Definitions:
Word identification: Ability to read aloud, or decode, a word correctly
Phonics: Ability to make the correct association wiwth the sounds and the symbols of language
Morphology: Study of word formation
ex) Using root words, prefixes, and suffixes
Content Clues: Knowing the meaning of an unknown word by looking at the surrounding text
Sight Words: Whole unit words that are identified without breaking the word down (via phonics or morphology)
Two sight words should be taught: high frequency words and words with irregular spelling patterns.
Word identification: Ability to read aloud, or decode, a word correctly
Phonics: Ability to make the correct association wiwth the sounds and the symbols of language
Morphology: Study of word formation
ex) Using root words, prefixes, and suffixes
Content Clues: Knowing the meaning of an unknown word by looking at the surrounding text
Sight Words: Whole unit words that are identified without breaking the word down (via phonics or morphology)
Two sight words should be taught: high frequency words and words with irregular spelling patterns.
Phonics instruction is an important part of RICA:
1. Must be systematic: Teachers have a clear list of sound-symbol relationships students should know
2. Must be organized: Sound-symbol relationships are taught in order, from simple to more difficult linguistic units
ex) From phonemes to letter combinations and syllables
3. Must be Direct: Teach a sound-symbol relationship to small groups who need to learn the same sound-symbol relationship
1. Must be systematic: Teachers have a clear list of sound-symbol relationships students should know
2. Must be organized: Sound-symbol relationships are taught in order, from simple to more difficult linguistic units
ex) From phonemes to letter combinations and syllables
3. Must be Direct: Teach a sound-symbol relationship to small groups who need to learn the same sound-symbol relationship
How to Assess Phonics
Students need to learn to encode and decode in two ways; Isolation and in context. The following are different types of phonics tests:
Decode in isolation:
Students are asked to read a list of words and asked to read them. They can be a mix of everyday words and nonsense words.
Ex) A student is asked to read a nonsesne word, fap, and says fap with a long a. The teacher will write down fape. Focus should be on everyday words, however.
Decode in context:
Asks students to read part of a story or informational text aloud. The teacher identifies words that are spelled incorrectly, especially sound-symbol patterns. This is a review of a previous concept: Informal Reading Inventory.
Encode in isolation:
Students write words after teacher says them aloud.
Ex) Spelling tests.
Encode in context:
Students write sentences and the teacher analyses them to identify sound-symbol relationships that haven't been learned or mastered.
Students need to learn to encode and decode in two ways; Isolation and in context. The following are different types of phonics tests:
Decode in isolation:
Students are asked to read a list of words and asked to read them. They can be a mix of everyday words and nonsense words.
Ex) A student is asked to read a nonsesne word, fap, and says fap with a long a. The teacher will write down fape. Focus should be on everyday words, however.
Decode in context:
Asks students to read part of a story or informational text aloud. The teacher identifies words that are spelled incorrectly, especially sound-symbol patterns. This is a review of a previous concept: Informal Reading Inventory.
Encode in isolation:
Students write words after teacher says them aloud.
Ex) Spelling tests.
Encode in context:
Students write sentences and the teacher analyses them to identify sound-symbol relationships that haven't been learned or mastered.
How to Teach Phonics
Explicit Teaching of Phonics:
If a Whole-to-Part lesson is not working with student(s), you may switch with Part-to-Whole and vice versa.
1. Whole-to-Part Lessons:
Start with sentences and then work back to the sound-symbol relationship.
Ex) For a lesson that teaches sh digraph at the end of words, consider:
Part A) My mom went to the market and bought some fish with cash.
Part B) Read aloud words with sh: fish, cash
Part C) What's similar about thse words: fish and cash? If they can't idenify it, tell them.
Part D) Write sh on the board and have students make the correct sound.
Part E) Students reread target words: fish, cash
2. Part-to-Whole Lessons:
Begins with a sound and then build words.
Ex) For a lesson teaching sh digraph, consider:
Part A) Teacher writes sh and asks students what sound that makes
Part B) Students repeat the target sound each time teacher points to it
Part C) Teacher asks students to blend sounds with the sh like Ca and Fi written on the board.
Playing with Sounds, Letters, and Words; Word Sorts and Making Words
Word Sorts: Students separate words based on sounds, spelling patterns or meaning.
Ex) Cards with the words: cat, cap, hat, cape, hate, and date. Separate these cards into short a vowels and long a vowels.
Making Words: Students given letters and form increasingly longer words. Similar to word soup.
Ex) Secret word: Cape Cod. Students given 7 letters and asked to first make 3 letter words, then 4 letter words, until you get to a seven letter word.
Implicit Teaching of Phonics
The Shared Book Experience:
After a shared book reading, give students an informal phonics lesson.
Ex) After reading Hop on Pop, students can follow with a lesson with words that rhyme with pop.
Language Play with Rhymes and Chants:
Students need to see the words they are chanting. If they don't this is simply a phonemic awareness lesson, not a phonics one.
Ex) Write "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I hate studying and Rica Tests, too." Underline "blue" and ask students which of the other words rhymes with that.
Morning Message, Environmental Print, Children's Names, Things in the Room
Use print strategies to aid.
Ex) You can write down the name of objects in the room that start with a "P".
Explicit Teaching of Phonics:
If a Whole-to-Part lesson is not working with student(s), you may switch with Part-to-Whole and vice versa.
1. Whole-to-Part Lessons:
Start with sentences and then work back to the sound-symbol relationship.
Ex) For a lesson that teaches sh digraph at the end of words, consider:
Part A) My mom went to the market and bought some fish with cash.
Part B) Read aloud words with sh: fish, cash
Part C) What's similar about thse words: fish and cash? If they can't idenify it, tell them.
Part D) Write sh on the board and have students make the correct sound.
Part E) Students reread target words: fish, cash
2. Part-to-Whole Lessons:
Begins with a sound and then build words.
Ex) For a lesson teaching sh digraph, consider:
Part A) Teacher writes sh and asks students what sound that makes
Part B) Students repeat the target sound each time teacher points to it
Part C) Teacher asks students to blend sounds with the sh like Ca and Fi written on the board.
Playing with Sounds, Letters, and Words; Word Sorts and Making Words
Word Sorts: Students separate words based on sounds, spelling patterns or meaning.
Ex) Cards with the words: cat, cap, hat, cape, hate, and date. Separate these cards into short a vowels and long a vowels.
Making Words: Students given letters and form increasingly longer words. Similar to word soup.
Ex) Secret word: Cape Cod. Students given 7 letters and asked to first make 3 letter words, then 4 letter words, until you get to a seven letter word.
Implicit Teaching of Phonics
The Shared Book Experience:
After a shared book reading, give students an informal phonics lesson.
Ex) After reading Hop on Pop, students can follow with a lesson with words that rhyme with pop.
Language Play with Rhymes and Chants:
Students need to see the words they are chanting. If they don't this is simply a phonemic awareness lesson, not a phonics one.
Ex) Write "Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I hate studying and Rica Tests, too." Underline "blue" and ask students which of the other words rhymes with that.
Morning Message, Environmental Print, Children's Names, Things in the Room
Use print strategies to aid.
Ex) You can write down the name of objects in the room that start with a "P".
Sight Words:
Words that are recognized instantly. They may be:
1) High frequency words
2) Irregular spelling words like dove.
3) Words students want to know because it's used in their writing (ie. dinosaur).
4) Words that are used in content-area lessons for science or social studies (ie. communism).
Teaching of Sight Words
Sight words should be given in context and isolation:
Word Banks:
A students personal collection of sight words
Word Walls:
Displayed in the classroom and vary from alphabet (A, apple; B, buzzkill; C, centipede; etc.) to words with pictures on them throughout the classroom.
Explicit Teaching of Sight Words
Whole-to-part lesson:
1) Select words to be learned
2) Write the words in a story with target words underlines.
3) Read sentences aloud, pointing to target words as they are said.
4) Students read story aloud with teacher.
5) Teacher isolates each of the target words and helps students pronounce each one.
To strengthen word knowledge, you can have students write these down in journals or in flash cards.
Words that are recognized instantly. They may be:
1) High frequency words
2) Irregular spelling words like dove.
3) Words students want to know because it's used in their writing (ie. dinosaur).
4) Words that are used in content-area lessons for science or social studies (ie. communism).
Teaching of Sight Words
Sight words should be given in context and isolation:
Word Banks:
A students personal collection of sight words
Word Walls:
Displayed in the classroom and vary from alphabet (A, apple; B, buzzkill; C, centipede; etc.) to words with pictures on them throughout the classroom.
Explicit Teaching of Sight Words
Whole-to-part lesson:
1) Select words to be learned
2) Write the words in a story with target words underlines.
3) Read sentences aloud, pointing to target words as they are said.
4) Students read story aloud with teacher.
5) Teacher isolates each of the target words and helps students pronounce each one.
To strengthen word knowledge, you can have students write these down in journals or in flash cards.
17. It is important that students know how to spell high-frequency words. A teacher who selects high-frequency words for a weekly spelling list could provide the following rationale for that decision:
a. High frequency words, for the most part, are difficult to spell.
b. High frequency words are those words that appear most frequently in printed English.
c. This will help children as they go about the process of mastering the most regular sound-symbol relationships in English.
d. Phonetic spellers choose at least one letter to represent each sound in words they write.
18. Mr. Castagnoli has a third-grade student who has not learned the simple sound-symbol relationships that all second graders should know. He has taught his phonics lessons following a part-to-whole approach. He should now:
a. Rely on language play, requiring the student to memorize two or three simple chants each week.
b. Assess his teaching, consider the alternatives, and try a whole-to-part approach.
c. Refocus on teaching the meanings of Greek and Latin root words.
d. Realize that spelling instruction in context will teach the student most of the sound-symbol relationships he needs to know.
19. Which of the following best describes a characteristic of effective phonics instruction:
a. It is child-centered: The instruction relies primarily on teaching sound-symbol relationships that children are most interested in learning.
b. It is embedded: Most phonics instruction takes place as part of other language experiences.
c. It is systematic: Instruction is sequenced according to the increased complexity of linguistic units.
d. It is equitable: So that no child feels separated, all children should take part in each phonics lesson.
20. A first grade teacher, Mr. Nakamura, provides students with explicit, systematic phonics instruction to promote their reading development. When designing activities to teach letter-sound correspondences, he should:
a. provide reading opportunities for students to practice sounds in context after studying the sounds in isolation.
b. make certain that students have mastered vowel sounds before focusing on consonants.
c. ensure that students master the spelling of practice words using the target sound before teaching a new sound.
d. include instruction in related consonant blends when introducing individual consonants
a. High frequency words, for the most part, are difficult to spell.
b. High frequency words are those words that appear most frequently in printed English.
c. This will help children as they go about the process of mastering the most regular sound-symbol relationships in English.
d. Phonetic spellers choose at least one letter to represent each sound in words they write.
18. Mr. Castagnoli has a third-grade student who has not learned the simple sound-symbol relationships that all second graders should know. He has taught his phonics lessons following a part-to-whole approach. He should now:
a. Rely on language play, requiring the student to memorize two or three simple chants each week.
b. Assess his teaching, consider the alternatives, and try a whole-to-part approach.
c. Refocus on teaching the meanings of Greek and Latin root words.
d. Realize that spelling instruction in context will teach the student most of the sound-symbol relationships he needs to know.
19. Which of the following best describes a characteristic of effective phonics instruction:
a. It is child-centered: The instruction relies primarily on teaching sound-symbol relationships that children are most interested in learning.
b. It is embedded: Most phonics instruction takes place as part of other language experiences.
c. It is systematic: Instruction is sequenced according to the increased complexity of linguistic units.
d. It is equitable: So that no child feels separated, all children should take part in each phonics lesson.
20. A first grade teacher, Mr. Nakamura, provides students with explicit, systematic phonics instruction to promote their reading development. When designing activities to teach letter-sound correspondences, he should:
a. provide reading opportunities for students to practice sounds in context after studying the sounds in isolation.
b. make certain that students have mastered vowel sounds before focusing on consonants.
c. ensure that students master the spelling of practice words using the target sound before teaching a new sound.
d. include instruction in related consonant blends when introducing individual consonants