Did you know that there are 109 words in the English language that account for 50% of written English in children’s texts? Did you know that 13 of those account for 25% We call these high-frequency words. These high-leverage, high-frequency words are absolutely worth teaching. In fact, we want these high-frequency words to become sight …
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Word Study
How to Make Sense of the Science of Reading vs. Balanced Literacy Conversation
Not long after I started teaching in the late 1980s, literacy educators were involved in a “reading war”. For those too young to remember, it was the “whole language vs. phonics” debate. While I embraced much of the whole language philosophy, I never abandoned systematic phonics instruction. I learned to read with a phonics approach and couldn’t imagine …
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Homemade I Spy Game: Fun With Phonics
Last week was exhausting. We are no longer knee-deep in a pandemic–it’s more like chest-deep with no end in sight. My children are missing their friends and their cousins. And the colder weather outside means more time for my people to run around the inside of the house like little lunatics. Just to top things …
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Developmental Spelling Stages
Children progress through spelling stages on their literacy journey. J. Richard Gentry lists these five stages of development: Stage 1 – Precommunicative Stage 2 – Semiphonetic Stage 3 – Phonetic Stage 4 – Transitional Stage 5 – Conventional Follow this link to read more about these developmental spelling stages. Kid Writing in the 21st Century, …
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Invented Spelling
Invented spelling has become a dirty word in many circles. For this reason I prefer the following terms to describe this stage in a literacy learner’s life: temporary spelling developmental spelling sound spelling The practice of inventing spelling leads children to consciously try to hear the sounds in words so they can match letters to …
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Developmental Spelling Inventory
J. Richard Gentry developed a developmental spelling inventory, sometimes called the “monster test”, which is an easy way to determine a child’s developmental spelling stage. It does not give as detailed information about students’ phonics development as the Words Their Way spelling inventories do, but it’s a quick and efficient way to get some valuable information, especially with …
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Personal Word Wall
Word walls are great tools for teaching vocabulary, high-frequency words, and word patterns. It is often a challenge to get students to use these tools, however. “Word Wall Bobs” provide great opportunities for students to have repeated exposure to the words on our word walls and for encouraging students to use them independently. Some children …
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Elkonin Sound Boxes
I have found this technique to be extremely effective with my young spellers who have not developed full phonemic awareness. It helps them train their ears to hear each part of a word and eventually be able to represent each sound with a written letter. View a slide show demo of sound boxes. Draw a …
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