Dr. Kathleen J. Brown
Director: University of Utah Reading Clinic www.uurc.org
801-265-3951

 Word Recognition is
Automatic
 Comprehension is both
Automatic & Strategic
 accurate
 fast
 effortless
 accurate, fast, effortless
 know how to troubleshoot
 flexible
 persistent
(Adams, 1990; Rayner, Foorman, Perfetti, Pesetsky, & Seidenberg, 2001)

 Word Recognition is
Necessarily Strategic
 often inaccurate
 slow
 effortful
 Comprehension is both
Automatic & Strategic
 accurate, fast, effortless
 know how to troubleshoot
 flexible
 persistent
(Adams, 1990; Rayner, Foorman, Perfetti, Pesetsky, & Seidenberg, 2001)

 Word Recognition is
Necessarily Strategic:
 Word Recognition Must
Become Automatic.
 often inaccurate
 slow
 effortful
 Most children need explicit, systematic instruction phonics & practice in text.
 Some need basic word rec. intervention!
 A few need intensive word rec. intervention!

Age is Almost Irrelevant…
Phonics & Text Should
Target the Child’s
Instructional Level & Move as Mastery is Achieved!!!!

Identify Child’s Instructional Level:
Text That Can Be Read With:
 at least 93% accuracy, and rate of:
 primer (mid G1)- at least 30 wpm

 end G1 - at least 40 wpm mid G2 – at least 60 wpm
 end G2 - at least 80 wpm


 mid G3 - at least 80 wpm end G3 – at least 110 wpm end G4 – at least 120 wpm

Three Questions to Ask Every
Day about Every Child:
1. Right now, what is already “in this child’s head” for these words:
- cup?
- spurt?
- skullduggery?
a.k.a. representation in memory
2. Where should I go next with phonics to extend what is “in the head?”
3. What type of text is best for extending what is
“in the head?”

Phonics and Text Type should change over the course of development to:
1. reinforce what is already known and
2. help the child progress as quickly as possible

Know the “Race Course” of
Word Recognition Development

STARTING LINE
Learning About Print
 pre-alphabetic to partial alphabetic reader

K students
 Breaking the Code (a.k.a. Glued to Print) ****
 partial alphabetic to full alphabetic reader
 early to midG1
(Ehri, 2005; Stanovich, 2000)

What Needs To Be In Place to
“Break the Code?”
 Letter-sound correspondences (e.g., c = /k/)
 Concept of word (1-to-1 voice to print match)
 Identify and isolate first consonant phoneme in words
 Short vowel sounds

What Kind of Phonics? Text?
Phonics:
- explicitly teach blending a.k.a. “sound it out” with 3 letter, 1 syllable words with 1 short vowel
- drill vowel sound cards
- speed check for accuracy & fluency (no<35 in
1min; no>2 errors)
Text Type: interesting texts with repetition of easy high frequency words; most other words are decodable
(e.g., A Present for Baby Bear , Bob Books )
Text Levels: 4-8 (approximately) = oct-dec G1

Phonics: Short Vowels – Closed
Syllables cat win mom

Phonics: Short Vowels – Closed
Syllables cat win mom pig job lap

Phonics: Short Vowels – Closed
Syllables cat lap win pig mom job hop rock van hit flat chip

High Freq. Words for G1 Level
Readers (beginners & strugglers)


 get a list (e.g., Dolch) start with easiest & gradually  complex use “flash” presentation
 read off the deck

 sort into 2 piles: automatic vs. wrong or >3 second hesitation redo “trouble” pile
 when deck n=25, retire 15 and build up again
 for G1 readers, do not build “torture decks”
 every “trouble” word needs 5 fairly solid words

Three Questions to Ask Every
Day about Every Child:
1. Right now, what is already “in this child’s head” for these words:
- cup?
- spurt?
- skullduggery?
a.k.a. representation in memory
2. Where should I go next with phonics to extend what is “in the head?”
3. What type of text is best for extending what is
“in the head?”

Know the “Race Course” of
Word Recognition Development

STARTING LINE
Learning About Print
 pre-alphabetic to partial alphabetic reader

K students
 Breaking the Code (a.k.a. Glued to Print) ****
 partial alphabetic to full alphabetic reader
 early to midG1
 Going for Fluency ****
 full alphabetic to early consolidated reader
 endG1 – endG2
PARTIAL FINISH LINE & onward…

What Needs To Be In Place to “Go for Fluency?”
 everything in the “learning about print” phase
 automaticity for 50-75 high frequency words
(e.g., the, said)
 ability to quickly blend unfamiliar 3-5 letter 1 syllable words

What Kind of Phonics? Text?
Phonics:
- explicitly teach chunking strategy with 4 and 5 letter 1 syllable words with most common phonograms (e.g., turn  spurt)
- augment & drill vowel sound cards
- speed check for accuracy & fluency (no<35 in
1min; no>2 errors)
Text Type: interesting “easy reader” texts that gradually increase in difficulty (e.g., Sammy the
Seal

Frog and Toad  Nate the Great )
Text Levels: 8-12/16 (approximately) = jan-june G1

Phonics: Vowel Patterns – Syllable
Types cat lap van lake gate barn park tail rain paid sharp flame brain flat

High Frequency Words for G2+
Level Struggling Readers
 get a list (e.g., Dolch)

 gradually build a word deck from oral reading errors & list use “flash” presentation
 read off the deck

 sort into 2 piles: automatic vs. wrong or >1.5 second hesitation redo “trouble” pile
 when deck n=25, retire some and add as needed

Irregular & High Frequency Words
 For persistent “trouble” words, try:
 Letter-Sound-Trouble Analysis
 Make-n-Break
 2,2,&2
 For persistent “trouble” words, child must:
 Say word aloud as often as possible

Ask “What word?”
 Spell word aloud
 Physical manipulatives can help!
 Visualization can help!

Three Questions to Ask Every
Day about Every Child:
1. Right now, what is already “in this child’s head” for these words:
- cup?
- spurt?
- skullduggery?
a.k.a. representation in memory
2. Where should I go next with phonics to extend what is “in the head?”
3. What type of text is best for extending what is
“in the head?”

What Kind of Phonics? Text?
Phonics:
- explicitly teach syllable types, division, & morphemic knowledge (e.g., skullduggery, disruptive) a.k.a. representation in memory
Text Type: interesting texts with some control that gradually increase in difficulty (e.g., Marvin Redpost

Magic Tree House  )
Text Levels: 18 and up = end G1 and on

Types of Syllables: Driven by
Orthography & Morphology
 cup, branch  Closed syllables
 the, of, who, enough  High Frequency &
Irregular
 lake, barn, tail  Vowel patterns
 hopped, pretest, provoke, incandescent
 Words with affixes and polysyllabic words
(Henry, 1990; Moats, 2000; Morris, 2005; UURC, 2006;
Wilson, 2006)

“Breaking Up” Big Words: Syllable
Types & Morphemes velvet hobo incandescent confirmatory decline rumple boisterous disruptive

Three Questions to Ask Every
Day about Every Child:
1. Right now, what is already “in this child’s head” for these words (e.g., cup, burn, skullduggery)?
a.k.a. representation in memory
2. Where should I go next with phonics to extend current representations?
3. What type of text is best practice for extending current representations?

Resources for Educators & Parents
 Discover Intensive Phonics
 Wilson Language/Fundations
 LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of
Reading & Spelling)
 Texts by Louisa Moats, Marcia Henry, Isabel
Beck, Words Their Way group
 University of Utah Reading Clinic (UURC)
 801-265-3951 or www.uurc.org