Timed performance provides a measure of how quickly students are able to recognize and produce letter names; in addition, timed performance often reveals, through hesitations or errors, letter names that are not secure.
We begin our basic-skill assessments of students by asking them to say the names of the letters of the alphabet, using the assessment created by Elizabeth Haughton. Automaticity compared to grade-level expectations provides a baseline. Based on our experience with this assessment tool, we expect to see growth in letter-naming skill as reading and spelling skills develop. In addition, we may find indicators of difficulty for which we also provide intervention in areas such as phonology, processing, and breath support for language.
Timed Random Letter Recognition
Automaticity compared to grade-level expectations provides a baseline. We expect to see growth in letter-naming skill as reading and spelling skills develop. In addition, we may find indicators of difficulty in phonology, processing, and breath support for language; these indicators can provide direction for intervention.
We begin our basic-skill assessments of students by asking them to say the names of the letters of the alphabet using the assessment created by Elizabeth Haughton. The document provides two 100-letter matrices and instructions for using timed performance to provide a measure of how quickly students are able to recognize and produce letter names.
Untimed Random Letter Recognition
When students’ knowledge in the untimed identification task is not strong, we work with them on the Alphabet Board to develop knowledge and resolve confusions after the initial assessment.
When the 100-letter grid would be daunting, an untimed accuracy check for reading letters will provide the necessary information in determining a student’s readiness for the program. Letter knowledge is a requisite skill for success in The Spell of Language; therefore, the knowledge should be developed as quickly as possible.
There are many programs successfully used to teach alphabet recognition. When there is no time for extended work or when confusions have persisted, the Alphabet Board procedure provides both instruction and prompt evaluation of learning. The document contains directions for creation and use of the Alphabet Board; it also contains the student record sheets and instructions for their use.
Alphabet Board Frame
This is a file containing a 26-space frame for printing. The spaces on the frame are arranged as per “the alphabet song.” It is recommended that the frame be printed on a Mylar overlay and placed on a magnetic board.
Alphabet Board Letters
This document provides the letters for the frame. It is recommended that they be printed on cardstock, backed with an adhesive magnetic sheet, and then cut out.
The See/Say/Sounds task, created by Elizabeth Haughton, is used to establish a baseline measurement of both accuracy and automaticity (fluency) of students’ ability to recognize and produce the sounds for the spellings of English. One-minute timings of consonants and vowels provide scores, which are compared to rates achieved by students who read efficiently. If it is not possible to time vowels, the chart may be used to see which of the 27 spellings (18 vowel sounds with alternate spellings) and their correspondences are secure, unknown, or challenging.
Recommendation for Test of Word Reading Efficiency — Second edition (TOWRE-2)
The TOWRE-2 is recommended as a formal, standardized measure of word reading ability (Sight-Word Efficiency) and phonemic-awareness skill (Phonemic Decoding Efficiency). Also recommended is an informal measure of reading such as the Analytical Reading Inventory (ARI).
Recommendation for Diagnostic Assessment of Reading — Second edition (DAR-2) Spelling Subtest
The DAR-2 Spelling Subtest is recommended as a standardized measure of spelling ability.
This document explains the Student Assessment/Baseline Form and the Yearly Progress Tracker. Sample forms are presented and explained.
Student Assessment/Baseline Form
The assessment/baseline form allows teachers to collect and record initial assessment information. While the PDF file is not editable, a Word file is also provided.
Yearly Progress Tracker
The Yearly Progress Tracker gives teachers a means of recording objectives that have been reached by individual students. While the PDF file is not editable, Word, Excel, and Google Sheets formats are also provided.
This document contains a description of curricular materials used to instruct sound/spelling correspondences, the essential phonetic patterns of English, access to the component materials, and the component overview.
This page lists the spellings for the consonant sounds of English along with a common word in which each sound is used.
This document contains the instructions for creating a card pack that students can use to build automaticity in recognizing and producing consonant sounds for spellings.
This document contains an introduction to Precision Teaching and instructions for timing consonants. It also includes instructions on how to represent student progress on semi-logarithmic charts.
Introductory Timing Chart
This document contains a blank chart for use with introductory timing. It is provided by Richard McManus, founder of the Fluency Factory.
Daily Timing Chart
This document contains a blank chart for use with daily timing. It is provided by Richard McManus, founder of the Fluency Factory.
This page is the first in a series of pages used to develop proficiency with vowels. It introduces the TSOL categorization of vowel sounds according to physical and linguistic properties.
This page enables teachers to check and possibly refine their productions of the targeted vowel spellings.
The next page in the series contains the instructions for using the Vowel Assembly page.
This interactive page provides both teachers and students with the practice required to learn the organization of the vowel sound/spelling correspondences.
This page describes the skills to be practiced before advancing to written practice in which alternative spellings are also used:
- Receptive and expressive practice;
- production of sounds in the order of the classification with control of jaw and tongue;
- placement of spelling tiles on the classification page until the task can be completed easily and independently; and
- the 18-card vowel pack.
This page contains the procedures for building automaticity in recognizing and producing vowel sounds for spellings. It contains the following cards:
This document contains an introduction to Precision Teaching and instructions for timing vowels. It also includes instructions on how to represent student progress on semi-logarithmic charts. Specific instructions are given for the 18-card and 48-card packs.
Introductory Timing Chart
This document contains a blank chart for recording introductory timing results. It is provided by Richard McManus, founder of the Fluency Factory.
Daily Timing Chart
This document contains a blank chart for recording daily timing results. It is provided by Richard McManus, founder of the Fluency Factory.
Students move on to written practice when they are able to assemble and say the vowel classification easily. At this point, the alternative vowel spellings are added. The cheat sheet and vowel practice pages can also be printed as PDFs. Note that use of the cheat sheet should diminish quickly as the classification is learned.
Vowel Practice Instructions
This page contains methods by which vowel proficiency may be reached.
Vowel Practice Page
Teachers are able to project the vowel practice page onto a whiteboard so that it may be used in a class activity. The blank chart is also available as a PDF file so that students can complete the exercise on their own.
Vowel Practice Cheat Sheet
This PDF file contains four copies of the Vowel Practice Cheat Sheet.
The 48-spellings pack is begun when students are able to complete the 18-spelling pack easily. As with the 18-card pack, students should only drill on correspondences of which they are sure, building up to 48 cards. The cards in the deck (duplicates indicated by “-2”) are:
Along with instructions and a blank page, this document consists of 12 pages of sound/spelling correspondences starting with the most common and advancing to less common correspondences. These exercises afford students another way of practicing sound/spelling correspondences.
EWK started with a phonetic analysis of the body of words expected to be known by a successful third grader. Rather than being rules-based, the program starts with those words and uses them to teach students word patterns. This makes it easier to extend what students already know; for example, a second-grade student learns inflected endings as parts of words already known rather than as separate entries in their mental lexicons.
This section contains exercises for 112 Primer Level Words followed by the same exercises for the 600 Most-Commonly-Used Words (MCUW 600). The web interface is designed for individualized learning, but sequential lessons are also provided. Additional materials include extra support for vowel-consonant-vowel-pattern words and “cognitive hooks” to help students with the MCUW 600.
Clicking on “Dashboard” opens the Student/Classroom Page with “Essential Word Knowledge” (Primer and MCUW) available in the first column. Thereby, a teacher is able to keep track of an individual student’s progress in learning Primer-Level and the Most-Commonly-Used words. You must be logged into a TSOL account — free and easy to set up — to use this feature (a paid account is required to access Words 101-600 of the MCUW).
The 112 words on the Primer Word Selection page are words expected to be acquired early in students’ word learning. In the word selection page, the words are arranged from top to bottom in columns according to the ease with which most students learn these words. Once words for study have been selected (by clicking until the box containing the word is purple), study materials can be created.
This page gives an example of three major components of Primer Word exercises: the Word Selection Page, the Phonetic Analysis Worksheet, and the Word Reading Worksheet. The actual generated materials, represented by the grayed-out boxes on the EWK page, are reached through the Primer Word Selection page once words have been selected for study.
Phonetic Analysis Worksheet
Coding of each word indicates the number of sounds as dots below each spelling, and the identity of corresponding sounds that are not expected is written above the spelling. Students are meant to touch each dot (thereby not covering the spelling) and say each sound as indicated before reading the word.
Word Reading Worksheet
Students are meant to read each word without referring to its coding. The page is designed to change the order of words each time it is refreshed.
Flashcards
Flashcards enable the words students know to be ordered and re-ordered each time they are read. It is recommended that words read more easily be placed at the beginning of the pack so that they can be read quickly with confidence.
Primer Word Report
The record option creates a single-page PDF file representing student progress in word learning.
The following additional materials are also available for the Primer Words. They cannot be accessed through the main EWK page but are instead accessed from this page or through the Downloads/Additional Resources page.
Sequentially Presented Primer Words plus Vowel Work
Each lesson consists of one column of 14 words. Materials provided include a “Missing Vowel” exercise in which the vowels of a word are “blanked out.”
Vowel-Consonant-Vowel-Pattern Words — First Application
The first application of the Vowel-Consonant-Vowel-Pattern (VCV-Pattern) Words component is used to help beginning readers who expect that words they are trying to read have only one syllable. It allows them to realize that they are able to read two-syllable words for which they know the meaning.
The 600 words on the MCUW Word Selection pages are those that occur most frequently, by some estimates upwards of 90 percent of the time, in written text. They are the “glue” that holds written language together and need to be accurately and rapidly recognized if students are to be able to get across the line of print efficiently.
The words are grouped into 100-word sets. As was the case with the Primer Words, they should be read from top to bottom on the word selection page, not from left to right. The remaining tasks, represented by the grayed-out buttons in the main EWK menu, are reached through buttons on the Word Selection pages.
This page gives an example of three major components: the Word Selection Page, the Phonetic Analysis Worksheet, and the Word Reading Worksheet. The different generated materials, represented by the grayed-out boxes on the EWK page, are reached through the MCUW 600 Word Selection page once words have been selected.
Phonetic Analysis Worksheet
Coding of each word indicates the number of sounds as dots below each spelling; the identity of any spelling that is not expected is written above the spelling. Students are meant to touch each dot (thereby not covering the spelling) and say each sound as indicated before reading the word.
Word Reading Worksheet
Students are meant to read each word without referring to its coding. The page is designed to change the order of words each time it is refreshed.
Flashcards
Flashcards enable the words students know to be ordered and re-ordered each time they are read. It is recommended that words read more easily be placed at the beginning of the pack so that they can be read quickly with confidence.
MCUW Word Report
The record option creates a single-page PDF file representing student progress in word learning.
The following additional materials are also available for the 600 Most Commonly Used Words. They cannot be accessed through the main EWK page, but are instead accessed through this page or through the Downloads/Additional Resources page.
Cognitive Hooks for Word-Learning Support
This document is a result of years of helping young students learn the most commonly used words as quickly as possible. The “hooks” help students resolve difficulties they have in remembering which words are which, e.g., than and then, where and were. The document provides teachers with strategies that will be helpful to students who have confusions. It is important to fade the use of hooks as soon as possible.
Sequentially Presented Words plus Vowel Work for MCUW 600
As an alternative to using the word selection feature, materials for the MCUW 600 are also available in pre-formed lists of up to 15 words. Materials provided include a “Missing Vowel” exercise in which the vowels of a word are “blanked out.”
Vowel-Consonant-Vowel-Pattern Words — Second Application
The second application of the Vowel-Consonant-Vowel-Pattern (VCV-Pattern) Words component begins with teacher explanation. Students are shown that VCV-pattern vowel sounds may not be what they are expecting; that is, the sounds could be “long” or “short.” In addition to a word list to work from, a word bank and flashcards are provided. The students are exposed to more two-syllable words, which may require more vowel knowledge or have meanings that are more complex.
MCUW 600 — Words to Read and Spell
We use Words to Read and Spell (the 600 Most Commonly Used Words used in an automaticity/fluency exercise) for several purposes, all of which are related to developing accuracy, speed, and confidence in reading and spelling. The exercise was developed by Elizabeth Haughton.
Spelling and Beyond complements and extends EWK-based instruction. This document provides a description of the Spelling and Beyond component, primarily lessons and accompanying materials for Primer Level – Level 3 Spelling, the Spelling Review, and MCUW 300. The document also includes a summary of the development of Spelling and Beyond, a list of patterns of English, and specific techniques for building automaticity/fluency.
Teacher material includes how to instruct:
- the application of the alphabetic principle (how written words map onto spoken words);
- the spellings and meanings of approximately 2,500 content-area words acquired by successful students by the end of third grade;
- grammatical structure so that students learn how to use words in their writing; and
- the affixing of inflectional endings (morphemes that do not change grammatical function).
The material also provides essential support in helping slightly older students develop the ability to use the alphabetic principle when they have already developed a word-reading vocabulary.
A transition into thinking explicitly about derivational morphology is given in the Bridge Lessons. Subject areas such as how to instruct morphological structure are presented in Levels 4 – 6 of Spelling and Beyond.
Clicking on “Dashboard” opens the student/classroom level selection page. Spelling and Beyond levels are selected in the second column. This allows a teacher to quickly consider and choose appropriate spelling lessons. You must be logged into a TSOL account, free and easy to set up, to use this feature.
Primer Level spelling words are the same as the Primer Words in EWK. Once they can be read, it is possible to teach their spellings. Teachers help students with the reading and vocabulary tasks. One purpose of the page is to introduce students to the idea that words have meanings.
Seventeen lessons are presented for selection. Selecting a lesson brings up the lesson to be printed with teacher notes or in a Student Lesson. The Teacher notes delineate the objective(s) of the lesson. There are lines for writing sentences in the Student Lesson. Teachers may reach the Primer Level Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
Two major components of the Primer exercises are illustrated: word selection and lessons.
Primer Level Lessons
Primer Level Lessons are single PDF files containing the following four pieces:
- Phonetic Analysis gives the coding of words for number and identity of sounds. The alphabetic principle is emphasized by having the student touch and say each sound.
- Meaning within a Given Sentence gives the targeted word context in the case that students cannot immediately identify the word (sentences are in the same order as the words);
- Definition Matching has students identify meanings of words used in given sentences (definition order is scrambled).
- Write Your Own Sentence has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
Primer Level Lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version (which includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own sentences).
Level 1 words are words expected to be known by academically successful students at the first-grade level. Thus begins the transition from frequently occurring words, necessary for holding text together, to content-area words, conveying meaning.
The words are grouped by phonological patterns as explained in teacher notes. Words are selected in groups of up to 20. There are 22 groups, making it possible to begin with Primer Level and to finish with Level 1 by the end of the school year. Teachers may reach the Level 1 Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
The Level 1 Example page illustrates three major components of the Level 1 exercises: Word Selection, Lessons, and Weekly Homework.
Level 1 Lessons
Level 1 Lessons are single PDF files containing the following four pieces:
- Phonetic Analysis gives the coding of words for number and identity of sounds. The alphabetic principle is emphasized by having the student touch and say each sound.
- Meaning within a Given Sentence gives the targeted word context in the case that students cannot immediately identify the word (sentences are in the same order as the words);
- Definition Matching has students identify meanings of words used in given sentences (definition order is scrambled).
- Write Your Own sentences has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
Level 1 Lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version (which includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own Sentences).
Level 1 Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework is a new component beginning with Level 1. Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
Level 1 Summary Spelling Challenge
The Summary Spelling Challenge occurs after every six lessons. Half of the words are words from the previous six lessons; the other half follow the spelling principles used in those lessons.
Using Supplementary Lessons, teachers are able to instruct the grammatical features and advanced attributes of English. Features such as plural nouns and verb tense are learned as extensions of the words students have already learned. Each lesson provides teachers with a synopsis of the language feature to use in instruction. The lessons print cleanly with Ctrl-P/⌘-P.
Level 1 Supplementary Lesson — Plural Nouns
The supplementary lesson on plural nouns discusses the formation of plural nouns (specifically those using –s) and cases of irregular nouns.
Level 1 Supplementary Lesson — Earliest Occurring Prepositions
The Earliest Occurring Prepositions uses examples at, of, to, on, in, into, for, out, down, about, by, from, with.
Level 1 Supplementary Lesson — Present, Past, and Future Tense Verbs
This lesson on verbs gives examples for the construction of the past, present, and future tense for verbs.
Level Two words are a continuation of words expected to be known by academically successful students. Vocabulary work consists of identifying meanings of the spelling words and writing sentences. The words are grouped by phonological patterns as explained in teacher notes. There are 32 groups of 20 words; up to 20 words may be selected. Teachers may reach the Level 2 Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
Three major components of the Level 2 exercises are illustrated: Word Selection, Lessons, and Weekly Homework.
Level 2 Lessons
Level 2 Lessons are single PDF files containing the following three pieces:
- Definition Matching has students match words to meanings (definition order is scrambled).
- Phonetic Analysis gives the coding of words for number and identity of sounds. The alphabetic principle is emphasized by having the student touch and say each sound.
- Write Your Own sentences has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
The lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version. The Teacher Version includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own sentences.
Level 2 Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
Level 2 Summary Spelling Challenge
The Summary Spelling Challenge occurs after every six lessons. Half of the words are words from previous six lessons; the other half follow the spelling principles used in those lessons.
The following additional materials are also available for Level 2. They cannot be accessed through the Level 2 Word Selection or Level 2 Examples Page; they are instead accessed through this page or through the Downloads/Additional Resources page.
Level 2 Phonetic Analysis Matrices/Flashcards
These matrix-style sheets for Level 2 Lessons contain the phonetic analysis for all 20 words in a lesson and can be used to apply grammatical elements in whole-class instruction. They may also be printed out for use as flashcards.
Level 2 Words Introduced in Sentences
This document presents Level 2 words in sentences in the same format used in lessons from the Primer Level and Level 1. This resource allows Level 2 students to have more experience with words’ meanings in context before continuing with the standard lesson. The word lists are available in PDF, Excel, and Google Sheets formats.
Vowel-Consonant-Vowel-Pattern Words — Second Application
The second application of the Vowel-Consonant-Vowel-Pattern (VCV-Pattern) Words component begins with teacher explanation. Students are shown that VCV-pattern vowel sounds may not be what they are expecting; that is, the sounds could be “long” or “short.” In addition to a word list to work from, a word bank and flashcards are provided. The students are exposed to more two-syllable words, which may require more vowel knowledge or have meanings that are more complex.
Using Supplementary Lessons, teachers are able to instruct the grammatical features and advanced attributes of English. Features such as verb tense/patterns/endings, descriptive adjectives, and possessives allow students to learn endings as parts of words they already know rather than as separate entries in their mental lexicons. Each lesson provides teachers with a synopsis of the language feature to use in instruction. The lessons print cleanly with Ctrl-P/⌘-P.
Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Present, Past, and Future Tense Verbs
This lesson on verbs gives examples for the construction of the past, present, and future tense for verbs.
Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Verb Patterns
In this lesson, students practice thinking about the patterns of verbs. They will distinguish between main verbs and helping (auxiliary) verbs.
Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — The Inflected Ending –ed
This lesson explains the phonology of –ed ending possibilities, /t/, /d/, and /ed/.
Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Descriptive Adjectives
This lesson explains and gives examples for descriptive adjectives.
Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Possessives
This lesson explains and gives examples for possessives.
Levels 2 & 3 Supplementary Lesson — Apostrophes
This lesson explains and gives examples of how apostrophes are used.
Level 3 words are a continuation of words expected to be known by academically successful students. The words are grouped according to organizing principles as explained in teacher notes. Teachers may select up to 20 of the 30 words from 35 weekly lessons. A “matrix” sheet of all 30 words is available for applying grammatical elements in whole-class instruction. Teachers may reach the Level 3 Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
Three major components of the Level 3 exercises are illustrated: Word Selection, Lessons, and Weekly Homework.
Level 3 Matrices
A “Matrix” sheet of all 30 words is available for applying grammatical elements in whole-class instruction. It may also be used to create flashcards.
Level 3 Lessons
Level 3 Lessons are single PDF files containing the following three pieces:
- Definition Matching has students match words to meanings (definition order is scrambled).
- Phonetic Analysis gives the coding of words for number and identity of sounds. The alphabetic principle is emphasized by having the student touch and say each sound.
- Write Your Own sentences has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
The lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version. The Teacher Version includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own sentences.
Level 3 Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
Level 3 Summary Spelling Challenge
The Summary Spelling Challenge occurs after every six lessons. Half of the words are words from the six lessons; the other half follow the spelling principles used in those lessons.
The Level 3 Supplementary Lessons contain four review lessons. They are continuations of supplementary lessons from previous levels, possible now that students have increased vocabulary and better understanding of grammatical features. Each lesson provides teachers with a synopsis of the language feature to use in instruction. The lessons print cleanly with Ctrl-P/⌘-P.
Level 3 Supplementary Lesson — Plural Review
This lesson is a continuation of Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Plurals with additional examples and more advanced instruction.
Level 3 Supplementary Lesson — Adjective Review
This lesson is a continuation of Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Descriptive Adjectives with additional examples and more advanced instruction.
Level 3 Supplementary Lesson — Possessive Review
This lesson is a continuation of Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Possessives with additional examples and more advanced instruction.
Level 3 Supplementary Lesson — Verb Review
This lesson is a continuation of Level 2 Supplementary Lesson — Verb Patterns with additional examples and more advanced instruction.
Spelling Review words are a subset of Level 3 words and are representative of the words and patterns. It is possible for an older student to prepare for learning polysyllabic words and advanced English with these word patterns and their phonetic representations. The irregularities at this advanced level are relatively few, and they are systematic (the patterns repeat). Spelling is easier once the patterns are recognized. Spelling difficulties with high-frequency words are remediated by combining Spelling Review with MCUW 300.
The words are grouped into thirteen lessons according to organizing principles explained in teacher notes. Teachers may reach the Spelling Review Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
Three major components of the Level 3 exercises are illustrated: Word Selection, Lessons, and Weekly Homework.
Spelling Review Lessons
Spelling Review Lessons are single PDF files containing the following three pieces:
- Definition Matching has students match words to meanings (definition order is scrambled).
- Phonetic Analysis gives the coding of words for number and identity of sounds. The alphabetic principle is emphasized by having the student touch and say each sound.
- Write Your Own sentences has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
The lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version. The Teacher Version includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own sentences.
Spelling Review Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
The 600 Most Commonly Used Words contain approximately 300 phonetically irregular or phonetically equivocal spellings. These words can be selected using an interface similar to that of the MCUW 600 and presented without vocabulary. The words are grouped into three 100-word sets. They should be read from top to bottom (i.e. along columns), not from left to right. Up to 20 words may be selected at a time. Note that MCUW 600 word selection and MCUW 300 word selection are independent (selecting a word in one does not select the same word in the other).
Examples of three portions of the MCUW 300 are illustrated: Word Selection, Phonetic Analysis, and Weekly Homework.
MCUW 300 Phonetic Analysis Worksheet
The Phonetic Analysis Worksheet gives the phonetic analysis for the (up to 20) selected words.
MCUW 300 Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
The fundamental purpose of the “Bridge” Lessons is to make possible the conceptualization of schwa-ending syllables as a finite number of possibilities owing to their spellings and phonological patterns. Nonsense words are used, first in “Pencil-breaking” exercises and then in “Eye-breaking” exercises so that students must work through a word rather than achieve a match in their mental lexicons. However, spelling exercises use real words that have few irregularities except for endings from the classification that have already been learned.
This interactive web page allows students to analyze and categorize endings according to both their sound and spelling features. There are three separate activities.
Ending Classification Guide
This is a paper copy of the solutions to the Ending Classification Worksheet to be used by the teacher. There is a single PDF file for all three activities.
Ending Classification Worksheet
This worksheet combines all three exercises from the Ending Classification Supplementary Lesson.
This worksheet can be used for pencil breaking of nonsense words; the teacher writes words from the nonsense word list contained in Words for Pencil Breaking and Eye Breaking. The worksheet can also be used for spelling of real words from the Words for Spelling bridge lesson.
This document contains nonsense words so that students can practice vowel sound/spelling correspondences; nonsense words are used so that a student must work through a word rather than achieve a match in their mental lexicon. There are five pages in this PDF file; each page has columns of one-, two-, and three-syllable words. Page 4 has a fourth column containing four-syllable words, and Page 5 has a fifth column containing five-syllable words.
This document uses real words that are relatively easy to spell in conjunction with using the ending classification.
The third application of the Vowel-Consonant-Vowel-Pattern (VCV-Pattern) Words is appropriate for older students experiencing difficulty in reading words they have never read before. The application uses the advanced VCV-pattern words list; “discovering” the VCV-pattern phonological structure of these words allows students to read complex words and gives them confidence in reading words of more than two syllables.
The structure of English is both phonological and morphological. This document describes the necessary transition to morphological structure in Levels 4 – 6. It shows that while the numbers of words in Levels 4 – 6 are roughly the same, the number of morphemes doubles from Level 4 to Level 5 and again from Level 5 to Level 6.
Level 4 spelling materials target vocabulary development and the morphological elements of English — how units of meaning are combined to form words. At this level, words are grouped according to meaning instead of phonological structure. Rather than providing phonetic analyses of all words, remarkable sound-structure elements are noted. Teachers may select up to 20 of the 30 words from 31 weekly lessons. Teachers may reach the Level 4 Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
Three major components of the Level 4 exercises are illustrated: Word Selection, Lessons, and Weekly Homework.
Level 4 Lessons
Level 4 Lessons are single PDF files containing the following two pieces:
- Definition Matching has students match words to meanings (definition order is scrambled).
- Write Your Own sentences has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
The lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version. The Teacher Version includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own sentences. Note that the Phonetic Analysis is not included in the lesson, but is available from Downloads/Additional Materials.
Level 4 Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
The following additional materials are also available for Level 4. They cannot be accessed through the Level 4 Word Selection page but are instead accessed through this page or through the Downloads/Additional Resources page.
Level 4 Phonetic Analysis Matrices
These matrices are similar to the Level 3 Matrices. They contain the codings for all of the Level 4 words.
Level 4 Phonetic Analysis Matrix Worksheets
These matrices of uncoded words can be printed out for individual worksheets or presented for whole-class instruction.
Level 4 Bridge Lessons — Patterns not Rules
The Level 4 Patterns not Rules is a supplement to Spelling Level 4 in the component, Spelling and Beyond. It consists of the first seven lessons of Level 4, each divided into two parts. The first seven lessons are notable in that their words are grouped by spelling patterns, not by topic as is the case for the rest of the Level 4 lessons. These patterns recur throughout the words of the grade level. The supplement provides phonetic analyses for these words and helps older students who have been instructed in vowel sound/spelling correspondences to move to words at, or close to, their grade levels (rather than working with “easy words”), even if they find spelling difficult.
There are two Level 4 Supplementary Lessons. Features such as introductory (derivational) morphology and comparison of adverbs and adjectives allow students to learn endings (and beginnings) as parts of words they already know rather than as separate entries in their mental lexicons. Each lesson provides teachers with a synopsis of the language feature to use in instruction. The lessons print cleanly with Ctrl-P/⌘-P.
Level 4 Supplementary Lesson — Morphology
We have developed a format to efficiently provide instructionally appropriate polysyllabic words for spelling and to keep track of what has been presented. Students write the words with the schwa-ending syllables first and then fill in other columns as directed by the teacher. Sample dialogue between the student and teacher is provided with the lesson. Whether they are in elementary or advanced grades, the technique consists of extending what students already know; they begin with words that are in their mental lexicons rather than words and meanings with which they have no familiarity.
Morphology Worksheet
This is the worksheet to accompany Level 4 Supplementary Lesson — Morphology.
Level 4 Supplementary Lesson — Adverbs
Using adverbs makes writing more distinct and interesting. English has complicated ways of using both adjectives and adverbs. In this lesson, students learn a system through which adverbs and adjectives may be compared.
Level 5 spelling materials target vocabulary development and the morphological elements of English — how units of meaning are combined to form words. At this level, words are grouped according to meaning instead of phonological structure. Rather than providing phonetic analyses of all words, remarkable sound-structure elements are noted. Teachers may select up to 20 of the 30 words from 35 weekly lessons. Teachers may reach the Level 5 Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
Three major components of the Level 5 exercises are illustrated: Word Selection, Lessons, and Weekly Homework.
Level 5 Lessons
Level 5 Lessons are single PDF files containing the following two pieces:
- Definition Matching has students match words to meanings (definition order is scrambled).
- Write Your Own sentences has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
The lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version. The Teacher Version includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own sentences. Note that the Phonetic Analysis is not included, but is available from Additional Materials.
Level 5 Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
The following additional materials are also available for Level 5. They cannot be accessed through the Level 5 Word Selection page but are instead accessed through this page or through the Downloads/Additional Resources page.
Level 5 Phonetic Analysis Matrices
These matrices are similar to the Level 3 Matrices. They contain the phonetic analyses for all of the Level 5 words.
Level 5 Phonetic Analysis Matrix Worksheets
These matrices of uncoded words can be printed out for individual worksheets or presented for whole-class instruction.
Level 5 Bridge Lessons — Patterns not Rules
Level 5 Patterns not Rules is a supplement to Spelling Level 5 in Spelling and Beyond. It consists of the first lesson of Level 5, divided into two parts. The first lesson is notable in that its words are grouped by spelling patterns, not by topic as is the case for the rest of the Level 5 lessons. These patterns recur throughout the words of the grade level. The supplement provides phonetic analyses for these words and helps older students who have been instructed in vowel sound/spelling correspondences to move to words at, or close to, their grade levels (rather than working with “easy words”), even if they find spelling difficult.
There are two Level 5 Supplementary Lessons, morphology and conjunctions/conjunctive adverbs. Level 5 Morphology allows students to learn endings (and beginnings) as parts of words they already know rather than as separate entries in their mental lexicons. Each lesson provides teachers with a synopsis of the language feature to use in instruction. The lessons print cleanly with Ctrl-P/⌘-P.
Level 5 Supplementary Lesson — Morphology
We have developed a format to efficiently provide instructionally appropriate polysyllabic words for spelling and to keep track of what has been presented. Students write the words with the schwa-ending syllables first and then fill in other columns as directed by the teacher. Sample dialogue between the student and teacher is provided with the lesson. Whether they are in elementary or advanced grades, the technique consists of extending what students already know; they begin with words that are in their mental lexicons rather than words and meanings with which they have no familiarity.
Morphology Worksheet
This is the worksheet to accompany Level 5 Supplementary Lesson — Morphology.
Level 5 Supplementary Lesson — Conjunctions and Conjunctive Adverbs
In this lesson, students explore ways in which thoughts can be connected in writing.
Level 6 spelling materials target vocabulary development and the morphological elements of English — how units of meaning are combined to form words. At this level, words are grouped according to meaning instead of phonological structure. Rather than providing phonetic analyses of all words, remarkable sound-structure elements are noted. Teachers may select up to 20 of the 30 words from 34 weekly lessons. Teachers may reach the Level 6 Word Selection page via their Dashboards, the Program Map, or the Spelling and Beyond Table of Contents.
Three major components of the Level 6 exercises are illustrated: Word Selection, Lessons, and Weekly Homework.
Level 6 Lessons
Level 6 Lessons are single PDF files containing the following two pieces:
- Definition Matching has students match words to meanings (definition order is scrambled).
- Write Your Own sentences has students construct their own sentences using targeted words.
The lessons have a Student Lesson and a Teacher Version. The Teacher Version includes instructor notes while omitting blank lines for Write Your Own sentences. Note that the Phonetic Analysis is not included, but is available from Additional Materials.
Level 6 Weekly Homework
Weekly Homework has two purposes: first, to identify word elements needing phonetic analysis and second, to practice accurate spelling of the week’s words. Students begin by taking a pre-test, writing their answers in the “pre-test” column; this enables them to correct their own spelling and to work with a teacher in incorporating phonetic analysis. Each word spelled correctly in a subsequent quiz receives a corresponding check in the boxes on the right.
The following additional materials are also available for Level 6. They cannot be accessed through the Level 6 Word Selection page but are instead accessed through this page or through the Downloads/Additional Resources page.
Level 6 Phonetic Analysis Matrices
These matrices are similar to the Level 3 Matrices. They contain the phonetic analyses for all of the Level 6 words.
Level 6 Phonetic Analysis Matrix Worksheets
These matrices of uncoded words can be printed out for individual worksheets or presented for whole-class instruction.
Level 6 Bridge Lesson — Patterns not Rules
The Level 6 bridge lesson, Patterns not Rules, is a supplement to Level 6 Spelling in the component Spelling and Beyond. It consists of the first half of the first lesson of the level. The first part is notable in that its words are grouped by spelling patterns, not by topic as is the case for the rest of the lesson and the other Level 6 lessons. These patterns recur throughout the words of the grade level. The supplement provides phonetic analyses for these words and helps older students who have been instructed in vowel sound/spelling correspondences to move to words at, or close to, their grade levels (rather than working with “easy words”), even if they find spelling difficult.
There is one Level 6 Supplementary Lesson on Morphology. It allows students to learn endings (and beginnings) as parts of words they already know rather than as separate entries in their mental lexicons. The lesson provides teachers with a synopsis of the language feature to use in instruction. The lesson prints cleanly with Ctrl-P/⌘-P.
Level 6 Supplementary Lesson — Morphology
We have developed a format to efficiently provide instructionally appropriate polysyllabic words for spelling and to keep track of what has been presented. Students write the words with the schwa-ending syllables first and then fill in other columns as directed by the teacher. Sample dialogue between the student and teacher is provided with the lesson. Whether students are in advanced grades or in elementary grades, the technique consists of extending what they already know; they begin with words that are in their mental lexicons rather than words and the meanings with which they have no familiarity.
Morphology Worksheet
The worksheet to accompany Level 6 Supplementary Lesson — Morphology.