# Word work, What?
Re-energize Your Word Work Stations
By: Allison Griffin and Rita Ruiz
To Find Copies of Handouts
Also at the end of the page their will be links to all folders as well.
Why Syllables?
Dividing words into parts, or "chunks" helps speed the process of decoding. Knowing the rules for syllable division can help students read words more accurately and fluently. It can also help students learn to spell words correctly.
As students progress in their literacy understanding, they move from reading and writing single syllable words (often with consonant-vowel-consonant constructions) to reading and writing multi-syllabic words. Instruction focused on teaching students about syllables often focuses on teaching different types of syllables (open and closed) and what occurs when syllables join together within a word.
Most children who become poor readers experience early and continuing difficulties in learning how to accurately identify printed words. Characteristics of poor readers, at all grade levels, include slower than normal development of a "sight vocabulary" of words they can read fluently and automatically. Ultimately, it is this difficulty in rapid word recognition that limits comprehension in older poor readers, for these skills allow children to focus on constructing the meaning of what they are reading rather than spending too many of their intellectual resources on trying to identify the words (Adams, 1990). The strongest current theories of reading growth link phonetic and "sight word" reading skills together by showing how good phonetic reading skills are necessary in the formation of accurate memory for the spelling patterns that are the basis of sight word recognition (Ehri, in press; Share & Stanovich, 1995).
When introducing this game consider the abilities and deficiencies of your students in your reading group. In order for effective instruction to occur, consider the following:
· The right kind and quality of instruction delivered with
· The right level of intensity and duration to
· The right children at
· The right time.
Consider providing the most effective instruction by analyzing the students’ abilities in letter-sound knowledge, phonemic awareness and phonic skills. The following are 4 ways in which phonics may be taught and each requires a different set of skills.
· Analogy phonics
Teaching students unfamiliar words by analogy to known words (e.g., recognizing that the rime segment of an unfamiliar word is identical to that of a familiar word, and then blending the known rime with the new word onset, such as reading brick by recognizing that -ick is contained in the known word kick, or reading stump by analogy to jump).
· Analytic phonics
Teaching students to analyze letter-sound relations in previously learned words to avoid pronouncing sounds in isolation. (e.g. can, fan, tan….fat, that, hat…log, jog, fog)
· Phonics through spelling
Teaching students to segment words into phonemes and to select letters for those phonemes (i.e., teaching students to spell words phonemically).
· Synthetic phonics
Teaching students explicitly to convert letters into sounds (phonemes) and then blend the sounds to form recognizable words. (e.g. /c/ /a/ /t/ cat, /f/ /a/ /n/ fan)
Letters to add to the Roller Coaster Game
Also add a space that says: lose a turn and one that says: choose your own letter
Here are the letters: L, C, M, G, D, S, H, B, R, TH, N, P, J, T, W, ST,
Should Phonetic Rules Be Taught?
Clymer(1963) found that only 45% of the phonics rules worked as often as 75% of the time. Children should not see rules as absolutes but rather as a way to note patterns within words. For example, the silent final e is not always consistent, but knowing about it does help the reader note the pattern. Rules should not be taught for recitation.
But being able to recognize and apply patterns will allow students to develop automaticity. Samuels(1988) suggest that achieving accuracy is not enough if the process is time consuming and laborious. Fluent readers need to identify words quickly so they can devote their energy and attention to comprehension. He recommends developing automaticity in word recognition by giving children sufficient instruction and practice with print conventions.
Phonemic Awareness and Reading and Spelling Achievement
Research conducted during the last few decades has revealed that phonemic awareness is significantly related to success in learning to read and spell. The relationship is one of reciprocal causation or mutual facilitation. That is, phonemic awareness supports reading and spelling acquisition, and instruction in reading and spelling, in turn, supports further understanding of the phonemic basis of our speech. The relationship is so powerful that researchers have concluded the following:
· Phonemic awareness is the most potent predictor of success in learning to read. It is more highly related to reading than tests of general intelligence, reading readiness, and listening and comprehension (Stanovich, 1986,1994).
· The lack of phonemic awareness is the most powerful determinant of the likelihood of failure to learn to read (Adams, 1990).
· Phonemic awareness is the most important core and causal factor separating normal and disabled readers (Adams, 1990).
· Phonemic awareness is central in learning to read and spell (Ehri, 1984).
As children develop the essential phonemic awareness skills, they are able to apply their new knowledge into the next step which is, phonics. They then develop an awareness of the relationship between letters and sounds in written words. In this activity the children are developing these skills by manipulating phonemes and attending to meaning when listening to word clues. Children will use phonics to build new words and context clues to confer if they have built the correct word. Praise the children for their initial attempts and guide them when they need to adjust their letter sounds (phonemes). Soon the children will become flexible when manipulating phonemes.
Links to Handouts
Where to get items seen today.
game pawns-Amazon
Word Ladder Books-Amazon
Sand Timers-Amazon
dice and cm cubes should be in your District Math Kits