Working+With+Words

//http://readingready.wikispaces.com/Working+With+Words//

By: MarieAlaina Onorato, Christine Leuzzi, Lindsay Chitwood, Burhedita Price-Thompson =Welcome to the Working With Words Page!=

Working with Words is one of the four components of the Four Blocks Framework. The Four-Blocks® Framework [] incorporates on a daily basis four different approaches to teaching children to read. The purpose of the Working with Words Block is to ensure that K-12 students read (including Special Ed), spell, and use high-frequency words correctly, and that they learn the patterns necessary for decoding and spelling. We will break down strategies and information in four levels; Elementary, Middle, and High School, and Special Education. The Four-Blocks® Framework [] incorporates on a daily basis four different approaches to teaching children to read - **Guided Reading, Self-Selected Reading, Writing, and Working with Words**.

For any level, the teacher should: //• Introduce the words and categories// //• Read all the words for pronunciation// //• Have students highlight words they do not know the meaning of// //• Go over definitions and have the students write the definition below the word// //• Have students cut and sort the words with a partner//

** //Elementary:// ** // **


 * //Sort words into categories and write or paste categorized words in notebook//
 * //Alphabetize words//
 * //Select 10 words to use in a sentence//
 * //Spelling quiz//
 * //Word Wall//

**Strategies: ** Phonics defines the relationship between written letters and spoken sounds. For example, the knowledge that the letter “B” makes a “buh” sound is phonics.Young children must be able to instantly translate a letter or letter cluster into the correct sound (and vice versa) in order to effectively read and write. This translation between letters and sounds is the central skill in phonics. Phonics instruction in schools should be both explicit, with the relationships between letters and sounds directly taught, and systematic, where letter-sound relationships are presented in a pre-determined order.

 "Word study" is an alternative to traditional spelling instruction. It is based on learning word patterns rather than memorizing unconnected words. A word study program is a cohesive approach that addresses word recognition, vocabulary, and phonics as well as spelling. Click on this link for more information []. In word study, teachers encourage students to compare and contrast features in words. One common method for doing so is by having students sort words. When sorting, students use their word knowledge to separate examples that go together from those that don't. I n word study, teachers encourage students to compare and contrast features in words. One common method for doing so is by having students sort words. When sorting, students use their word knowledge to separate examples that go together from those that don't. In addition to sorting, students may hunt for words in their reading and writing that fit the pattern being studied, may construct a word wall illustrating examples of the different patterns studied, may keep a word study notebook to record the known patterns and their new understandings about words, or may play games and activities to apply their word knowledge

A cycle of instruction for word study might include the following: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Teachers then test students' pattern knowledge rather than their ability to memorize single words. For example, a teacher might have students work with twenty words during a word study cycle and then randomly test students on ten of those words. For students studying the //-at// family, a teacher might include the word "//vat//" on the spelling test even though it wasn't on the initial spelling list – this allows the teacher to see if students are able to transfer their knowledge of the "at" chunk to a new word they haven't seen before. Information taken from: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[]
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">introduce the spelling pattern by choosing words for students to sort
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">encourage students to discover the pattern in their reading and writing
 * <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">use reinforcement activities to help students relate this pattern to previously acquired word knowledge

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">** //Middle School:// **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">I see and I forget. I hear and I remember. I do and I understand. <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Confucius <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Working With Words** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Accoriding to the authors of WordsTheir Way literacy is like a braid interwoven threads. The braid begins with the intertwining threads of oral language and stories. As children experiment with putting ideas on paper, a writing thread is entwined as well. As children moved into reading, the threads of literacy begin to bond. Students' growing knowledge of spelling or orthography -the correct sequences of letters in the writing system- strengthens that bonding. The size of the threads and the braid itself become thicker as orthographic knowledge grows.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">(Orthography-the art of writing words with the proper letters according to standard usage) <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[]

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">When working with words the goal is to increase students, recognition and Fluency of high frequency words. It also includes decoding and spelling of phoneticall regular words. Goals to increase students - Sight word instruction is essential to improving a reader's fluency and word recognition skills, two of the components of fluency.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[]

<span style="background: white; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">** Word Wall Activities **

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">** A word wall is an interactive collection of words or parts of words used to teach vocabulary, spelling, letter-sound correspondence, and more. Word walls are not simply décor; they are works in progress designed to promote group learning. **** Words should be added to the wall as they are encountered in learning and should be removed (or moved to a review board) as they become part of the student’s knowledge bank. ** <span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">** Word Family Patterns ** According to Jennifer Becker, from Wayne Elementary School in Radnor, Pennsylvania, word pattern association is an integral part of the elementary school curriculum. Did you know that the following patterns of word families are present in approximately 500 words in the English language? Well, you heard it here! If your child could learn to identify and spell the following word family patterns, he/she would significantly increase his/her sight vocabulary and spelling ability. // _ack _ail _ain _ake _ale _ame _an _ank _ap _ash //// _aw __ay _eat _ell _est _ice _ick _ide _ight _ill__ ////__ _ing _ink _ip _ir _ock _oke _op _ore _or _uck __////__ _unk _at _ate _in _ine _ug _ump __//

Literacy is most commonly defined as the ability to read, spell and communicate through written language. However, in a more general sense, literacy is more than just the ability to read or write. It means being able to view, listen, read, comprehend, evaluate, speak, and write effectively and systematically.” If we as educators could take this on and make it part of our daily goal a difference we would make in the lives of the children that sit before us!

Newcastle Middle School Reading in Three Words 3rd Hour.wmv [] []

=High School=

Literacy is an increasingly important factor as schools focus on improving student achievement. Literacy skills in reading and writing are critical components needed for both access to the general curriculum and for successful academic achievement. A key component of reading and writing is word identification, a skill deficit for many adolescent students with learning disabilities. This article describes how we implemented Words Their Way, an explicit, inductive instructional approach to teach phonemic awareness, spelling patterns, and morphology to students in a ninth grade literacy class in an urban high school. The orthographic knowledge learned through word study is applied to word identification skills used in reading and writing. The article explains how we adapted this program for adolescents who are struggling with reading and writing.

<span style="background: white; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 12pt;">//Through many activities in the Working with Words Block, teachers can assess, monitor, and plan for the needs of the entire group, as well as the individual students. This ensures students learn the high-frequency words and engage in activities to learn how words work through strategies such as Words with Friends, Word Bingo, etc.//



[|Power Reading Video] []

<span style="background: white; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; margin-bottom: 12pt;">// [|Stalham High School] // <span style="background: white; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; margin-bottom: 12pt;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HV2KRMV4gK4//

<span style="background: white; color: #000000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 12pt;">**Special Education:**

“There are many types of learning disabilities and learning difficulties.

Learning disabilities should not be confused with an intellectual disability. An intellectual disability is a severe deficit in cognitive functioning. This is classified by an IQ score of less than 70. An IQ score of 100 is average (range 85 – 115). People with intellectual disabilities will have difficulties with learning.

Learning disabilities generally fall into two major categories:

If a person has general processing issues, they may also have a Learning Disability (or difficulty).” (http://www.schoolpsychologyblog.com/learning-disabilities-difficulties/)
 * 1) ** General Processing issues **
 * 2) ** Specific Learning Disabilities ** ( i.e. dyslexia)

<span style="background: white; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0.25in;">Therefore,when “working with words” as with any activities or lessons for special need students, there are modifications you can make. For, example:

<span style="background: white; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-left: 0.25in;">**__[]__**
 * Give the activities in “smaller”segments. (For ex: give half the words that you give the other students.
 * Allow extra time.
 * Make sure the objective for your special Ed student matches a goal that is reasonable for them even if it does not match the objective of the other students.
 * Use visual aid, story maps, and other graphic based learning tools.

Here are some helpful links for "working with words" that are useful for all students:

Working with words Activities: []

A “Hotlist” on Working with Words: []

Working with Words “Game Aquarium”: []

= Teach Your Child Early Sight Words to Improve Reading: (includes flash cards): = = [] = Free Printable Pre-Primer Dolch Sight Words from Learning Abilities Books:

__ http://www.learningbooks.net/Dpp.pdf __