Word Identification
Grade 3:
Strategy 1: Toss the Cube
Students who continue to struggle with word families often do not recognize smaller elements within monosyllabic words; if they do they often cannot quickly blend the two parts together. This activity can help struggling students learn to automatically blend onsets with rimes and develop the ability to create words with a given set of letters. Using tree to five letter cubes, have the student toss the cubes and create words from the letters. The student gets one point for each word he creates. Have the student record his/her words. To make the activity more difficult, set a time limit for each toss.
Strategy 2: Dolch List Bingo
Since sight words do not follow phonetic rules, they are learned as whole words. Students who do not recognize sight words quickly fall behind the rest of the class as they are found in every text. The purpose of this strategy is for the student to recognize the sight words automatically. Use the Dolch word list to create bingo cards. When playing bingo, call out each word twice and allow only five seconds between each word. Remember, with word identifiction, automaticity is the goal! You can also use Fry's word list as well. This strategy can be used in grades 1-5.
Strategy 1: Toss the Cube
Students who continue to struggle with word families often do not recognize smaller elements within monosyllabic words; if they do they often cannot quickly blend the two parts together. This activity can help struggling students learn to automatically blend onsets with rimes and develop the ability to create words with a given set of letters. Using tree to five letter cubes, have the student toss the cubes and create words from the letters. The student gets one point for each word he creates. Have the student record his/her words. To make the activity more difficult, set a time limit for each toss.
Strategy 2: Dolch List Bingo
Since sight words do not follow phonetic rules, they are learned as whole words. Students who do not recognize sight words quickly fall behind the rest of the class as they are found in every text. The purpose of this strategy is for the student to recognize the sight words automatically. Use the Dolch word list to create bingo cards. When playing bingo, call out each word twice and allow only five seconds between each word. Remember, with word identifiction, automaticity is the goal! You can also use Fry's word list as well. This strategy can be used in grades 1-5.
Grade 4:
Strategy 1: Wordless Books
If you observe a student whose receptive and expressive vocabularies are very limited, taking time to discuss books and pictures with him/her using specific words and prompting him/her to join in will help build those vocabularies. "Reading" a wordless book is one way to build a struggling reader's receptive vocabulary and schemata. The "reading" becomes a discussion when a teacher also comments on the pictures, using specific terms or a more advanced vocabulary than the reader has. As you discuss the pictures, write each specified word on an adhesive label and stick it to the appropriate page so the student can later go through the book and read the words. This strategy can be used in grades 1-8.
Strategy 2: Compound Words
The purpose of this strategy is to help a student see familiar parts in words such as prefixes, root words, and suffixes to identify unknown words. Read a book with a variety of compound words, then create cards that display the words that make up each compound word. These cards will help students to see how many compound words they can form by putting the cards together. Time students to make this exercise more challenging. One book that features many compound words is The Jolly Postman (1986) by Janet Ahlberg. Some words that relate to the postal service are post, man, pen, mail, card, box, age, bag, box, office, pal, and truck.
Strategy 1: Wordless Books
If you observe a student whose receptive and expressive vocabularies are very limited, taking time to discuss books and pictures with him/her using specific words and prompting him/her to join in will help build those vocabularies. "Reading" a wordless book is one way to build a struggling reader's receptive vocabulary and schemata. The "reading" becomes a discussion when a teacher also comments on the pictures, using specific terms or a more advanced vocabulary than the reader has. As you discuss the pictures, write each specified word on an adhesive label and stick it to the appropriate page so the student can later go through the book and read the words. This strategy can be used in grades 1-8.
Strategy 2: Compound Words
The purpose of this strategy is to help a student see familiar parts in words such as prefixes, root words, and suffixes to identify unknown words. Read a book with a variety of compound words, then create cards that display the words that make up each compound word. These cards will help students to see how many compound words they can form by putting the cards together. Time students to make this exercise more challenging. One book that features many compound words is The Jolly Postman (1986) by Janet Ahlberg. Some words that relate to the postal service are post, man, pen, mail, card, box, age, bag, box, office, pal, and truck.
Grade 5:
Strategy 1: Technical Terms
The purpose of this strategy is to develop sight vocabulary and help recognize words before reading a text. Many concept books feature vocabulary words that are specific to the book's topic. To familiarize a student with this specialized vocabulary, first ask the student what he/she knows about the topic. Then create a word-web for the books terms. This will aid the student as he/she learns to recognize the words before reading the text. Ask if he/she has seen any tv shows, videos or read any books about the topic to spark their memory. After the student has written down as many as he/she can, add a few more you know he/she will encounter in the text. After the discussion, have the student read all of the words in the web. This gives them an opportunity to see the potentially difficult words in print before reading the text. This strategy can be used in grades 2-8.
Strategy 2: Cloze Passages
The purpose of this strategy is to use context clues to decode unfamiliar words. Using books at the struggling reader's instructional level, select a key word in a sentence and cover it with a sticky note. Instruct the student to read on to the end of the sentence. Then ask him/her to choose a word that makes sense in the context of the sentence. If the student has no suggestions, prompt him/her to read to the end of the paragraph to determine the correct word. After the student selects a word, he/she can take off the label and see if he/she was correct. For a variation on this activity, photocopy a short passage at the student's instructional level. Delete every fifth word or every key word and have the student fill in the deleted words. As you observe the student, look for context clues to help him/her to select the correct word. This strategy can be used in grades 1-8, also as an assessment.
Strategy 1: Technical Terms
The purpose of this strategy is to develop sight vocabulary and help recognize words before reading a text. Many concept books feature vocabulary words that are specific to the book's topic. To familiarize a student with this specialized vocabulary, first ask the student what he/she knows about the topic. Then create a word-web for the books terms. This will aid the student as he/she learns to recognize the words before reading the text. Ask if he/she has seen any tv shows, videos or read any books about the topic to spark their memory. After the student has written down as many as he/she can, add a few more you know he/she will encounter in the text. After the discussion, have the student read all of the words in the web. This gives them an opportunity to see the potentially difficult words in print before reading the text. This strategy can be used in grades 2-8.
Strategy 2: Cloze Passages
The purpose of this strategy is to use context clues to decode unfamiliar words. Using books at the struggling reader's instructional level, select a key word in a sentence and cover it with a sticky note. Instruct the student to read on to the end of the sentence. Then ask him/her to choose a word that makes sense in the context of the sentence. If the student has no suggestions, prompt him/her to read to the end of the paragraph to determine the correct word. After the student selects a word, he/she can take off the label and see if he/she was correct. For a variation on this activity, photocopy a short passage at the student's instructional level. Delete every fifth word or every key word and have the student fill in the deleted words. As you observe the student, look for context clues to help him/her to select the correct word. This strategy can be used in grades 1-8, also as an assessment.
Grade 6:
Strategy 1: Using Pictures to Enhance the Expressive Vocabulary of Middle School Students
The purpose of this strategy is to enhance a student's expressive vocabulary in middle school students. It can be used in grades 6-8. Get a copy of Brod Bagert's (2006) Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age poetry book. Read the title of a poem and then invite the student to explain the drawing, many of which are abstract. For example, the poem "The Gap" features a drawing of the right half of one face an the left half of another. The right-half face has a heart drawn over it. Ask the student to explain why she thinks the artist drew that picture for that poem. (Since this particular poem is written from a female's perspective, it may work best with a female student). As you ask "why" questions, the student will be developing an expressive vocabulary as he/she tries to explain him/herself.
The wordless book Ben's Dream, which includes illustrations of famous places such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Big Ben in London, can also be used for this strategy. Ask students to describe the places in as much detail as they can. If students are unfamiliar with these places, encourage them to use the place name as a search word and read more about it online.
Strategy 2: Personalized Word-Part Dictionaries: Affixes and Roots
The purpose of this strategy is to help a student notice and emphasize familiar parts of words such as prefixes, root words, and suffixes. When working with older students, it is important to help them see the parts as well as the definition of each part. Have students make personalized dictionaries that are divided into three sections- one for prefixes, one for suffixes, and one for root words. Each affix and root word should be given a half page so there is room for students to add new words. This personalized dictionary, like all dictionaries, must include the definition of each affix and root word. When reading, students need to be encourage to add words to their dictionaries. For example, when a student comes across the word irresponsible in a story, he/she can add the word to their ir- page and put the definition in his/her own words.
Strategy 1: Using Pictures to Enhance the Expressive Vocabulary of Middle School Students
The purpose of this strategy is to enhance a student's expressive vocabulary in middle school students. It can be used in grades 6-8. Get a copy of Brod Bagert's (2006) Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age poetry book. Read the title of a poem and then invite the student to explain the drawing, many of which are abstract. For example, the poem "The Gap" features a drawing of the right half of one face an the left half of another. The right-half face has a heart drawn over it. Ask the student to explain why she thinks the artist drew that picture for that poem. (Since this particular poem is written from a female's perspective, it may work best with a female student). As you ask "why" questions, the student will be developing an expressive vocabulary as he/she tries to explain him/herself.
The wordless book Ben's Dream, which includes illustrations of famous places such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa and Big Ben in London, can also be used for this strategy. Ask students to describe the places in as much detail as they can. If students are unfamiliar with these places, encourage them to use the place name as a search word and read more about it online.
Strategy 2: Personalized Word-Part Dictionaries: Affixes and Roots
The purpose of this strategy is to help a student notice and emphasize familiar parts of words such as prefixes, root words, and suffixes. When working with older students, it is important to help them see the parts as well as the definition of each part. Have students make personalized dictionaries that are divided into three sections- one for prefixes, one for suffixes, and one for root words. Each affix and root word should be given a half page so there is room for students to add new words. This personalized dictionary, like all dictionaries, must include the definition of each affix and root word. When reading, students need to be encourage to add words to their dictionaries. For example, when a student comes across the word irresponsible in a story, he/she can add the word to their ir- page and put the definition in his/her own words.
Assessment:
Have a copy of the Dolch or Fry sight word list. Create a checklist to informally assess each student's progress in this area. Assess them at the beginning of the school year, to assess their progress throughout the school year, and at the end of the school year.
Have a copy of the Dolch or Fry sight word list. Create a checklist to informally assess each student's progress in this area. Assess them at the beginning of the school year, to assess their progress throughout the school year, and at the end of the school year.