1. Word Identification Vacca, J. , Vacca, R. , Gove, M. , Burkey, L
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

2. In this presentation, you will discover:
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.

3. 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?

4. Key Terms Analogy-based instruction Onset Analytic phonics Phonograms
Cross-checking
Decodable text
Embedded phonics instruction
High-frequency words
Key words
Linguistic instruction
Onset
Phonograms
Rime
Self-monitoring
Spelling-based instruction
Synthetic phonics
Word banks
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.

5. Vacca, J. , Vacca, R. , Gove, M. , Burkey, L. Lenhart, L. , C
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

6. in Children’s Ability to Read Words
Developmental Phases
in Children’s Ability to Read Words
Prealphabetic phase
(Remembering a distinctive, purely visual cue) yellow
Example: tall posts
Partial alphabetic phase KitteN
(Remembering limited matches between salient letter sounds)
Example: matches between K and N only k it n
Full alphabetic phase C L O CK
(Remembering matches between all letters and sounds)
Example: 4 letter units matched to 4 sound units k l o k
Consolidated alphabetic phase CR ATE
(Remembering matches between multiletter units kr at
and symbolic units)
Example: matching onset and rime units
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to
Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

7. 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.

8. Continued A Primer on the Content and Language of Phonics
Terms of Phonics
Definitions of Terms
Examples of Terms
Vowels
All the sounds represented by letters a, e, i, o, and u.
Short Sounds Long Sounds
/a/ in Pat /a/ in lake
/e/ in bed /e/ in be
/i/ in pit /i/ in ice
/o/ in hot /o/ in go
/u/ in hug /u/ in use
Vowel Digraphs
Two vowels that are adjacent to one another. The first vowel is usually long; the second vowel is silent.
oa in boat ay in bay
ee in beet oo in look
ea in beat ew in flew
ai in bait ea in read
Vowel Diphthongs
Sounds that consist of a blend of two separate vowel sounds.
/oi/ in oil /aw/ in saw
/oy/ in toy /ou/ in out
/au/ in taught /ow/ in how
Consonant-Influenced Vowels
The letter a has a special sound when followed by an l.
R-controlled vowels occur when any vowel letter is followed by an r.
l in Albert or tallow
r in star, her, fir, for, and purr

9. Continued A Primer on the Content and Language of Phonics
Syllable Patterns
Types of Syllable Patterns
Examples of Syllable Patterns
Long Vowels CV
Cve
CVVC be
like
rote
paid
boat
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.

10. Traditional Approaches to Phonics
Analytic Phonics Instruction
Synthetic Phonics Instruction
Linguistic Phonics Instruction

11. Contemporary Approaches to Phonics
Analogy Based Instruction
Spelling Based Instruction
Embedded Based Instruction

12. 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.

13. Strategies Consonant Based Strategies Analogy 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

14. 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. 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.
3. 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.

15. Word-Building Strategy
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.

16. How do we use meaning and letter-sound 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

17. Monitoring an Unknown Word
What do you do when you come to a word you don’t know?
If you can’t figure it out,
Don’t let the word bug you.
Maybe you can understand
the selection without it.
1. Try to sound it out. If you can’t . . .
2. Say “blank” and skip it.
3. Read at least to the end of the sentence.
4. 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.

18. 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

19. 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

20. A SMART Goal
Using a thesaurus and a worksheet, children will read, make inferences, and draw conclusions from riddles with 80% or greater accuracy.

21. Related Web Sites Starfall www.starfall.com.
Where children have fun learning to read
Summary of the International Reading Association Position Statement on Phonics
This bulleted summary synthesizes the position statement and provides a link for accessing the entire statement.
Multnomah County Library
This Web site has links to numerous games and activities about word study for all ages.
The Dolch Kit
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.

22. 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:
Vacca, J., Vacca, R., Gove, M., Burkey, L. Lenhart, L., C. McKeon (2006). Reading and Learning to Read, 6th. Edition, Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

23. Answers to Questions & Key Terms
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.

24. 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.