Glass-Analysis for Decoding Only
(a decoding strategy)
The Instructional Sequence
Step 1
Presenting the target word
Present the word card
student to repeat the pronunciation.
Step 2
. Pronounce the word and tell the
Teaching that Sounds = Letters
While the student is looking at the word card, pronounce each “sound cluster” in the word and
ask the student to give the letter(s) that correspond to that sound. For example, you might
say the following: “In the word song, what letter/s makes the / s / sound?
In the word song, what letter/s make the / ong / sound?
Step 3
(Recommendation: For some children, you should teach all the “sound clusters” of the target
word in sequence, that is, from left to right. Then you can ask random questions about the
sound clusters in the target word.)
Teaching that Letters = Sounds
While the student is looking at the word card, pronounce each “letter cluster” in the word and
ask the student to give the sounds that correspond to those letters. For example, you might
say the following: “In the word song, what sound does the letter s make? What sound does
the letters o – n – g make?
Step 4
Words Minus Letters or Sounds = Sounds
Step 5
While the student is looking at the word card, you should ask questions that indicate that you
are “taking away” letters or sounds from the word and asking for the letter clusters or sound
clusters that remain.
For example, you might say the following: ”If I took away the / ong / sound, in the word
song, what sound is left? If I took away the / s / sound in the word song, what sound is
left? If I took away the letter s in the word song, what sound is left?” (etc.…)
Student reads word
Step 6
Finally, present the word card again and say, “What is this word?”
Student writes word
When the student pronounces the word correctly, remove the card from view and say, “Now I
want you to write the word
.
Suggestions:
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Always show the entire word. Do not cover up any part of a word when you ask questions; the student
must always be looking at the entire word.
Work rapidly – do not wait any longer than a few seconds for a response.
If a response is incorrect, give the correct response immediately and then repeat the original question.
about 10-15 minutes = a session
can be done individually or in very small groups (2-3)
If the student is having difficulty following your questions and/or matching the appropriate letter clusters
and sound clusters, you can teach the same strategy using letter tiles, which allows you to isolate the
specific clusters by simply separating the tiles.
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