THE WORD BY WORD PRIMARY PHONICS PROGRAM
& THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT
Reading First Legislation and Instructional Requirements
The Reading First legislation contained in Part B, Subpart 1 of Title I of the No Child Left Behind
Act of 2001 requires that kindergarten through third-grade reading programs be “scientific,
research-based reading programs” which contain the essential components of reading instruction.
Section 1208 (3) of Title I defines these essential components as explicit and systematic instruction
in the following:
1) phonemic awareness: the ability to identify and manipulate the smallest units of spoken
language, and the awareness that the sounds of spoken language work together to make words;
2) phonics: the ability to identify the predictable relationships between the sounds of spoken
language (phonemes) and the letters and spellings that represent these sounds in written language;
3) vocabulary development: knowledge of word meanings and pronunciations;
4) reading fluency, including oral reading skills: the ability to read words accurately and quickly,
including the ability to read aloud with accuracy and speed;
5) reading comprehension strategies: the ability to read for meaning, using the four above skills.
The Word by Word Primary Phonics Program Curriculum
Word by Word Primary was specifically designed to provide English language learners at the
kindergarten through third-grade levels with explicit and systematic instruction in the first four
essential components of reading instruction as mandated by the Reading First requirements in the
No Child Left Behind Act.
PHONEMIC AWARENESS: Word by Word Primary contains the most comprehensive set of phonemic
awareness instructional strategies designed specifically for limited English proficient learners. The
Teacher's Guide includes a phonemic awareness preparatory unit for developing children's listening
skills and comprehensive phonemic awareness activities throughout the early lessons of the
program (e.g., see TG pp. 3, 10-12, 17-19, 25, 28-29). The Phonics Chants & Rhymes audio
program provides rhythmic and musical practice that promotes children's ability to identify and
manipulate units of spoken language through motivating chants, songs, and rhymes.
PHONICS: The program provides a comprehensive phonics foundation curriculum, including:
sound/letter association; phonograms (word families); decoding and word recognition. (See the
Table of Contents for the curriculum, which is recognized for its comprehensiveness and
appropriate sequence. See any cluster of sequential lessons in Units 2-5 for examples of the phonics
curriculum: e.g., pp. 8-21, 38-51, 64-74, 110-119, 128-133, 146-153, 156-161.)
THE WORD BY WORD PRIMARY PHONICS PROGRAM
& THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT (continued)
VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT: The program’s innovative curriculum sequence first introduces
words grouped by their word families, in order to promote children’s phonemic awareness and
development of phonics skills. Then, these words are grouped thematically for review and for the
development of children’s vocabulary concepts, including identifying, sorting, classifying,
synonyms, antonyms, and other foundation skills of reading and language arts. (See Unit 6, pp.
179-200.)
READING FLUENCY, INCLUDING ORAL READING SKILLS: Sequential reading practice with words,
phrases, and sentences containing the sounds and sound/letter associations in the developmental
sequence of the program’s phonemic awareness and phonics curriculum promotes children’s early
success in reading with accuracy and speed. (See pp. 52-55 for the word review charts. See pp. 6491 for examples of sentence reading practice focused on the phonics objectives.)
Helping Teachers Provide Explicit and Systematic Instruction
Word by Word Primary is designed to serve as a teacher's main resource for short, explicit phonicsbased lessons of about 15 minutes duration -- precisely the length recommended by reading
researchers for systematic, direct instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics as a part of a
broader reading or language arts program. Using the familiar and motivating format of a picture
dictionary with accompanying workbooks and other components, the program is designed to help
teachers meet the new scientific-based reading-instruction requirements by infusing their existing
instruction with these short daily lessons. It is a supplemental program that teachers can use along
with their existing curricula and materials.
The Teacher's Guide is especially helpful as it provides step-by-step instructional strategies for each
lesson -- useful to teachers who are teaching phonemic awareness or using a strategic, explicit
phonics approach for the first time. Other resources in the Teacher’s Guide include diagnostic tests,
student assessment records, and vocabulary games and activities.
References:
Antunez, Beth. 2002. Implementing Reading First with English Language Learners. Directions in
Language and Education. Washington, DC: National Clearinghouse for English Language
Acquisition & Language Instruction Educational Programs.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 2000. Report of the National Reading
Panel. Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research
Literature on Reading and its Implications for Reading Instruction. (NIH Publication No. 004769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 2000. Report of the National Reading
Panel. Teaching Children to Read: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research
Literature on Reading and its Implications for Reading Instruction: Reports of the Subgroups.
(NIH Publication No. 00-4754). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
U.S. Congress. 2001. No Child Left Behind Act. (P.L. 107-110)
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