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Structured Literacy
Structured Literacy
Phonics
Phonics
The ability to recognize letter-sound relationships in words
If a student has difficulty identifying letter names...
*note: A letter's name is the only stable property of a letter. Name is the "anchor" property that does not change regardless of: shape (upper vs. lowercase & cursive vs. print), sound, or feel (muscle movements needed to write)
students must "overlearn" letter names in order to instantly recognize and associate new information to it
Activities
(click on box below)
Alphabet Practice Games.pdfIf a student has difficulty identifying letter sounds...
Keyword/Sound Drills
Practice daily, adding new letters as learned and keeping review letters within the mix. Below is a set of example keyword/sound cards by Wilson. Utilize the deck associated with your program or create your own!
Tactile Letter Cards
Students trace letters as they name and/or provide the associated sound. This tactile approach also provides an opportunity to work on letter formation.
If a student has difficulty blending the sounds in a written word...
If a student correctly blends all the sounds in a word but then gives the incorrect word...
*note: students’ working memory contributes to their ability to hold the sounds as they blend to then give the whole word
Start by beginning with fewer letters/sounds - start with 2 sounds then build (3,4,5)
As students first begin building their blending skills, include words with continuant sounds at the beginning. Continuant sounds are those which can be held continuously, until you run out of breath. Some consonants (see right) are continuants, but ALL vowels are continuants.
/l/ voiced continuant
*/r/ voiced continuant
/v/ voiced continuant
/w/ voiced continuant
/y/ voiced continuant
/z/ voiced continuant
/th/ voiced continuant
/zh/ voiced continuant
/m/ nasal (voiced continuant)
/n/ nasal (voiced continuant)
/ŋ/ nasal (voiced continuant)
/f/ unvoiced continuant
/h/ unvoiced continuant
/s/ unvoiced continuant
/sh/ unvoiced continuant
/th/ unvoiced continuant
If a student has difficulty identifying syllable patterns in written words...
note: students need explicit instruction in the 6 syllable types in order to readily decode single and multisyllabic words
closed syllable: a word or syllable with one vowel followed by one or more consonants. Examples: bet, rig, slab, husk
open syllable: a word or syllable ending in one vowel. Examples: go, no, she, by
silent e syllable: a word or syllable that follows the pattern of VCe (vowel, consonant, <e>). The "e" at the end is silent - its job is to make the adjacent vowel long. Examples: tape, bike, rode
vowel team syllable: a word or syllable containing two or more vowel letters representing a single vowel sound. This can also include vowel diphthongs - a sound made by combining two vowels, specifically when it starts as one vowel sound and goes to another. Examples: (oi, oy), (ou, ow), (au, aw)
r-controlled vowel syllable: a word or syllable with at least one vowel, followed by the letter <r>. Examples: torn, barn, fern
final stable syllable (c-le): a two syllable word where on the second syllable you hear a consonant sound, followed by the schwa /ul/ sound, represented by <le>. Examples: bundle, staple, uncle
Explicitly teach students the rules for the 6 syllable types (see videos left) and associated coding procedures (below)
click box below to open
Spot & Dot Syllable Division.pdfclick box below to open
Coding Procedures.pdfIf a student has difficulty identifying syllable stress patterns in written words..
Why is syllable stress important? Depending on which syllable you emphasize/stress, you get the correct or incorrect word. Students need explicit instruction in this practice.
Explicitly teach students the rules for the 6 syllable types (see videos above) and associated coding procedures (both below). After students have coded and divided the word into its syllables, have them identify syllable stress.
If a student has difficulty with spelling...
Provide explicit, systematic structured literacy instruction on a given phonics pattern, then reinforce the pattern through targeted spelling instruction - this includes phoneme/grapheme mapping, writing words following the pattern in the context of sentences, and then reading words following the given pattern in context (phrases, sentences, a paragraph)
If a student is making b/d reversals when reading...
References
References
Achieve the Core. The Power of Text Sets. https://achievethecore.org/content/upload/Text%20Set%20Guidance.pdf
Gibbons, E. (2016). 44 Decodable Stories. Emily Gibbons, 18, 20. Heggerty. Elkonin Boxes. Retrieved from https://heggerty.org/downloads/elkonin-box-download/
Institute of Education Sciences. Video 36: Choral Reading [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQFlnAukEFs
Institute of Education Sciences. Video 37: Echo Reading [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gRXca5G-Ow
Learning At The Primary Pond. 5 Tips for Teaching Letter Sounds to Kindergarten Students [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZOga43qK9E
Learning At The Primary Pond. 5 Secrets for Teaching Beginning Readers to Blend Sounds [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTCxzvprqDY
Lee, K., (2020). MSLE Training Teacher Resources. Kara Lee, 9-14.
Lee, K., (2023). Phonological Processing: Phonemes, Syllables, & Stress. Kara Lee, 1-18.
MsDWLearns. 2020, July 6. Fundations Drill Sounds Warm Up (Letter-Keyword-Sound Cards) [Video]. SchoolTube. https://www.schooltube.com/media/Fundations+Drill+Sounds+Warm+Up+%28Letter-Keyword-Sound+Cards%29/0_fla5ojm1/171825242
National Center on Improving Literacy. Big 5 in Under 5: Phonemic Awareness [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLsCodzmJ6U
PRIDE Reading Program. DIY Tactile Letter Cards [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O34LJNCzO7I
Reading Rockets. Comprehension. https://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading-basics/comprehension
Reading A-Z. Comprehension Skill Packs - Short Passages to Model and Practice Comprehension Skills. https://www.readinga-z.com/comprehension/comprehension-skill-packs/
Reading Rockets. "Elkonin Boxes". Reading Rockets, https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/elkonin_boxes
Reading Rockets. Learning ‘b’ and ‘d’ and Reading Short Vowel Words with Aiko, Second Grader [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apQ2-dwu4AE
Reading Rockets. Semantic Gradients [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTaYuYw8GNc&t=168s
Rowland, J., (2022). Building strong alphabet skills. Jennifer Rowland, 1-3.
The Dyslexia Classroom. 2022, April 29. How Does Scooping Phrases Help Fluency [Video]. https://www.thedyslexiaclassroom.com/blog/how-does-scooping-phrases-help-fluency
The Dyslexia Classroom. 2022, March 11. Understanding Reversals in Literacy Instruction [Video]. https://www.thedyslexiaclassroom.com/blog/is-there-a-link-between-reversals-and-dyslexia
University of Florida Learning Institute. https://ufli.education.ufl.edu/ Accessed 27 June 2023.
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