Standard 2: Reading and Writing Foundations Students will develop foundational skills for reading and writing proficiency by working with sounds, letters, and text.

Phonics & Word Study:  Students will decode words by applying phonics and word analysis skills in context and isolation.

2.2.PWS.3* Students will decode words by applying knowledge of structural analysis: 

a. compound words 

b. inflectional endings (e.g., -s, -ed, -ing) 

c. contractions 

d. abbreviations 

e. common roots and related prefixes and suffixes 

*sequential skills

Student Actions

Teacher Actions

• Students use knowledge of compound words to correctly decode or read words.

• Students use knowledge of inflectional endings to correctly decode or read words.

• Students use knowledge of contractions to correctly decode or read words.

• Students use knowledge of abbreviations to correctly decode or read words.

• Students use knowledge of common roots and related prefixes and suffixes to correctly decode or read words.

• Teachers provide lessons with explicit instruction following a gradual release model using the “I Do, We Do, You Do” framework using a logical, sequential order of skills. 

• I Do: Explicitly explain and model the principles that govern the structural analysis of a word.

• We Do: Practice blending with students using the focus being taught moving from left to right while pointing to sounds.

• You Do: Students independently apply the knowledge of structural analysis currently being taught to decode or read words.

• For information about effective phonics instruction, see this module.  

• Teachers provide instruction on compound words being two words being put together to form one word.

• Teachers provide instruction on inflectional endings being a suffix added to the end of a base word. Inflectional endings such as -s, -es, -ing do not change the part of speech of the word. 

• Teachers provide instruction on contractions being a shorter way to write two words by writing the two words together leaving out one or more letters and replacing the letters with an apostrophe.

• Teachers provide instruction on abbreviations being shortened forms of words.

• Teachers provide instruction on common roots and related prefixes and suffixes based on district curriculum resources or starting with the most common prefixes and suffixes. 

• Teachers provide opportunities for students to interact with words that are read through students’ knowledge of structural analysis throughout the day through reading words in isolation, reading decodable texts that include compound words, word sorts, games, and other interactive activities.

• Teachers monitor and provide opportunities for feedback when students practice decoding words that are read through students’ knowledge of structural analysis.

Recommendations

Key Terms & Related Objectives

When students struggle with decoding or reading compound words, teachers can…

• ask students to identify compound words in a read aloud. Pause at each compound word asking students to split the word apart using hand motions.

• create a sort of compound words and not compound words for students to interact with.

• write single words on separate blocks allowing students to put the blocks together to form a compound word.

• ask students to draw a line between the two words before decoding each word.

When students struggle with decoding or reading words with inflectional endings, teachers can…

• review the sounds that common inflectional endings make.

• create an anchor chart of key words with inflectional endings with students for them to refer to when reading.

• create a sort of words with and without inflectional endings for students to interact with.

• provide a passage or text and have students highlight or put a box around inflectional endings in the words.

When students struggle with decoding or reading contractions, teachers can…

• remind students that the apostrophe takes the place of missing letters. 

• create an anchor chart with contractions and the two words that make up the contraction with students for them to refer to when reading.

• create a matching game where students match words to the corresponding contraction.

• provide a passage or text and have students highlight or put a box around contractions.

When students struggle with decoding or reading abbreviations, teachers can…

• create an anchor chart with words and their  abbreviations with students for them to refer to when reading.

• create a matching game where students match words to the corresponding abbreviation.

• provide a passage or text and have students highlight or put a box around abbreviations.

When students struggle with decoding or reading common roots and related prefixes and suffixes, teachers can…

• review common prefixes and suffixes and their meanings.

• create an anchor chart with common roots and related prefixes and suffixes with students for them to refer to when reading.

• provide a passage or text and have students highlight or put a box around prefixes and/or suffixes in the words guiding students to blend the word by focusing on word parts.

• Abbreviation: a shortened form of a word or phrase.

• Compound Word: a word made by putting two or more words together (e.g., cow + boy = cowboy).

• Contraction: a shorter way to write two words as one by writing the two words together, leaving out one or more letters and replacing the missing letters with an apostrophe (e.g., you + all = y’all).

• Inflectional Endings: a suffix that does not change the part of speech of the base word and expresses plurality when added to a noun (-s, -es), tense when added to a verb (-ing, -ed), and comparison when added to an adjective and some adverbs (-er, -est).

• Prefix: a morpheme that precedes a root and that contributes to or modifies the meaning of a word.

• Root: a bound morpheme, usually of Latin or Greek origin, that cannot stand alone but is used to form a family of words with related meanings (e.g., struct, logy).

• ​​Suffix: a morpheme added to the end of root or base word that contributes to or modifies the meaning of a word.

• 2.2.SE.1: Encode words

• 2.2.F.1: Read with increasing automaticity

• 2.2.F.2: Orally read smoothly/accurately

• 2.4.R.3: Use word parts

• 2.8.R: Independent reading