WHAT IS IT? Spelling in Parts (SIP) is a strategy that students can use to encode (spell) and decode (sound out) polysyllabic words. The SIP strategy is a variation of the Look, Say, Cover, and Write (LSCW) strategy created by Ernest Horn (as cited in Powell & Aram, 2008, p. 568). The SIP strategy encouragesContinue reading “Spelling in Parts (SIP) Strategy”
Author Archives: lviers
Question-Answer Relationships (QARs)
WHAT IS IT? The Question-Answer Relationships strategy is an instructional framework developed by Raphael (1982,1986) used to teach striving readers and writers the different types of questions and how to answer them. Raphael suggested that questions could be categorized based on where the answer could be found: in the book or in my head. InContinue reading “Question-Answer Relationships (QARs)”
Word Identification Strategies
WHAT IS IT? Word recognition strategies are strategies that students use to decode unknown words by looking at word parts. Word recognition strategies are often taught during explicit phonics instruction (Caldwell & Leslie, 2013). HOW DOES THIS IMPACT STRIVING READERS/WRITERS? Word recognition strategies help striving readers and writers focus on the internal structure of words.Continue reading “Word Identification Strategies”
Motivation vs. Engagement
In the field of education, motivation and engagement often go hand-in-hand, as they should. Motivation an engagement influence each other, but there is a key difference. In an oversimplification, I view motivation as intrinsic and engagement as extrinsic. Of course there are instances where motivation can be extrinsic as well, such as when a teacherContinue reading “Motivation vs. Engagement”
Striving Readers
WHO ARE STRIVING READERS & WRITERS? Striving readers and writers are those who experience difficulties with any of the components of reading (eg. comprehension, fluency, vocabulary) or writing (eg. syntax, spelling, etc.). Striving readers and writers may need targeted instruction in order to help them gain confidence when employing the use of various reading strategies.Continue reading “Striving Readers”
Sentence Combining
WHAT IS IT? Sentence combining is a strategy that helps students produce and comprehend complex sentences (Saddler, 2007, as cited in Caldwell & Leslie, 2013, p.249). When using the sentence combining strategy, teachers should use deconstructed sentences from texts students read in class. Teachers will use these texts to create kernel sentences, or simple sentencesContinue reading “Sentence Combining”
Comprehension
What is it? According to the RAND Reading Study Group (2002), comprehension is “the process of simultaneously extracting and constructing meaning through interaction and involvement with written language” (p.11). Comprehension is a complex process that is influenced by the reader and the social cultural context. The graphic below was taken from the article, “What EveryContinue reading “Comprehension”
Fluency
WHAT IS IT? Fluency includes four components: accuracy, rate, prosody and comprehension. Accuracy is defined as a student’s ability to correctly identify and read the words in a text. Rate considers both automaticity and speed. When a student reads with automaticity, they are able to read the words effortlessly and do not struggle with decoding.Continue reading “Fluency”
Phonics
WHAT IS IT? Phonics is the correlation between phonemes and graphemes in the English language. Phonemes are the smallest units of sound in spoken words and graphemes are the written letters that represent each sound. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? Teachers must explicitly and systematically teach phonics as it helps students understand the alphabetic principle. TheContinue reading “Phonics”
Phonological Awareness
WHAT IS IT? Phonological awareness is a broad topic that addresses a student’s ability to manipulate larger parts of spoken language. These parts include, words, syllables, and onset and rimes. Phonological awareness also addresses the following aspects of sound: rhyming, alliteration, and intonation. Phonological awareness also contains a more focused subcategory called phonemic awareness. PhonemicContinue reading “Phonological Awareness”
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