PWS K-5

What is Phonics Word Study?

In an alphabet language such as English, phonics describes the relationship between the sounds of language and its graphic symbols, i.e., the letters. When students learn these relationships, they are able to "decode" print more efficiently. For example, students see the letter a at the beginning of a word and know that this symbol often stands for the sound /a/, the sounds at the beginning of the words ask, apple, astronaut, and many others.

Why Teach PWS?

The true purpose and promise of phonics instruction is to expand and refine students' reading and writing competencies. With knowledge of letter-sound relationships, students add to their ability to derive meaning from print, to accurately turn sounds into their own print (i.e. spelling), and to solve increasingly longer words. Most students acquire this knowledge and learn how to use it under the guidance of a skilled teacher who provides a wide range of learning opportunities.

Where Do PWS Lessons Take Place?

Phonics, spelling, and word study principles are generally taught to all students in the whole-group meeting area of the classroom. the group share at the end of the lesson also occurs here. The application activity may take place in a word study center, at a small-group table, or at each student's desk or table.

When does PWS Teaching Take Place?

Systematic instruction for phonics, spelling, and word study takes place throughout the day. Teaching, application, and sharing are provided both during a separate, dedicated time for "out-of-text" teaching and during "in-text" instructional contexts, such as interactive read-aloud and guided reading, throughout the school day.

Nine Areas of Learning

A Systematic, Organized Approach

An important task in teaching phonics, spelling, and word study is to present lessons that reflect a systematic, organized approach to becoming an expert word-solver. These areas of learning represent a comprehensive inventory of phonics, spelling, and word study knowledge.

Early Learning Concepts

Early literacy concepts include foundational understandings such as knowing how to read from left to right and voice-to-print matching.

Phonological Awareness

A key to becoming literate is the ability to hear the sounds in words. A general response to the sounds of language is called phonological awareness. Phonemic, or phoneme, awareness involves recognizing individual sounds in words and eventually being able to identify, isolate, and manipulate them.

Letter Knowledge

Letter knowledge refers to knowing how letters look, how to distinguish them from another, how to detect them within continuous text, and how to use them in words.

Letter-Sound Relationships

The sounds of oral language are related in both simple and complex ways to the twenty-six letters of the alphabet. Learning the connections between letters and sounds is basic to understanding print.

Spelling Patterns

Knowing spelling patterns and word parts helps students notice and use larger parts of words in both solving words (decoding) and writing words (encoding).

High-Frequency Words

Recognizing high-frequency words quickly and automatically frees attention for understanding as well as for solving other new words.

Word Meaning/Vocabulary

For comprehension and coherence, students need to know the meaning of word s in the texts they read and write.

Word Structure

Words are built according to rules. Looking at the structure of words will help students learn how words are related to each other and how they can be changed.

Word-Solving Actions

While word solving is related to all the previous eight areas of learning, this category focuses on the strategic moves that readers and writers make when they use "in-the-head" actions while reading and writing continuous text.

Your PWS Collection

Making space for your PWS Collection

Phonics and Word Study comes with a small box tote with lesson cards and a box full of items that need to be popped out and organized.

Lesson Design

Designing Effective Lessons

When you plan a phonic/word study lesson, consider a three-part structure.

Creating a consistent lesson pattern simplifies planning and teaching and increase students' independence and sense of agency.

Principles for Teach and Have a Try

▸Focus on one principle that is appropriate and useful for your students at a particular point in time. Keep lessons brief.

▸Think of a few strong, clear examples in advance so that you have them ready to show students.

▸Invite students to look at words and articulate what they notice.

▸At the appropriate point in the lesson, summarize the principle in clear, age-appropriate language.

▸Keep in mind why you selected this lesson so you can connect it to students' work in other areas of the language and literacy framework. Make connections to texts and pieces of writing in other instructional contexts.

▸Have all materials organized and quickly available.

▸Promote interaction so children can be active, engaged learners. As students have a try, encourage them to bring their own knowledge to bear on the application of the principle.

▸Share examples and add examples from students.

▸At the end of the lesson, summarize the learning and restate the principle.

Principles for Apply

▸Design an application activity that students can do independently and that will be productive in their learning.

▸Design multi-leveled activities that permit advanced students to go beyond the given activity and make more discoveries and allow students who are less experienced to receive support in completing the lessons.

▸Demonstrate the application activity explicitly so that you know students can perform it independently.

▸Provide all necessary materials for the application activity in one place - for example, the word study center or a clearly defined and organized materials center.

▸Teach a limited set of routines so that students can learn the steps to follow, and then use their routines to apply a large number of principles.

Principles for Share

▸After the application, convene students for a brief sharing period so that they can comment on what they have learned and you can reinforce the principle.

▸During this community meeting, you can ask students to evaluate their understanding of the principle and their progress with the application.

▸If you teaching involved a chart, refer to it again as you restate the principle.

▸Add examples that students generated during the application, and recognize students' thinking as they share their ideas.