How do you teach word families?

Did you know that teaching word families can be a POWERFUL way to get kids reading and spelling?  You can read about their power in my previous post,  What are Word Families & Why are they Important?

For now, lets take a look at how to teach word families. 

When should you introduce word families?

A great time to introduce word families (in print) is after students have mastered letter names and sounds.  Typically letter sound mastery happens in the second half of kindergarten. 

If your students have not yet mastered letter sounds, you should highlight word families during oral readings.  Teachers can point out rhyming words in nursery rhymes, poems and stories with the explanation of how these rhyming words belong in the same family because of their rime (chunk of letters that follows the onset).   

It is ALWAYS solid literacy instruction to start in the world of sound (phonology) before moving to text.  

How should you teach word families?

Again, for my reading intervention groups, I don't start teaching word families until I know students have mastered all of their letters and sounds. 

Once I know students are ready to move on to word families, I begin my instruction with the the most basic word families--a vowel followed by a single consonant (ex: at, ap, am, it, et, ug, og).  

I introduce one word family at a time using the following routine:

• Step 1: World of Sound (Phonology)

• I read a story or poem which contains the selected word family.  
• For example, if  I am teaching the word family /at/ I ask students to raise a hand, hold up a card or do some sort of movement every time they hear a word that belongs in the /at/ family.

• Step 2: I do

• I brainstorm a list of words that are members of the word family we are studying.  
• I begin by doing this myself, and then ask students if they haven any words they would like to add.  Words can be silly or real!
• I scribe these words on a whiteboard making sure to individually say each letter sound and then blend once the word is written.  I also highlight the rime (word family) at the end.  

• Step 3: We Do (word building)

• Students build words with the at family using an alphabet arc or a letter tile board.
• Teacher: Our word family today is /at/.  What is our word family?
• Students: /at/
• Teacher: lets tap the sounds in /at/
• Students tap and say: /a/ /t/
• Teacher: Lets bring down the letters to spell /at/.  What is the first sound in /at/?
• Students: /a/ and bring down the a
• Teacher: What is the second sound in the word family /at/? 
• Students: /t/ and bring down the t
• Teacher: point and say /at/
• Teacher: lets spell the word rat.  What word?
• Students: /rat/
• Teacher: We have /at/, what sound will we need to put in front of /at/ to make rat?
• Students: /r/
• Teacher: point and say /rat/
• Teacher: Lets change rat to bat.  
• Students: change the /r/ to a /b/
• Teacher: What sound went away?  What sound came in? Point and say bat. 
• We continue this routine until multiple words are encoded and decoded. 

• Step 4: You Do (decodable text)

• This is the application portion which goes from simple to complex.
• First students read /at/ words in isolation. 
• Then, students read those /at/ words in a sentence.  Some high frequency words should be directly taught prior to students reading sentences, as many high frequency words show up in decodable text. 
• Finally students read the /at/ sentences within a decodable story.    

I should note there is no particular order you must teach word families in, although many educators start with the short a word families as these words are often present in children's literature. 

For additional research and instructional tips on word families, check The Timing and Teaching of Word Families form Francine R. Johnston.  Dr. Johnston is a co-author of Words Their Way and taught literacy classes at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro before she retired in 2012.

What are Word Families & Why are they Important?

Did you know using word families in literacy instruction is a powerful way to get kids reading and spelling new words?  

Perhaps you aren't quite sure what word families are....well keep reading, teacher friend! 

What are word families?

Word families are groups of words that have the same ending or rime unit.    

The rime is the string of letters that follow the onset.  The onset is an initial phonological unit of any word  (e.g. /c/ in cat).  The rime unit in cat would be /at/.  Usually the rime consists of a vowel and a single consonant.  

Word families are sometimes referred to as groups, chunks, or rime units.  Members of the same family have the same rime unit.  For example some of the members of the "at family" would be at, bat, cat, rat, hat, mat, pat, drat, scat and splat. 

Why are word families important? 

Teaching students rime units, or word families, will increase their skills in sounding out and spelling words.  In Equipped for Reading Success, Dr. David Kilpatrick explains that words are stored in our brains by first sounds (onset) and rhyming patterns (rime units).

Basically our brains LOVE patterns!! If students are directly taught common rime units, they will be able to quickly and efficiently decode unfamiliar words. 

When a student sees an unfamiliar word, a first step to decoding would be locating an already mapped string of letters (common rime unit) present in the word. 

Next, the student would correctly say the rime unit.  

Finally, the student would say the onset, suffix or prefix. 

Keep in mind rime units don't just show up in single syllable words, but are also present in many multi-syllable words.  

Directly teaching and providing decoding practice for common patterns in our language (rime units) as a part of a systematic and explicit phonics curriculum will give students success with learning to read.   

What are the common word families?

In 1970, Richard E. Wylie (associate professor at Temple University) and Donald D. Durrell (professor at Boston University) were studying what made reading easier for some students, particularly surrounding the complexities of vowels.  

After their research concluded, the duo published a study called Teaching Vowels Through Phonograms.  This study provided observational data regarding how brains thrive off of patterns.   Furthermore, the study identified 37 common rime units (chunks or word families).  Nearly 500 primary grade words are derived from these thirty-seven high frequency word families (rime units).

There are many other word families beyond the 37 listed above.  Some of the others that occur on a regular basis are ab, ad, all, an, ar, eel, eep, eet, en, ent, ife, ile, oat and og.  AND...that isn't even an exhaustive list!   

So, when should you start teaching word families?  How should you teach them?  What resources are available?  

Stay tuned...in my next blog post I will answer all of those questions!!

Summer Family Fun Schedule

I don't know if it is the teacher in me, or what....BUT....I like to give my family a bit of structure in the summer.  

I think almost every parent would agree that everything runs a bit smoother when there is a routine in place.  Right?

When my son was two ( now he is almost five...sniff, sniff) I would plan weekly themes centered around a specific letter.  We would do games, crafts, read stories and make snacks. 

When he was three, I did bi-weekly themes around larger topics.  For example we read books about dinosaurs, created dinosaur crafts, watched dinosaur shows and even traveled to a local dinosaur themed park.  

This summer I've planned a Summer Family Fun Schedule!  Take a look at what our weekly summer schedule looks like:

Make it Monday

Monday will be the days to craft or do a science project.  My son is really into drawing with sidewalk chalk, so I have found a really great chalk ice project for us to make!  

Take a Trip Tuesday

On Tuesday it is time for us to get in the car and explore some great local spots.  We have plans to visit libraries, museums and the zoo!

Water Fun Wednesday

Wednesdays will be all about getting wet.  Our area has some great pools and splash pads!  If we don't feel like leaving the house we can run in the sprinkler or have a water gun fight!

Thankful Thursday

Thursday might be my favorite day, because it will give us a chance to intentionally do something kind for someone else. Of course we should be kind  and seek to serve others everyday....but we can do a little something extra for this day.  Simple things like baking treats for neighbors or picking up trash at a local park are great ideas!

Foodie & Flicks Friday

For the last day of the week we will pick out a great family movie and make snacks! This gives us a chance to practice our cooking skills while unwinding from the busy week. 

Are you interested in something like this for your family? Get it for free by clicking here, or the image above. 

The free download includes a blank summer schedule and ideas that would fit for each day.  This isn't an exhaustive list by any means...but something to get you started. 

The Best Books to Celebrate Summer

Warmer weather has arrived!

Alarm clocks are turned off, and lazy summer days are here to stay.  

Well....here to stay for at least a couple of months. 

Whether you plan to spend these delightful days at the beach, by the pool, in a tent or in the comforts of an air conditioned home....make sure to crack open one of these summertime favorites to delight everyone in the family!   

The following seven books celebrate all that summer has to offer.  There is a book about camping, visiting the beach, swimming, amusement parks and spending quality times with loved ones.

Katie Catz Makes a Splash  by Anne Rockwell

Do you have a child that is afraid to swim?  Katie Catz was terrified to swim, but she learned how from ultracool Patsy Polarbear just in time to attend Brendan and Belinda Porker's birthday party.  Young swimmers can share Katie's fears AND celebrate with her as she completes her first lap across the pool.  This is a great book at bout facing fears and taking chances!

On the Way to the Beach by Henry Cole

Little readers will follow a young girl on a summer stroll to the beach.  As she walks, she passes through the woods, a marsh and sand dunes.  She often pauses to observe and think about the wildlife watching her. A foldout reveals animals, birds, insects and plants in each of the coastal settings---which is great for curious young minds!

Zigby Camps Out by Mr. Brian Patterson

Follow along as Zigby Zebra and his friends decide to campout in the deepest, darkest part of the jungle.  When Zigby and his pals get cold, hungry and scared they decide to pack it in, head home and eat dinner.  Zigby finishes his campout in the safety of his own backyard.  I'm sure Zigby's camping story rings true for many families who have "camped" for the first time.  

Blackout by John Rocco

One hot summer night in the city, all of the power goes out.  What is a family to do?  They can't use the phone, work on the computer, watch tv....or even finish cooking dinner.  John Rocco authors this lovely story about the pure joy in being fully present in the moment. 

Lucille Camps In by Kathryn Lasky

Poor Lucille is too young to go on the camping trip with her dad and older siblings, and she is NOT happy about it.  Lucille's mom tries everything to cheer her up, but nothing seems to work.....until Lucille gets an idea of her own!  Lucille and her mom are going to camp in!!  A delightful story about how your imagination can take you anywhere!!

Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee

Do you like riding a roller coaster, but hate the wait?  If so...check out this book, as it has all of the excitement without the dreaded long line!  This book is so fun to read aloud with sounds like clacking and yelling as the text loops and drops!  

And Then Comes Summer by Tom Brenner

This ode to summer will delight anyone who has ever counted down the days until school gets out.  Tom Brenner has a summer favorite for everyone in this book--flip flops, hide and seek, fireworks, ice cream trucks, lemonade stands and even roasting marshmallows! This book leaves little doubt that summer is a season like none other!

Are you looking for more great summer book reads?  Check out this list from PBS or Reading Rockets!

Reflect to learn....

When the school year is over, So. Are. Teachers.  

We are tired. Exhausted. Drained. Physically, emotionally and mentally spent. 

We are so excited to turn off that alarm. Stay in comfy clothes.  Eat a meal that lasts longer than 10 minutes without being interrupted.  Use the bathroom whenever we want. 

BUT....

The perfect time for reflection is right before you leave for summer break.  I know it is tempting to not spend one more moment thinking about school, however there is SO MUCH power in looking backwards and reflecting on your school year.

It is proven that we learn from processing through our own experiences.  When we stop and spend time thinking about the academic year, we grow and develop professionally.  Insights, celebrations, frustrations and goals come with reflection.

Thus, I urge to take a few minutes to reflect, perhaps even jot down the answers to the following questions.  Even better yet....have a conversation with a colleague, administrator or instructional coach!  If we hold conversations with others our reflections are amplified.

How did your school year go? 

Why was it so?

How did you grow?

How will it show?

I recently sat down with my husband to reflect on his track season.   He is a high school throws coach, a very passionate one at that.  From a simple, "How do you think track season went this year?" my husband and I had a long conversation about many insights and several new goals he wants to focus on for next year. 

So before you turn off those lights and walk out the door, give yourself a moment to contemplate.  Trust me--it will be worth it!