Unit 7:
Teaching Word Identification
and Spelling
General principles of word identification and
spelling instruction
How do we learn to recognize and spell words?
What are the 6 syllable types?
How do we teach decoding and spelling?
How do we teach irregular words?
Table Talk
 How are phonemic awareness and decoding
instruction inter-related? Which do you think is
more important in the very beginning stages of
learning to read? Does the relationship change
over time and if so, how?
 Discuss activities you use in your classroom to
teach phonological awareness.
 Tell in your own words the difference between
phonological awareness and phonemic
awareness.
Activity
What is the problem,
comprehension, or
word recognition?
He had never seen dogs fight as these
w_ish cr__tures f__t, and his first ex__ ie__ce
t__t him an unf_______able l___n. It is true, it
was a vi__ ex____, else he would not have lived
to pr__ by it. Curly was the v____. They were
camped near the l_g store, where she, in her
friend_ way, made ad__ to a husky dog the
s__e of a full-___ wolf, th___ not half so large
as _he. _ere was no w_ing, only a leap in like a
flash, a met_ clip of teeth, a leap out equal_
swift, and Curly’s face was ri__ed open from
eye to jaw.
He had never seen dogs fight as these wolfish
creatures fought, and his first experience
taught him an unforgettable lesson. It is true, it
was a vicarious experience, else he would not
have lived to profit by it. Curly was the victim.
They were camped near the log store, where
she, in her friendly way, made advances to a
husky dog the size of a full-grown wolf, though
not half so large as she. There was no warning,
only a leap in like a flash, a metallic clip of
teeth, a leap out equally swift and Curly’s face
was ripped open from eye to jaw.
From Call of the Wild by Jack London
Phase
Logographic or
Preconventional
Novice or Early
Alphabetic
Mature or Later
Alphabetic
Transitional or
Orthographic
How child
reads
familiar
words
Rote learning of
incidental visual
features of a word;
no letter-sound
assoc.
Partial use of
letter-sound
correspondence;
initial sound
&/or final sound
Pronunciation of whole Interchange of
word on basis of
strategies e.g.
sound-letter mapping
phonemes, syllabic
units, morpheme
units and whole
words
How child
reads
unfamiliar
words
Guessing
constrained by
context or memory
of text
Constrained by
context; gets first
sound and
guesses
Full use of letter-sound
mapping; blends all
sounds left to right;
begins to use analogy
to known patterns
Sequential &
hierarchical
decoding – notices
familiar parts first;
use analogy
Other
indicators
Dependent on
context, few words;
errors &
confusions; cannot
read text
Similar
appearing words
are confused
Rapid, unitized
reading of whole
familiar words is
increasing
Remembers
multisyllabic
words; analogizes
easily, associates
word structure
with meaning
How the
child spells
Strings letters
together, assigns
meaning without
representing sounds
in words
Represents a few
consonants; fills
in other letters
randomly; some
letter/sound
assoc.
Phonetically accurate,
beginning to use
conventional letter
patterns; sight words
knowledge increasing
Word knowledge at
all levels:
morpheme – prefix,
suffix, root
syntactic,
Based on Ehri, 1998,2000
Selected Conclusions From
National Reading Panel About Phonics
 Systematic phonics was more effective than non-phonics
programs, including
 basal programs
 whole language
 whole word programs.
 Systematic phonics works for grades K-6.
 Systematic, synthetic phonics instruction helps disabled
readers.
 Kindergarten students are ready for phonics and should
receive this instruction.
National Reading Panel, 2000
General Principles Of Word Identification
and Spelling Instruction
 Explicit, direct & systematic
 Teach total word structure
 Continue phonemic awareness
 Coordinate decoding and spelling
 Accuracy then automaticity
 Decodable materials
 Irregular words
Felton & Lillie, 2001
Unit 7:
Teaching Word Identification
and Spelling
General principles of word identification and
spelling instruction
How do we learn to recognize and spell words?
What are the 6 syllable types?
How do we teach decoding and spelling?
How do we teach irregular words?
English Orthography Isn’t Easy
hit
kite
chief
give
fruit
hi
fluid
ski
build
pie
naive
pencil
Insight From Linnea Ehri
“…You can’t become a skilled
reader unless you know the
system.”
Linnea Ehri, 2002
Automatic Processing
abruntive
shime
frimp
Automatic Processing
frimp
shime
abruntive
More Insight From Linnea Ehri
“…when readers learn to read
words by sight, they use their
knowledge of letter-sound
correspondences. This knowledge
is the glue that holds the words in
memory for quick reading.”
Linnea Ehri, 2002
Automatic Processing
conzayment
ecnmztnyao
yrmhv
scray
Automatic Processing
scray yrmhv
conzayment
ecnmztnyao
Insight From Susan Hall And Louisa Moats
“…As the reader perceives the letters,
he also simultaneously clusters the
letters into chunks that he knows
appear frequently in words.”
Moats & Hall, 2002
Skilled Readers Break Long Words Into
Syllables For Recognition
cagwitzpat
cag
witz pat
Readers break the syllable between letters that
rarely occur in sequence within a syllable. In this
word, between g-w and z-p.
Unit 7:
Teaching Word Identification
and Spelling
General principles of word identification and
spelling instruction
How do we learn to recognize and spell words?
What are the 6 syllable types?
How do we teach decoding and spelling?
How do we teach irregular words?
What Is The Vowel Sound?
Check The Syllable Type!
 Six Types of English Syllables






Closed
Le (consonant-l-e, Cle)
Open (V, CV)
Vowel teams (VV)
E (Silent e, vowel-consonant-e, VCe)
R-controlled (Vr)
Discovering Open And Closed Syllables
me
e
e
web
me
neck
we
be
web
we
elf
neck
she
sled
he
egg
Discovering Open And Closed Syllables
e
e
web
me
neck
we
sled
she
egg
he
elf
be
A Vowel Rule
we t
Closed Syllable: Short Vowel
we t
Open Syllable: Long Vowel
we
Closed Syllable/Open Syllable
 Closed syllable
 Structure: Only one vowel, at least one consonant
after the vowel
 Type of Vowel Sound: Short
 Open syllable
 Structure: Only one vowel, at the end of a syllable
 Type of Vowel Sound: Long
Closed Syllable/Open Syllable
CLOSED
r
o
c
a
s
k
c
l
u
w
e
s
OPEN
k
g
o
m
e
b
f
l
t
h
i
u
OPEN
CLOSED
Closed Syllable/Open Syllable
r
a
b
b
i bt i
t
r
o
b
i
n bi
ni
n
e
x
i
t
i
t
o
p
e
n
p
e
s
o
l
o
l
o
m
u
s
i
c s
i
n
c
Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
Picture-Coding:
Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
Silent Magic E
Silent magic e
Live Spelling:
Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
Letterland calls this “live
spelling.” Other programs can
use this idea with students holding
letter cards and forming letters.
Each student gives his or her
sound and then the class blends
them together. Teachers lead this
activity in two ways to practice
reading and spelling.
Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
tape
Some Orton-Gillingham instructors teach that the
“e” jumps back over one letter to make the vowel
say its name.
Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
 Structure: 1 vowel followed by 1 consonant
followed by an “e”
 Type of Vowel Sound: Long
Multi-syllable words
1 syllable words
Vowel-Consonant-e Syllable
t
i
m
e
t
y
p
e
d
r
o
v
e
b
a
th
e
b
a
s
e
m
em ne
tn
t
i
n
v
i
t
ev
i
t
e
r
e
p
l
a
cp
el
a
c
e
Vowel-Team Syllable
b
ō
n
t
Ow !
Vowel-Team Syllable
 Structure: Two or more vowels together that
stand for one vowel sound (may include
consonants as in “igh,” “eigh”)
 Type of Vowel Sound: long, short, diphthong
sound
Other
Vowel Sounds
Long
Vowel Teams
Vowel-Team Syllable
h
ea
t
b
oa
t
n
igh
t
c
oi
n
m
oo
n
h
ea
d
e
n
d
ow
d ow
ou
t
l
li
in
d
ne
e
e
c coy oy
R-Controlled Syllable
card
f ir st
R...r...r
Ir...ir…ir
R-Controlled Syllable
 Structure: 1 or 2 vowels followed by “r”
 Type of Vowel Sound: r-controlled
Multi-Syllable Words
One Syllable Words
R-Controlled Syllable
f
ar m
b
ur
n
m or
e
f
or
h
er
d
th
ir
d
t
er mm i i t t e e
ai
t
er er
ar
k
g g u um
e
m ne
w
tn
t
Consonant-L-e Syllable
m a
a
p
p
p
p
l
e
p
l
e
Consonant-L-e Syllable
 Structure: Consonant followed by “L” followed
by “e”; never the 1st syllable
 Type of Vowel Sound: schwa
Closed
Various
Open
Consonant-L-e Syllable
t
a
b
bl
el
e
r
i
f
fl
el
e
m ar
b
bl
el
e
b
ee
t
tl
el
e
p
a
d
d
dl
e
l
e
g
i
g
g
gl
e
l
e
Unit 7:
Teaching Word Identification
and Spelling
General principles of word identification and
spelling instruction
How do we learn to recognize and spell words?
What are the 6 syllable types?
How do we teach decoding and spelling?
How do we teach irregular words?
Multisensory Teaching
Why Is It Effective For Poor Readers and Spellers?
 Moats speculates that multisensory methods...
 require slow and careful pronunciation leading to
attention to each phoneme.
 may increase brain activation.
 may improve information storage.
Moats, 1995
Examples Of Simultaneous,
Multisensory Methods
 Say a word while writing it with finger on
textured surface
 tap out the phonemes on fingers
 blend for reading
 write letters for spelling
 Say a word, touch a blank card for each syllable,
read or spell aloud by syllables
Moats, 1995
Video: Tapping Sounds
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Video: Building Words to Prepare to Read
Decodable Text
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Building And Changing Words for Reading
1. Teacher chooses 1st word: bed.
2. Teacher prepares a “word chain:” bed, shed, red, rid,
lid, lip, clip, clap.
3. Teacher builds first word: bed.
4. Students tap out phonemes and read word.
5. Teacher changes letter(s) to make 2nd word, etc.
6. Teacher may ask questions such as



“What letter/sound changed?”
“Where in the word was the change?”
“What is the digraph?” (or blend)
7. Teacher should intervene at any point to prevent
practice of error.
Video: Building and Changing Words
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Activity: Words Chains
 Write a word chain with a partner.
 Begin with a 2 or 3 phoneme word with a short vowel
 Make changes to beginning, middle and end
 Add phonemes, subtract phonemes, substitute
phonemes, move a phoneme from one position to
another
 Include 10 to 15 words
Multisensory Methods:
Building And Changing Words for Spelling
 Teacher calls out word.
 Student:
 Repeat word.
 Tap out phonemes on fingers.
 Name letters while forming word with letter tiles.
 Read word.
 Cover word and spell from memory.
Building And Changing Words for Spelling
a
k
b
c
n
e
f
g
h
i
Teacher: crust
c
l
m
d
x
r
u
s
t
y
z
Student: “c”
“u”
“s”
“t”
“r”
crust, /c/ /r/ /u/ /s/ /t/
crust
o
p
q
j
r
s
t
u
v
w
Video: Building and Changing Words
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Multisensory Methods:
Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS)
 Teacher calls out word.
 Student:
 Repeat word.
 Tap out phonemes.
 Tap letter names on fingers.
 Name letters while writing them.
 Read and underline word to check.
Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS)
Single Syllable Words
/t/
“t” “r”
/r/ “i”
/i/ “p”
/p/
Teacher: trip
Student: trip
“t – r – i – p”
“t r i p”
Reading Multisyllable Words
 Basic Concepts of Syllable Division:
 Division of words determines pronunciation of
syllables and vowels
 Each syllable has one and only one vowel phoneme
(may have more vowel letters)
 Syllable division is based on position of vowels and
consonants
Syllable Division
 Prerequisite student knowledge:
 Basic letter-sounds including digraphs and blends
 Ability to decode and encode 1 syllable words
 1 syllable/one vowel sound concept
 Knowledge of syllable types (may begin when just
closed syllable has been learned)
Video: Syllable Division
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Decoding Multisyllable Words
Students use a multisensory method
to read compensate
Student reads each syllable touching each card:
com
pen
sate
Then reads it as one word: compensate
Simultaneous Oral Spelling
With Multi-Syllable Words


Teacher calls out word.
Student:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Repeats word.
Touches a blank card in left to right sequence for each
syllable as he says syllable.
Touches first card and repeats first syllable.
Spells first syllable aloud.
Writes each letter in syllable while saying letter-names
aloud.
Repeats steps 3-5 for each syllable.
Underlines each syllable as he reads and checks the word.
Simultaneous Oral Spelling (SOS)
Multi-Syllable Words
Teacher: confiscate
c-o-n
con
Student: confiscate
Student:
con
f-i-s fis
c-a-t-e
cate
c-a-t-e
cate
fis
cate
Sorting And Classifying Words
 Materials: word cards
 Students group words by common features such
as syllable type, vowel sound, etc.
 Students explain reason for grouping.
 Teachers may choose the type of sort:
 Open-ended sort: Student chooses categories for
words.
 Directed sort: Teachers gives student categories to
sort words.
Open-Ended Sort
How might a student group these words?
web
grape
joke
glad
smile
must
cube
trip
Open-Ended Sort
How would a student explain this grouping?
web
joke
glad
grape
must
smile
trip
cube
Video: Analyzing and Categorizing Words
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Small Group, Teacher-Directed Sort
 Teacher chooses categories.
 Teacher places a “header” card for each category.
 Students take turns placing cards under headers.
 After student places a card, student points to each
word in column for group to read.
Learning Orthographic Patterns
“Comparison, sorting, and
classification are much
more effective than rule
recitation alone for learning
about patterns.”
Moats, 1996
Patterns That Depend On Position In Word:
Use Discovery Teaching
oi
coin
boil
point
ointment
oy
boy
soy
joy
employ
Video: Discovery of Spelling Patterns
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Patterns That Must Be Memorized
oa
road
soap
load
float
o-e
rode
hope
note
broke
Learning Orthographic Patterns:
Mnemonics To Aid Pattern Memory
The princiPAL
is your PAL.
“…the most effective
mnemonic devices are
those that students make up
themselves.”
Moats, 1996
Creating Mnemonics For Correct Spellings
 Teacher and students create a story or picture with ee
words.
 Then create a contrasting story or picture with ea words.
ee
green
tree
see
feet
week
feel
ea
eat
heat
read
team
meat
leaf
Teach The Word
 Each pair of students assigned 1 word
 Students identify elements of the word taught
thus far.
 Number of sounds
 Number of letters
 Digraphs, blends, vowels
 Syllable type, vowel sound
 Word meaning, use in a sentence
 Students present word to class.
Video: Teach the Word
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Activity: Teach The Word
With a partner,
fill out the chart
for your assigned
word.
What Are Decodable Books?
 Books with only the lettersounds, patterns and sight
words already taught
 Decodable books provide
practice in applying the
skills that are currently
being taught or reviewed.
Evaluate Decodable Books Activity
With a partner,
count the number
of decodable words
as explained on the
handout.
Introducing Decodable Books
 Look at and discuss pictures (if any) and title.
 Encourage students to make predictions.
 Introduce characters as if they are real people.
 Practice character names.
 Explain the story or the story beginning in an
appealing way.
Introducing Decodable Books
Al had the bag. Sam had his fat cat.
The fat cat hit the bag. Bam! The bag had
a rip. In ran Sam. In ran Al. “The bag has
a big rip!”
From Language! Edition 1. J and J Language
Readers Story unit 4 book 1, “A Big Bee”
Introducing Decodable Books
 Teacher: We are going to read a story about two
boys named Al and Sam. Let’s say each boy’s
name three times to help us remember their
names, “Al, Al, Al. Sam, Sam, Sam.”
 Sam has a cat that is sort of mischievous. Have
you seen cats that like to get into your things and
play with them?
 In this story, Al had a bag with something in it.
The cat scratched the bag and ripped it. What do
you think might be in the bag that a cat would
want?
Video Summarizing Before Reading
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Unit 7:
Teaching Word Identification
and Spelling
General principles of word identification and
spelling instruction
How do we learn to recognize and spell words?
What are the 6 syllable types?
How do we teach decoding and spelling?
How do we teach irregular words?
Teaching Irregular Words
 Examples of truly irregular sight words:
was the they what come gone
 Examples of sight words that may be taught as
decodable in early stages:
can that him when it
 Examples of sight words that may become decodable
later but need to be taught early:
is he she has her
Teaching Irregular Words
 Use ink or card color to highlight difference
between irregular words and regular words.
 Mark card to show regular and irregular parts.
 Do not sound-out or tap-out irregular words.
Regular word
Irregular words
was
Teaching Irregular Words
 Use multisensory strategies to practice the letters in the
word while saying letter names:
 trace on card
 look at word, say letters, say the word
 look at word, then close eyes and air write while visualizing
 write letter on textured surface (such as carpet)
 write the letter on paper saying the names of the letters and
repeating the word
Teaching Irregular Words:
Color Sight Words
 Make card for each student in group.
 Present word. Give a sentence. Talk about
regular and irregular features.
 Choose a crayon color for tracing word.
 Say letters in unison as you trace with crayon.
 Air-write word.
 Put away until next day when you repeat above
with a different color crayon. Do for 3 to 5 days.
Methods For Teaching Irregular Words
 Select high frequency irregular words
 Group words by spelling pattern
 e.g., here, where and there
 Discuss word origin
 e.g., ph in words of Greek origin
 Analyze regular and irregular word parts
 Pronounce irregular words as they are spelled.
e.g., /wed/ /nes/ /day/
 Mnemonic cues
Automaticity Practice: Word
Level
 Students compete against themselves not each other
 Students read words from list for 60 seconds (can repeat
list if needed)
 Establish baseline
 Graph results
 Set goal for list (add 5 to 10 words)
 Practice until goal met
Felton & Lillie, 2001
Automaticity Practice: Word
Level
Student List – Unit 18
Highlight long a. Draw a line through silent e.
B
C
Review
Words
take
make
lake
quack
bag
dad
came
all
name
same
bag
less
had
cake
made
buns
gave
lake
mat
doll
tape
lap
cab
fuss
A
Video: Fluency Drill with Word List
 Please click on the video
below to play.
Teaching Reading Is Rocket Science
“Teaching reading is a job for an expert. Contrary
to the popular theory that learning to read is
natural and easy, learning to read is a complex
linguistic achievement…teaching reading requires
considerable knowledge and skill, acquired over
several years through focused study and supervised
practice...
….TEACHING READING IS ROCKET SCIENCE!
Louisa Moats
Learning Activity: Letter-sound and word
identification instruction: Part 1

Summary of strengths & weaknesses

letter-sounds

word identification (decoding & irregular words)
Learning Task: Letter-sound and word
identification instruction: Part 2
 One goal and at least 3 objectives
 based on assessment
 Goal: letter-sounds, word decoding and irregular
words combined
 objectives in order to be taught
 simple to complex
Learning Task: Letter-sound and word
identification instruction: Part 3
 Instructional plan
 simple to complex
 match to each objective
 methods and materials
 use online text and class presentations
Base Instruction On Assessment
 Example: Student misses short vowel and long
vowel sounds; misses both closed and silent “e”
words
 Teach short vowel letter-sounds
 Teach closed syllable words
 Teach irregular words needed for decodable text in
reading program
 Save long vowels until needed in silent “e”
words.
GOAL: Think Big But Not Too General
 Good goal: Johnny will demonstrate mastery of
letter-sound associations for consonant digraphs
and short vowels. He will read words with the
closed syllable pattern and a set of 20 irregular
words.
 Goal too general: Johnny will improve his
reading skills by 2 grade levels.
J.J.’s Assessment Results
 Letter-sounds
 Consonants: All but “y,” “x,” and “qu”
 Consonant digraphs: all correct
 Short vowels: only “a” and “u” correct
 Long vowels: only “a” correct
 Word Identification
 Real words: short vowel 3/5; silent-e 1/5
 Non-words: short vowel 2/5; silent-e 0/5
 Irregular words: 5/10
J.J. Activity: Goal
In groups of 2 or 3,
write a goal for JJ.
Objectives: Simple To Complex
 each objective builds on previous
 letter-sounds before decoding
 tie letter-sounds to syllable type
 include both accuracy and automaticity
Letter Sound Objectives
 Unclear objectives:
 Chris will learn the sound of all the letters.
 Jake will learn the short vowel sounds by naming.
 Anna will show she knows the digraphs.
Letter Sound Objectives
 Clear objectives:
 When presented with a letter stimulus card, Chris will
produce the correct sound for each consonant digraph
(sh, th, wh, ch).
 Given the consonant digraph sounds, Anna will write
the correct letters.
 Given letters and key words, student will give the
correct sound for all short vowels with 100 %
accuracy.
 Given the short vowel sound, Jake will write the
correct letter with 100 % accuracy.
Word Identification Objectives
 Poor objectives:
 Sean will identify short vowel words.
 Kim will learn irregular words.
 Rae will improve in reading silent-e words.
Word Identification Objectives
 Appropriate objectives:
 Sean will read single syllable, closed syllable words with
100% accuracy.
 Kim will use letter-tiles to make changes (additions, deletions,
substitutions) in closed syllable words with 2 to 4 sounds
(90% accuracy)
 Rae will read multisyllable words of the closed syllable
patterns with 100% accuracy.
 Janis will read a set of 20 irregular words with 90-100%
accuracy in word lists and in connected text.
 Antoine will read closed syllable and irregular words in lists
at a rate of no more than 1 word per second.
J.J. Activity: Objectives
In groups of 2 or 3,
write 3 objectives for JJ.
J.J.Activity: Instructional Plan
Select one objective and
write an instructional
plan.
Resources
Straight Talk About Reading. Susan Hall & Louisa Moats 1999.
Contemporary Books.
National Reading Panel Report – National Institute for Literacy at
EDPubs; PO Box 1398; Jessup, MD 20794. email
edpuborders@edpubs.org
Teaching Reading is Rocket Science. Louisa Moats. 2000.
American Federation of Teachers
Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers. 2000. Brookes
Publishing
Spelling: Development, Disability and Instruction. 1995. York
Press
Learning and Teaching Reading. Ed. By Rhonda Thorp & Peter
Tomlinson. 2002. The British Psychological Society
Perspectives. International Dyslexia Association. Summer 2005
Congratulations!
You have completed
Unit 7: Teaching Word Identification and
Spelling