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Why I chose Word Connections:

I felt that there are already so many amazing resources out there that I did not want to reinvent the wheel with my lesson plans. Last year, I used UFLI quite a bit while working with students with exceptionalities in K-8. This year, I am in a Special Education Resource Teacher role and once again working with K-8 students. I took some professional development on the resource Word Connections at the end of last school year. I think that it will be much more suitable for the junior and intermediate students that I am supporting this year and this is why I wanted to use it for my lesson plan selection.

Learning from the course:
- There is phonics review in the 3 lessons (focused on both short and long vowels)
- There is a focus on morphology/vocabulary (introduction of different affixes with activities that allow students to practice reading words with explicitly taught affixes)
- There is also a focus on fluency (students practice reading words with affixes and sentences that include these words)
- Eventually, as students get further along in the lessons, they will also practice reading comprehension skills. They will read longer passages, they will complete a maze where they have to select the correct affix, and close sentences where they must insert the affix to complete the word

Language Curriculum Expectations: Grade 5

Overall Expectation
B2. Language Foundations for Reading and Writing

demonstrate an understanding of foundational language knowledge and skills, and apply this understanding when reading and writing

Specific Expectations
B2.1 use generalized knowledge of the meanings of words and morphemes (i.e., bases, prefixes, and suffixes) to read and spell words with accuracy and automaticity

B2.2 demonstrate an understanding of a variety of words, acquire and use explicitly taught vocabulary in various contexts, including other subject areas, and use generalized morphological knowledge to analyze and understand new words in context

B2.3 read a variety of texts fluently, with accuracy and appropriate pacing to support comprehension, and when reading aloud, adjust expression and intonation according to the purpose of reading

References:
Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum: Language Grade 5: 2023. https://www.dcp.edu.gov.on.ca/en/curriculum/elementary-language/grades/grade-5/strands

Toste, J. R., Capin, P., Williams, K. J., Kearns, D. M., & Vaughn, S. (2023). Word Connections: A Multisyllabic Word Reading Program (2nd ed.). figshare. https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6259368

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My philosophy of reading is that it needs to include the following six components - oral language, phonological and phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, morphology/vocabulary, and reading comprehension. Reading instruction needs to include screeners, progress monitoring, formative and summative assessments. It must also be explicit. It is also crucial that reading programs are diverse and culturally responsive.