In previous posts we covered how to help kids master irregularly spelled high frequency words (heart words). But, how do you help with with regularly spelled high frequency words?
Don't worry, we will cover that today. :)
If you still need some guidance on heart words then click here.
Do you need tips on how to master heart words? Make sure to check out this post.
Or, if you still are trying to distinguish a sight word from a high frequency word, then click here.
Now...back to regularly spelled high frequency....
Regularly spelled high frequency words are words that are phonetically decodable. These words are regularly spelled, and they are easily decoded. As my students are working with these words I say "in this word all of the letters do what they are supposed to do, we just need to use what our brain knows about letters and sounds to figure this word out." Some examples of regularly spelled high frequency words are: can, not, did, if, in, it, etc.
These regularly spelled high frequency words appear often in text, so students need to know them in a flash. The same is true for writing. These regularly spelled high frequency words are often used when a student writes--and they should be able to write them quickly. These words should be spelled and read effortlessly and automatically.
So, what is the best way to teach phonetically decodable high frequency words?
1. Introduce these words when they fit into a particular phonics pattern that is being directly taught. For example you can introduce in, is, if and it when students have learned vc and short i spelling patterns. Words like with, that, when and which would be decodable after students have been taught digraphs and short vowel sounds.
2. Use graphophonemic analysis when teaching a new regularly spelled high frequency word. Write the word on the board and spell it aloud as you point to each letter. Say the the sounds for each part of the word, and then say the whole word. This type of instruction helps students with sound symbol association.
3. Provide students with lots of opportunities to practice decoding and spelling these words. When getting students in text, it is important to start with words in isolation and then progress to sentences and finally stories. Another great practice is to point out taught high frequency words as you are doing a read aloud, or during a time where you have a shared common text. Also, give students time to write and spell these words....the more opportunity the better!
One thing to note is that high frequency word instruction shouldn't happen until students have concept of word, phonemic awareness and individual letter sound relationships in place.
If you want more information about high frequency word acquisition, check out some of these awesome resources below:
I am looking forward to wrapping up this blog series by sharing high frequency word resources on the last post in the series! Stay tuned!
