Concepts of Beginning Word Study

Students who study words can explore and comprehend word patterns. It does away with the requirement that students spell words one at a time. According to Dr. Paratore, word study requires four essential components. These include the requirement for oral language development, the development of a learner’s conception of print, the development of knowledge of the alphabet, and, finally, the development of phonemic awareness. For those learning to read, meaning-making is necessary. Therefore, if a person cannot infer meaning, they are decoding rather than reading. Thus, in order to begin word study, the four ideas mentioned above are crucial.

A reading foundation that is founded on phonemic awareness is the oral language. It indicates the potential of a child in learning how to read. Phonemic awareness takes three core aspects. These are rhymes, syllables and the beginning sounds. Children or learners of a news language need to identify and be able to manipulate these elements to be able to start reading (K2Reader, 2016). Sentence segmentation, syllables deletion, compound word deletion, listening, onset, and rime are vital to phonemic awareness. Syllables are best taught by clapping, tapping and counting sounds in words. Rhymes are taught by repetition while beginning sounds are taught through identification, categorization, and deletion of words.

Components of Phonics

The essential fundamentals of phonics include print awareness, phonemic awareness, alphabetic knowledge and principles, reading practice, decoding and fluent reading. The time spent by a teacher on these elements often is determined by the level and age of students. Luckily, these elements do not need to be taught sequentially. This is because learners’ understanding of a language increases with more participation in word study and phonics activities. For students to better learn on word study and fluency, video classes, comparing and contrasting sessions, sorting and word hunt activities are more useful and strategic. These strategies attract the attention of schoolchildren and ensure that the students learn efficiently.

References

Annenberg Learner. (2003). Retrieved from https://www.learner.org/workshops/readingk2/session3/wtv1.html

K2Reader. (2016). What is Phonemic Awareness? Retrieved August 22, 2017, from http://www.k12reader.com/what-is-phonemic-awarenes/

Sharon Vaughn, S. L.-T. (2004). Research-Based Methods of Reading Instruction, Grades K–3.