.org/utcrla/materials/primary_phonics.asp.
This Web site allows readers to download a professional development guide on phonics and decoding instruction that includes strategies and instructional materials.

http://www.nifl.gov/partnershipforreading/publications/reading_first1phonics.html.
This Web site provides an introduction to phonics instruction, including science-based findings and a discussion of different instructional approaches.

http://www.ed.gov/offices/oese/sasa/rb/slide009.html.
This Web site provides a discussion of phonics instruction, including research findings, different instructional approaches, and cautions about the process.

http://www.nrrf.org/aboutphonics.htm.
This Web site introduces science-based phonics instruction and contains links to several papers, as well as a list of phonics product companies.

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/ldrp_chard_guidelines.html.
This Web site includes an article on effective phonics and word recognition instruction for students with reading disabilities.

http://doe.state.in.us/publications/phonics.html#anchor3978700.
This Web site allows readers to download a "Phonics Tool Kit" booklet and includes video clips that explain the kit. The booklet provides reading strategies (including phonics) and contains practical tips for teachers.

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by Sharon Vaughn and Sylvia Linan-Thompson This chapter provides an overview of phonics and word study: what it is, how to assess it, the sequence of skills, and how to design instructional activities. The chapter also includes instructional classroom activities to guide teachers and parents and an annotated bibliography.

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Word Study Instruction in the K-2 Classroom | Reading Rockets

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Word Study Instruction in the K-2 Classroom | Reading Rockets

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A brief description of word study instruction

Word study is an approach to spelling instruction that moves away from a focus on memorization. The approach reflects what researchers have discovered about the alphabetic, pattern, and meaning layers of English orthography.

Teachers use a variety of hands-on activities, often called word work, to help students actively explore these layers of information.

When studying the alphabetic layer, students examine the relationship between letters and sounds. They learn to match single letters and pairs of letters (e.g., ch) to specific sounds and, in doing so, to create words.

When students study the pattern layer, they look beyond single or paired letter-sounds to search for larger patterns that guide the grouping of letters (e.g., CVC e).

Studying the meaning layer helps students to understand how the English spelling system can directly reflect the semantic relationships across related words. For example, students come to understand that the second vowel in composition is spelled with an o because it is related to compose.

Examining each layer of the orthography helps students to see the regularities, patterns, and derivations in English words - how words work in our writing system. Word study also teaches students how to use this word knowledge strategically to support their spelling attempts during writing activities and to help them decode unfamiliar words while reading (Bear & Templeton, 1998).

The primary goal of word study is to support students' development of a working knowledge of the orthography - knowledge that students can apply as they are reading and writing. Here are nine tips for implementing word study.

Tip 1: Assess students' word knowledge using multiple assessment tools

Before you can craft a systematic word study program, you must determine what your students know about the alphabetic, pattern, and meaning layers of the orthography. It doesn't make sense to teach students the r-controlled vowel pattern if they don't understand the alphabetic principle. Assessment informs you of what your students already know and don't yet know, which guides your instruction. We found that two kinds of assessments proved most informative: informal spelling inventories and analyses of students' independent writing.

We used the Primary Spelling Inventory or the Elementary Spelling Inventory (Bear et al., 2000) to assess students' word knowledge at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. Not only did these assessments help us to determine what each child knew about the orthography, but also the results were particularly useful in grouping (and re-grouping) children homogeneously for small-group instruction.

Students needing to study the alphabetic layer were grouped as either emergent or letter-name alphabetic learners. Students who were ready to explore the pattern layer were grouped as either within word pattern or syllable and affixes learners. At the end of the academic year, a few second graders studied the meaning layer of the orthography; these children were grouped as derivational relations learners (see Bear, Invernizzi, Templeton, & Johnston, 2008).

But periodic assessment isn't sufficient. With high-quality instruction and lots of reading and writing, students' word knowledge is continually progressing, and so we used students' independent writing as an ongoing assessment tool. We knew that students' invented spellings would show us what they knew about English orthography. Each week, we reviewed the students' journal writing or writing workshop pieces to document the orthographic features they were spelling correctly or misspelling. Bear et al. (2008) suggest that what students "use but confuse" in their writing should be a target of word study (p. 9).

Interestingly, using these assessments in tandem sometimes created a thorny challenge. In our second-grade project, for example, some students in the letter-name alphabetic group frequently used but misspelled CVC e-patterned words (e.g., mad for made). According to the scope and sequence outlined in Bear et al. (2008), this common long-vowel pattern should be taught at the next developmental level-within word pattern.

Similarly, a few students in the within word pattern group frequently failed to double the final consonant when adding -ed to a short-vowel word (e.g., stoped for stopped). Consonant doubling is usually taught at the syllables and affixes level.

So what were we to do - follow the scope and sequence or let our assessment of students' writing inform our instruction? We don't embrace a "readiness" model of learning, nor do we believe that learners move rigidly through developmental spelling stages (Brown & Ellis, 1994; Goswami & Bryant, 1990; Treiman & Cassar, 1997). So, given how frequently the students were using but confusing these orthographic patterns, we decided to teach them. Despite this challenge, we found that using more than one assessment tool helped to inform our grouping of students and the instruction Colleen prepared for each homogenous group.

Tip 2: Use a homogeneous small-group approach to instruction

In our kindergarten project, Krissy tried to save time by using a whole-group approach to word study, but, as we mentioned, it didn't meet the students' instructional needs. A primary finding of that project was that homogeneous small-group instruction is essential.

There are two approaches to homogenous word study instruction. One approach is to teach word study within the context of guided reading groups (Fountas & Pinnell, 1996; Joseph, 2000; Schulman & Payne, 2000; Snowball & Bolton, 1999). Another approach is separate word study lessons for each developmental spelling level (Bear et al., 2008). We tried both approaches, and we found that integrating word study into guided reading worked well in Title I and first grade but not in second grade. The books that were used for guided reading in second grade did not necessarily include examples of words that reflected the orthographic features and principles Colleen was targeting. Moreover, we found that some of the students' reading and spelling levels were not closely linked.

In several cases, spelling achievement lagged considerably behind reading achievement, which made it difficult to form small groups that were appropriate to both areas of instruction. For example, our assessments indicated that several students needed word study on short-vowel patterns. A majority of these students were in the lowest guided reading group, but a few of them were in the middle group. For a while, we tried flexible grouping (see Invernizzi & Hayes, 2004), but constantly rearranging the students at the end of each guided reading lesson to form the appropriate word study groups was cumbersome and time-consuming.

After several months, we separated word study from guided reading and created three homogeneous word study groups. Doing so allowed Colleen to target specific orthographic features and principles these students needed to learn. This experience leads us to recommend separate developmental groups for word study in second grade.

Both Pinnell and Fountas (1998) and Bear et al. (2008) recommend an introductory teacher-directed lesson (15-20 minutes) with subsequent word study activities (10 minutes) throughout the week for each small group. To organize and manage three groups, Bear et al. (2008) propose a "circle-seat-center" routine (p. 70). While Group 1 is receiving a teacher-directed word study lesson in the circle, Group 2 engages in literacy activities in centers, and Group 3 participates in word work games and activities at their seats. After 10-15 minutes, the groups rotate. Group 2 joins the teacher, Group 3 moves to centers, and Group 1 returns to their seats. All three groups can rotate through each instructional context in about an hour, including transition time.

To organize and manage four small groups, a classroom volunteer can be helpful. Staff developers at a professional development workshop that Krissy attended at Teacher's College, Columbia University, recommended that teachers prepare word work activities that volunteers can use with small groups of children. Krissy has found that asking a volunteer to work through word sorts or play a word study game with small groups of children prepares students to do these activities independently or with a partner when Krissy places the game or activity in the literacy center.

Tip 3: Carve out time to prepare for word study instruction

Whether you combine word study with guided reading or teach word study to separate developmental groups, you'll need to carve out sufficient time to prepare your lessons and word work activities. If you have three groups, you'll be crafting three separate word study lessons, and you could easily need to prepare six to nine different word work activities. But don't reinvent the wheel! We found the instructional materials currently available to be invaluable in supporting this process.

You'll also want to carve out time to study the concepts you'll be teaching. Our work together reminded us of the importance of teachers knowing the generalizations that students will be exploring. We documented several missed opportunities in our data for teachers to talk with students about specific generalizations that can prove useful. For example, teachers can explain that the ck spelling pattern only comes at the end of short-vowel words, or that the oa pattern almost always signals the long o sound, or that words spelled with ee usually have the long e sound.

The bottom line is this: For a word study program to be successful, the teacher has to invest sufficient time preparing for daily instruction and word work. Carving out preparation time may be one of the biggest challenges you face in implementing a word study program.

Tip 4: Teach word knowledge, not just words

In a traditional spelling program, students learn to spell words that are deemed appropriate to their grade level. In a word study program, however, students learn about words. The instruction is unique in that it focuses students' attention on consistencies within our spelling system. Students learn word knowledge that they can apply generally to a wide range of reading and writing activities.

Of course, students learn to spell a great many words through word study lessons and daily word work activities, but the instruction is far more conceptual than that of traditional spelling programs. This is important because what students remember about specific words is related to what they know about English spelling in general (Ehri, 1992). Focus your word study lessons on the way English words work, so that students will form useful generalizations they can apply to words they want to read or spell.

Our experiences also lead us to advocate some instruction on sight words, particularly in kindergarten and first grade (see Fountas & Pinnell, 1996). The words you choose should be highly useful to your students-words they will encounter frequently in their reading as well as words that appear often in students' own writing (e.g., because, are, again, said, friend, were).

You may want to display some of these high-frequency words on the word wall. Because these sight words don't follow the spelling patterns and generalizations that students will be exploring, help students to learn these words by focusing on how the word looks and how it sounds, and avoid simple memorization (Clay, 2001). Bear et al. (2008) recommend using some high-frequency words as examples of exceptions to the generalizations you are exploring in your word study lessons.

Tip 5: Demonstrate how word study can be used during reading and writing

Word study undoubtedly supports students' spelling achievement. It has the potential to support students' reading and writing development as well-if students understand and exploit the relationship between these literate processes. Our research helped us to see that some students don't necessarily make this link.

As mentioned above, several students in our second-grade project didn't appear to recognize the ways in which word study is related to writing. This was true for both low-ability as well as high-ability students. While we were trying to make sense of this finding, we realized that in our second-grade project we did not have a guided practice component to our word study program. That is, we did not demonstrate for these students how they could use word study to support extended reading and writing activities. We assumed that students would transfer word study to other literacy events, but we were wrong.

In all of our other projects, we used interactive writing (McCarrier, Fountas, & Pinnell, 2000) as a context for guided practice in applying word study to authentic writing events. As students "shared the pen" to solve the spelling of words in the messages they were writing, myriad opportunities emerged for them to apply the orthographic features and principles they'd been taught during word study instruction. And, if they needed help, their teacher could easily scaffold their attempts.

In our kindergarten study, for example, the students were trying to write the word thank (as in thank you) during an interactive writing lesson. The child at the chart wasn't sure how to begin, so Krissy reminded the class of an important orthographic principle she had taught earlier in the year: "Sometimes the sounds in words are represented by more than one letter." Then she said, "The word thank is like that. The first sound in thank has two letters. What two letters can stand for /th/?" The child writing on the chart easily spelled the first phoneme in the word.

These kinds of minilessons in the midst of interactive writing events clearly demonstrated for students how they could use word study to support extended writing. And the demonstrations paid off: We observed many kindergartners and first-grade students using word study to support their independent writing endeavors-including the children who struggled with literacy learning.

But interactive writing is best used as a transition tool to support children's growth from emergent to conventional writing. Most second graders understand what it means to write and how to go about it, so interactive writing isn't necessary or appropriate for the majority of second graders, except for those who struggle. Yet, our research helped us to see that guided practice in using word study during writing activities is essential, so we are now searching the professional and research literatures for examples of what a guided practice component might look like in second grade.

Tip 6: Teach strategies that support students' use of word study instruction

In addition to guided practice, our research also highlighted the need for explicit strategy instruction. If we want students to use word study independently and strategically when they are reading and writing, then we must teach them how to do so (Dudley-Marling, 1997). Along with the orthographic features and principles you teach, we recommend that you integrate strategy instruction into your word study lessons.

We think of strategies as tools that help students actively use what they've learned. Sometimes the tools are physical, like dictionaries or the word wall. Other times, the tools are cognitive - in the mind - like listening for sounds or thinking of a word that rhymes with the word you're trying to spell. We encourage you to teach both kinds of tools to help students learn to use word study strategically.

The text box below lists the 10 strategies we taught most often across our projects. Diane and Ruth are Reading Recovery trained teachers, and we culled most of these strategies from their training. A key focus of Reading Recovery instruction is the development of cognitive and strategic processing systems that integrate meaning, visual, and sound cues (Clay, 2001).

Throughout our work, we observed students using the strategies that had been taught. Interestingly, in two of our projects, we found that strategy instruction was more salient for struggling students than other aspects of word study instruction. When we analyzed these students' independent writing, we saw little evidence of the orthographic features that had been taught, but when we observed the students during writing time, we saw and heard them using specific strategies they had learned.

We also recommend that teachers model the use of these strategies during interactive writing activities. This was best illustrated in our first-grade Title I project, where Ruth introduced the strategies and gave children opportunities to practice using them during daily word study lessons. Then, during interactive writing events, she continually prompted the students to use the strategies she had taught.

For example, during an interactive writing lesson in mid-November, Ben was trying to write the word dog in the story the class was composing. Ruth prompted him to "say the word slowly and listen for the sounds" he could hear. He did so and spelled the word correctly.

In late April, Andrew was trying to write the word street. He said the word slowly, demonstrating that he had appropriated the use of this important strategy. Then he wrote stret in the story. Ruth praised him for using a spelling strategy, and then she prompted, "The /e/ in street is spelled like the word wall word see." Andrew knew immediately what he needed to do. Ruth covered the et with correction tape and Andrew wrote eet in its place. Ruth's prompting was essential to Andrew's success.

There were numerous examples like these across our research projects. The teacher's prompting targeted the child's zone of proximal development (Vygotsky, 1978), which allowed the child to be successful as he or she wrote at the chart.

It is clear to us now that applying orthographic features and principles while composing extended text is far more cognitively demanding for students than using word knowledge to spell sample words during word study lessons and word work activities. Our research has helped us to see that if word study is to move beyond spelling instruction and become an approach to supporting young children's writing development, then most students will need explicit demonstrations on how they can use word study strategically during authentic writing activities. They will also need frequent opportunities to practice doing so in the context of their teacher's scaffolding and guidance.

Tip 7: Make your word wall work

A word wall is a special section of a classroom wall designated for the exploration and study of words (see Cunningham, 1995). If you have a word wall in your classroom, be sure it is more than a simple display of words-make it work for you and your students. The word wall should be clearly visible and accessible.

Use the word wall frequently as a teaching tool and help students learn to use it as a resource for their writing. We recommend placing words on the word wall that not only illustrate the orthographic feature or principle you are teaching but also can be used in generative ways to spell other words. For example, the high-frequency word see can be used to teach students the double ee spelling of the long e vowel, and it is generative in the sense that students can use it to help spell a host of words with -ee, -eed, -eek, -eel, -eem, -een, -eep, -eet, and -eeze endings (e.g., tree, feed, week, wheel, seem, green, sheep, beet, sneeze).

Discuss the orthographic feature(s) you are teaching before placing the exemplar word on the word wall. Then show students how they can use these exemplar words to spell other words. The word wall should be a dynamic tool-change it often. Remove words that students know how to spell and replace them with exemplar words for new concepts you are teaching.

In our research, we found mixed results with regard to students' use of the word wall. Some students used the word wall frequently while they were writing; other students rarely used it-and this was the case regardless of grade level or academic ability. Interestingly, students were more likely to use the word wall as a resource for their writing when their teacher used it as a teaching tool and also encouraged her students to use it strategically to support their independent writing endeavors.

Tip 8: "Word work" should work, too!

Once you've introduced a specific orthographic feature or principle, students will need ample opportunities to explore it through hands-on games and activities. Word work can be scheduled throughout the day during independent work time or center time.

As we mentioned above, each small group will need several activities every week to provide repeated opportunities for examining the concepts you are teaching and to promote inquiry and discovery about the way English words work. These activities should be crafted in such a way that students can engage in them independently or with a partner. We have found that making and breaking words with magnetic letters, word searches, and word study notebooks are particularly beneficial.

Above all, we recommend word sorting, an activity that requires students to sort words into categories. Word sorting actively engages students in exploration and analysis as they search for similarities and recognize differences between and among words, compare and contrast word features, and form generalizations that they can apply to new words. For example, a word sort of match, reach, switch, coach, hutch, and teach can help students learn that the tch pattern typically follows a short vowel and the ch pattern typically follows a long vowel. Including the words rich and much in the word sort can help students learn to study words flexibly - to look for exceptions to the generalizations they form (see Bear et al., 2008).

We recommend pairing students with a buddy for at least some of the weekly word work activities (see Pinnell & Fountas, 1998). Buddies can challenge each other's thinking and check each other's work. Assign buddies based on results from the first informal spelling inventory and then change them after subsequent administrations. You will also want to change buddies if students aren't working well together or if one student makes significant growth that the buddy hasn't made.

Tip 9: Engage students in extensive "real" reading and writing

Finally, we recommend daily extended, authentic reading and writing activities where children are encouraged to read and to compose texts on topics of their choosing. In each of our studies, the teacher engaged students in extensive, "real" reading and writing events.

For example, one morning when Diane's first graders were excitedly talking about the Bengals "finally winning a football game," Diane encouraged her students to write about the winning touchdown in their journals. We watched as the children used the strategies they had learned to spell the football players' names. When Derek announced that he was going to "sound out Houshmandzadeh," Emily said, "No way!" and began to look for the name in print around the room. Brad suggested that "a newspaper would have it!" and Diane agreed that students could read the paper that evening with their parents or look online.

The writing activities provided us a context for examining students' use of word study instruction, but that was not our primary goal. We wanted to give students plenty of opportunities to use what they had learned. We also knew that meaningful, sustained reading and writing experiences support spelling development (Hughes & Searle, 1997) and that, in turn, spelling knowledge supports reading and writing development (Richgels, 1995). Children draw on their orthographic knowledge to accomplish all three aspects of literacy (Templeton, 2003).

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Word Study Instruction in the K-2 Classroom

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Word study is an approach to spelling instruction that moves away from a focus on memorization. The approach reflects what researchers have discovered about the alphabetic, pattern, and meaning layers of English orthography. This article describes nine tips for implementing a word study program in your classroom.

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Word Study: A New Approach to Teaching Spelling | Reading Rockets

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Word Study: A New Approach to Teaching Spelling | Reading Rockets

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Word Identification Strategies: HINTS and SPLIT Strategies | Building RTI

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Word Identification Strategies: HINTS and SPLIT Strategies | Building RTI

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Word Identification Strategies: HINTS and SPLIT Strategies | Building RTI

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Video that illustrates two strategies for teaching multisyllabic word reading. Shows specific examples of teachers providing explicit instruction, scaffolding, modeling, and working with students in small groups to differentiate. Download a copy of the HINTS or SPLIT strategy for use with your students.

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Building Words (Reading Class New Activity)

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Building Words (Reading Class New Activity)

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SERP | Word Generation * Academic Language Development