Word Analysis: Principles for Instruction and Progress Monitoring

Description

Good readers rely primarily on print rather than on pictures or context to help them identify familiar and not-so-familiar words. For this reason, it is critical that students learn common sound-letter correspondences and effective sounding-out strategies including: using word families; blending; structural analysis; identification of root words; and prefixes and suffixes. This professional development guide introduces audiences to: (a) word analysis and its importance to reading success; (b) activities for teaching word analysis; and (c) approaches to monitoring children’s progress in word recognition.

The guide contains four sections of materials for presenters of word analysis.

  1. The Professional Development section includes speaker’s notes and suggestions on how to guide participants through the workshop.
  2. The Overheads section contains transparencies containing key points and activities to accompany speaker’s notes.
  3. The Handouts section includes workshop notes for participants to take notes on the presentation and activity handouts for group activities.
  4. The Appendices section provides a list of references for word analysis research.

This guide also contains general adaptations (i.e., instructional design, instruction and curricula, behavioral support) and specific adaptations (e.g., how to teach letter-sound correspondences through explicit instruction) that will benefit struggling readers and writers, including students with disabilities.