Word Identification
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and
Learning to Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
By Dawn Cardenas
Foniks Instrukshun:
Between the Lines
In this presentation, you will discover:
•Phases of word identification.
• Guidelines and strategies for teaching phonics.
• Strategies for teaching words in context.
• Strategies for teaching rapid recognition of words.
• Guidelines for balancing word identification instruction.
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Opening Questions:
• What combination of strategies, or cueing
systems, do children need to use for
immediate word recognition?
• How can contemporary phonics guidelines
inform your instruction?
• How can word identification be taught as a
part of a balanced literacy program?
Key Terms
 Analogy-based instruction
 Analytic phonics
 Cross-checking
 Decodable text
 Onset
 Phonograms
 Rime
 Self-monitoring
 Embedded phonics
instruction
 Spelling-based instruction
 High-frequency words
 Synthetic phonics
 Key words
 Word banks
 Linguistic instruction
 Word walls
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Developmental Phases
in Children’s Ability to Read Words
Prealphabetic phase
(Remembering a distinctive, purely visual cue)
Example: tall posts
ye
llow
KitteN
Partial alphabetic phase
(Remembering limited matches between salient letter sounds)
Example: matches between K and N only
k
it
n
C L O CK
Full alphabetic phase
(Remembering matches between all letters and sounds)
Example: 4 letter units matched to 4 sound units
k
Consolidated alphabetic phase
(Remembering matches between multiletter units
and symbolic units)
Example: matching onset and rime units
l
o
CR ATE
kr
at
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
k
A Primer on the Content and Language of Phonics
Terms of Phonics
Definitions of Terms
Examples of Terms
Consonants
All the sounds represented
by letters of the alphabet
except a, e, i, o, and u.
Hard c: cat, coaster, catatonic
(c sounds like /k/)
Soft c: city, receive, cite
(c sounds like /s/)
Consonant Blends
Two or three consonants
grouped together, but each
consonant retains its
original sound.
l blends: bl cl fl gl pl sl
r blends: br cr dr fr gr pr tr
s blends: sc sk sm sn sp st sw
3-letter blends: scr spr str
Consonant Digraphs
Two or more consonants
are combined to produce a
new sound.
ch in chin
ph in phone
sh in shell
gh in ghost
th in think
-nk in tank
wh in whistle -ng in tang
Phonograms
Letter patterns that help to
form word families or
rhyming words.
ad in bad, dad, fad, sad
at in cat, hat, mat, sat
ack in back, hack, jack, pack
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Continued
A Primer on the Content and Language of Phonics
Terms of Phonics
Vowels
Vowel Digraphs
Vowel Diphthongs
Consonant-Influenced
Vowels
Definitions of Terms
Examples of Terms
Short Sounds
/a/ in Pat
/e/ in bed
/i/ in pit
/o/ in hot
/u/ in hug
Long Sounds
/a/ in lake
/e/ in be
/i/ in ice
/o/ in go
/u/ in use
Two vowels that are adjacent
to one another. The first vowel
is usually long; the second
vowel is silent.
oa in boat
ee in beet
ea in beat
ai in bait
ay in bay
oo in look
ew in flew
ea in read
Sounds that consist of a blend
of two separate vowel sounds.
/oi/ in oil
/oy/ in toy
/au/ in taught
/aw/ in saw
/ou/ in out
/ow/ in how
All the sounds represented by
letters a, e, i, o, and u.
The letter a has a special sound l in Albert or tallow
when followed by an l.
R-controlled vowels occur
r in star, her, fir, for, and purr
when any vowel letter is
followed by an r.
Continued
A Primer on the Content and Language of Phonics
Syllable Patterns
Types of Syllable Patterns
Examples of Syllable Patterns
Long Vowels
CV
Cve
be
like
rote
paid
boat
CVVC
Short Vowels
VC or CVC
it
hot
R-controlled
Vr
CVr
art
car, her
Digraph/Diphthong
Variations
VV
saw, book
boil, out
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Traditional Approaches to Phonics
• Analytic Phonics Instruction
• Synthetic Phonics Instruction
• Linguistic Phonics Instruction
Contemporary Approaches
to Phonics
• Analogy Based Instruction
• Spelling Based Instruction
• Embedded Based Instruction
Guidelines for Contemporary
Phonics Instruction
• Needs to build on foundation of phonemic
awareness
• Must be integrated into a total reading
program
• Should focus on reading print rather than
learning rules
• Needs to include teaching of onsets and
rimes
• Needs to include spelling based strategies.
Strategies
• Consonant Based Strategies
• Favorites Foods
• Flip Books
• Digraph Tongue Twisters
• Analogy Based Strategies
• Rimes and Nursery Rhymes
• Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkies
• Word Building
• Spelling Based Strategies
• Word Banks
• Word Walls
• Have-A-Go
Word-Building Strategy
The word-building strategy begins with the identification of the specific
rime pattern to be studied. If the rime ine was the focus, it would be
presented in the following manner.
1.
3.
Building words by adding the onset.
Write ine on large chart paper or on the overhead. Ask students to supply different
consonants to create the words mine, nine, line, and dine. As each word is written,
carefully enunciate the beginning consonant and the rime and then the whole word.
For example, mine would be m-, -ine, mine. Repeat the procedure for each new word
formed. Attention may then be paid to the ine rime. Discussion may clarify the
relationship between the long i and silent e.
2.
Building words by adding the rime.
To ensure that students have a clear understanding of the onset and rime, present the
onset and have the students supply the rime. Write m and have the children tell what
would be added to create the word mine. After adding the ine, say the word in parts,
m-, -ine, and then as a whole. Point to each letter pattern as it is said.
Selecting a model word.
Choose a common word that easily illustrates the specific letter pattern. The ine rime
can be shown with a picture of the number 9. Illustrations can be added to the
children’s personal dictionaries or anyplace else that can be easily referenced.
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Word-Building Strategy
4.
5.
Guided practice.
Provide many opportunities for the students to practice using the letter pattern.
Possibilities include sharing big books with the pattern, using magnetic letters on
cookie sheets, writing words on mini-chalkboards, tumbling letter blocks to form
words, or making flip books with the rime pattern.
Application.
Provide opportunities for students to read stories, poems, chants, and rhymes with
the specific letter pattern. It may be helpful to keep a list of appropriate titles or
copies of poems and rhymes in a binder or folder marked with rimes and letter
patterns.
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
How do we use meaning and lettersound information to identify words?
• Strategies for teaching context
• Cloze with or without choice given
• Guessing Games
• Reader-selected miscue strategy
• Cross Checking and Self-Monitoring
Strategies
Monitoring an Unknown Word
What do you do
when you come
to a word you
don’t know?
1.
2.
3.
4.
If you can’t figure it out,
Don’t let the word bug you.
Maybe you can understand
the selection without it.
Try to sound it out. If you can’t . . .
Say “blank” and skip it.
Read at least to the end of the sentence.
Go back and look at the word and see if
you can think of a word that makes sense
and has these letters.
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
What are some strategies for teaching
rapid recognition of words?
Strategies for Teaching High Frequency
or Function Words
• Language Experience Strategy
• Word Walls
• Environmental Print
• Teaching Key Words
• Classifying Words
• Relating Words
• Acting out words
What are some guidelines for balancing
word identification instruction?
• No one-size-fits-all approach
• Unlimited experiences with words in
authentic texts
• On-going, systematic, explicit phonics
instruction using meaningful texts
• Early development of sight word
knowledge
• Instruction in use of context clues
A SMART Goal
Using a thesaurus and a worksheet,
children will read, make inferences, and
draw conclusions from riddles with 80%
or greater accuracy.
Related Web Sites

Starfall
www.starfall.com.
Where children have fun learning to read

Summary of the International Reading Association Position Statement on Phonics
www.reading.org/resources/issues/positions_phonics.html
This bulleted summary synthesizes the position statement and provides a link for accessing
the entire statement.

Multnomah County Library
www.multcolib.org/kids/fun.html
This Web site has links to numerous games and activities about word study for all ages.

The Dolch Kit
www.theschoolbell.com/Links/Dolch/Dolch.html
This Web site has links to online alphabet activities including a site for each letter of the
alphabet for primary-age children.

Four Blocks Literacy Framework: Word Wall Cheers
k111.k12.il.us/lafayette/fourblocks/word_wall_chants.htm
This Web site includes ideas and “cheers” for teaching spelling using word walls.
References
Florida Education Standards Commission (nd). Accomplished Competencies for Teachers of
the Twenty-First Century. Retrieved July 2, 2007 from Florida Atlantic University,
Blackboard Web site:
http://blackboard.fau.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab=courses&url=/bin/common/cour
se.pl?course_id=_60465_1
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and
Learning to Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Answers to Questions & Key Terms
Questions:
• Children should be able to automatically identify words by using a
combination of phonics, sight recognition, structural analysis and
context strategies.
• Children should be taught to identify words through explicit,
systematic phonics instruction including onset and rime recognition as
part of a total reading program.
• By using an integrated approach to literacy including the early
development of sight word knowledge and instruction in how to use
context clues in a variety of texts.
Key Terms:
• Onset- The initial part of a word (a consonant, consonant blend, or
digraph) that precedes the word.
• Rime- The part of a letter pattern in a word that includes the vowel
and any consonants that follow; also called a phonogram or a word
family.
• High frequency words- Words that appear often in printed material.
Education Accomplished Practices
1. ASSESSMENT:
•
Assesses individual and group performance to design instruction that meets students'
current needs in the cognitive, social, linguistic, cultural, emotional, and physical domains.
2. COMMUNICATION:
•
Motivates, encourages, and supports individual and group inquiry.
4. CRITICAL THINKING:
•
•
•
Analyzes student performance standards to identify associated higher-order thinking
skills, and designs learning and performance strategies to evoke these higher-order skills.
Poses problems, dilemmas, and questions in lessons that involve value knowledge and that
require evaluative thinking.
Monitors students’ work and adjusts strategies in response to learners’ needs and
successes in creative thinking activities.
7. HUMAN DEVELOPMENT & LEARNING:
•
Makes appropriate provisions for individual students based upon their learning styles
based on needs and developmental levels.
8. KNOWLEDGE OF SUBJECT MATTER:
•
Communicates accurate knowledge of subject matter in a comprehensible manner using
language and style appropriate to the learner.