Making+Words

** Rationale ** This strategy is useful because it is teaching students how to look at words. It also helps them to see that smaller words can make up bigger words. The hope is also that this will transfer to a helpful strategy when reading. If they come to an unknown word, I want them to pick the word apart and find what they do know in the word.
 * Making Words **

I think this strategy would be helpful at most elementary levels. What kids doesn’t like playing with magnetic letters? Hey maybe even some high school kids would enjoy it. Their words would just be bigger and have even more little words with in them to find. I think making words reaches all learners but especially the visual and kinesthetic learners because they get to see the changes and the get to touch and feel to make changes to a word. It is also the only time during the 30 minute reading recovery lesson that we get to get up and move around. It breaks up the time a little and gets them moving. My students all enjoy this time. I think it is because they get to go up to the board and make or write something. I think part of it makes them feel like they are the teacher and are in control a little bit more. I also think this strategy can work for students at many levels. You would just start with different words in the beginning based on what that child already knows.
 * Implementation Suggestions **
 * Diverse Learners**

I have several ways that I complete this task. In my Title I reading groups I use the book Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use by Pat Cunningham. This book takes you step by step through the process starting with what letters to give the students and a step by step of what the teacher should say to get them to create new words. For my Reading Recovery kids, my making word time is always a little different but it always starts with what they know and then we build on from there. I would either have them add an ending like ing, ed, or s to different words or we work on putting smaller words together to make new words like into, inside, outside, everybody, everyone, everywhere, wherever, and whatever are a few words we have used. The hope with this that they will carry over the strategy of finding the small parts of words that they do know to help them figure out a new bigger word. Here is an example from one of my students and this took more than just one making words lesson. We built on to it a little every day. First, I looked over a list of known words that this child can read and/or write successfully and found that “an” was a word she had control over. I also looked over previous running records and found that she struggles with words that had “an” in them like than, want (although it doesn’t really say an), stand, plan. I then started by putting up the part that she knew—“an”. I had her tell me the word, scramble in up and remake it and practice writing it just to double check that she knew the word well. We did this several times. The next step was to add letters to the word to make a new word. We started simple and did words like can, man, fan. I would show her what to do first and then I slowly gave control over to her so that she was in charge of putting the letter up and manipulating the magnetic letters with her hands. We then moved on to adding blends to the word “an” to make words like than and plan. In the same way as before I would show her then have her try to make things on her own. From there we added more letters to both the beginning and end of the word an. We made words like stand, stands, standing, another, answer, etc. The goal as we went was to make her more independent so I encouraged her to find new letters to add to an to make new words and I also carried it over to reading. I tried to make words with her that she was struggling with in reading to help her make the connection. I also specifically chose books that had a lot of those words in them so I could see if she was transferring any information.
 * Procedur e **

** Potential Issues/Changes ** I change what I do a little bit every time to meet the needs of the particular student I am working with. Sometimes I have more control and sometimes they do. I also don’t think it just needs to be a separate thing at the board. I usually have letters handy when we are reading so I can pull out some and we can make a word they are struggling with. I think this helps them carry over some of what we are doing to reading.

** References ** Clay, M. (2005). Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals: Part Two Teaching Procedures. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Cunningham, P. (200). Systematic Sequential Phonics They Use: For Beginning Readers of Any Age. Greensboro, NC: Carson-Dellosa.

Johns, J., Lenski, S., & Elish-Piper, L. (1999). Early Literacy Assessments & Teaching Strategies. Kendall/Hunt.

 Additional information from implemented strategies ** Strategy Description ** Using magnetic letters to manipulate words to form new words

**Description of the class** I use this strategy with both my individual Reading Recovery students. (lowest 20% across the district in 1st grade) as well as my Title I reading groups in both first and second grade.

For this child it worked really well. She is pretty observant and was able to make a lot of connections. I think that because I take it slow and start with what is already known it makes it easier for her. Now she looks at words differently and is able to use some of the strategies we use in making words to help her when she is reading and comes to a word she doesn’t know.
 * Reflection **