| Classroom practices
that teach high frequency words:
High frequency words can be taught through reading and
writing instruction to large groups, small groups or individuals throughout
the day. It is important to help students see that the high frequency
words they are learning to read are the same words they are trying to
write in their stories. Most students will quickly acquire a core of
known words through teacher modeling of strategies for studying words,
teacher support of the students' efforts and a class schedule structure
that provides students ample time for independent reading and writing
practice.
- Give a pretest of twenty to one hundred high frequency
words at the beginning of the year. This will help assess what each
student can already read and help in planning next steps. Retest periodically.
- Have a student locate one or two high frequency words
as a follow-up to a shared reading of a big book. The student can
create a frame around the word with their index fingers or point under
the word.
- Ask students to locate words they know in the text
of their new book during a guided reading lesson with emergent readers.
- Model how to use magnetic letters to make an unknown
word you want the group to learn as one of the follow-up teaching
points to a guided reading lesson. Ask the students to practice making
the word with magnetic letters several times, checking each time to
be sure the word is correct. Have them write the word on dry erase
boards or paper several times. Link the word, when possible to writing
the student is doing.
- Select a few books you have used for shared reading
or guided reading and place each one in a ziplock plastic bag. Choose
one or two high frequency words that your students have studied. Add
magnetic letters and word cards for each word to the bag. Students
match the words on the word card with the words in the text. Then
they make the word with the magnetic letters.
- Ask the students to write all the words they know
how to write as a pretest at the beginning of the year. This will
help you assess what each student can already write so you can evaluate
each student's strengths and plan what they need to learn next.
- Keep a list of high frequency words a student can
read and write and expect the child to use them correctly in reading
and writing.
- Have a student write a high frequency word you know
he or she can write as part of an interactive writing lesson with
the whole class or a small group of children with similar needs.
- Create a word wall for high-frequency words. The
words for a word wall are usually written on colored paper with a
thick black marker and placed in alphabetical order above or below
the alphabet. Approximately five words are added each week until there
are between 110 and 120 words on the wall. Students practice clapping,
chanting and writing each of the five new words. A variety of games
can be played with word wall words as well.
Primary
Literacy Instruction
Focus on Reading
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