Reading Aloud—So Much More Than Sharing a Story

2021-10-05T13:03:44+00:00

A regular read-aloud routine is wonderful for bonding and instilling a love of literature—but reading to children does so much more, from building vocabulary to fostering overall language development.Since younger children are generally only able to decode a more limited number of words, hearing words is highly impactful in expanding their vocabulary, and reading aloud can help them gain this auditory exposure. As children mature and learn to read themselves, they will be introduced to new vocabulary on their own—but older children enjoy being read to as well! It may be that a book on a high-interest topic is just beyond [...]

Reading Aloud—So Much More Than Sharing a Story2021-10-05T13:03:44+00:00

Sight Words, Decodable Words, & High Frequency Words

2021-10-07T07:10:37+00:00

“Dad, I have to practice my sight words for homework.” What is a sight word? In the elementary grades, we use several different terms to categorize types of English words: decodable words, sight words, and high-frequency words. Let’s unpack them: Type of Word Definition Examples Decodable Words Follow the regular patterns of the language. Students can “sound out” these words, so there is no need to memorize them. run, spin, make, sport, she, team, spoil, fly, bubble, harvest Sight Words Don’t follow the regular patterns of English. They don’t sound the way that they look; therefore, they must be memorized. [...]

Sight Words, Decodable Words, & High Frequency Words2021-10-07T07:10:37+00:00

A Way With Words: Mastering vs. Memorizing Vocabulary

2021-10-07T07:13:17+00:00

Part 2 Last time, we reviewed some of the reasons why vocabulary development can be so difficult for students. Now, we will focus on ways to help students begin to gain a full understanding of language that will last a lifetime. Vocabulary is learned through a wide variety of mediums, including conversation, watching television, listening to the radio, etc., but for the purposes of this post we’ll refer to strategies to help students master vocabulary within assigned academic reading. As students are reading, they should get into the habit of highlighting or underlining words they are unfamiliar with. They should venture a [...]

A Way With Words: Mastering vs. Memorizing Vocabulary2021-10-07T07:13:17+00:00

A Way With Words: Mastering vs. Memorizing Vocabulary

2021-10-05T13:08:06+00:00

Part 1 All too often, students study vocabulary words for a test only to never think about them again once that test is over. They don’t realize, or perhaps don’t care, that they are being taught these words to utilize indefinitely, to include as part of their repertoire. Vocabulary is the keystone to comprehension, and developing an understanding of it in a deep way, through use in conversation and writing, is an essential life skill to be successful in a verbal world. Our students are struggling with vocabulary (as well as reading, spelling, writing, and comprehension) because of an invalid [...]

A Way With Words: Mastering vs. Memorizing Vocabulary2021-10-05T13:08:06+00:00

Professional Development
for Educators

PTI

 
Beth

Beth Dinelli, M.Ed
Director
[email protected]

220 Reservoir Street, Suite 6 Needham, MA 02494-3133

Phone: 781.444.5193

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