In Focus: Spelling and Word Study In this article, you'll find 9 tips for effective word study instruction. Word study is an approach to spelling instruction that moves away from memorization towards a deeper understanding of letter-sound relationships and patterns in English spelling. Word study is hands-on — encouraging kids to become actively engaged in discovering and making sense of word patterns.
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Related video: Spelling Patterns: Double, Drop, or Nothing  Go inside a second grade classroom to see how one teacher integrates word study into her school's reading program. In this clip, Madeline Gorman gets her students talking about how we add "ing" to a verb. (From Writing and Spelling, part of our PBS Launching Young Readers series.)
Watch video clip "Spelling Patterns" >
Related article: How Spelling Supports Reading >
Related blog post: Spelling made fun > Literacy expert Dr. Louisa Moats trains teachers across the country in how to interpret spelling mistakes. It's important to learn what kinds of spelling errors can signal a child's slow progress and the need for extra help.
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Books & Authors "It seems to me that almost everything is a waste of time," Milo laments. "There's nothing for me to do, nowhere I'd care to go, and hardly anything worth seeing." And so we are introduced to a young (and very bored) boy named Milo, a tollbooth, and an adventure in a strange place called Dictionopolis. The world knows and loves The Phantom Tollbooth and its creator, Norton Juster — a professional architect who also loved writing delightfully inventive books for children. Listen in to Juster talk about his love affair with words, thinking in pictures, and the benefits of eavesdropping.
Watch interview > It may still be winter, but the world isn't hibernating — it's on the move! Ride the rails, take a rocket ship to the moon, or put on wings and fly through poetry. An adventure awaits in the pages of these books.
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For Educators Being able to recall the facts of a story in the proper order helps children with comprehension. Sequencing is also a critical aspect of problem solving across the subject areas — especially in math, science, and social studies. Find examples of story maps, sequence sticks, story chains, transition words, timelines, beginning-middle-end templates, and other tools that build sequencing skills.
See strategy > Creating digital stories invites students to explore "new literacy" skills such as media and information literacy. The multimedia components of digital storytelling can boost motivation in struggling writers and help them discover voice, confidence, and structure in their writing.
See article > A word wall is an interactive collection of words that actively promotes whole-class investigation of vocabulary, spelling, and letter-sound correspondence. Here are 6 very practical tips from the Santa Rosa County School District in Florida for creating interesting word walls: - Your word wall should change almost daily.
- Only place words on the word wall as you teach them.
- Choose only the words that you really want your students to learn. Tier 2 words (words that will be used in many different contexts) will give you the most "bang for your buck."
- Choose words from the book you are reading to your students, from words that students ask you as they read, or from your basal or other textbook.
- Try not to add more than 10 words each week.
- Don't make this "one more thing to do." Creating and maintaining your word wall should fit seamlessly into your regular day.
See examples of word walls > This series of training modules show how to effectively use curriculum-based measurement (CBM) for progress monitoring in reading, math, writing, and spelling — and how to use CBM data in an RTI framework. Each module includes a manual, PowerPoint presentation, handouts, and training webinar. (From the National Center on Response to Intervention)
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For Parents Kids easily learn that one thing follows another. Their routines at home provide great examples: first we eat dinner, then we take a bath, after that we read stories, and finally we turn out the light. Helping children sequence also develops their scientific inquiry skills. From our new Literacy in the Sciences series, discover simple activities that families can do to give kids sequencing practice.
See article > Those wild Kratt brothers are back on PBS KIDS. Join the adventures of Chris and Martin Kratt as they encounter incredible wild animals while traveling to exotic habitats around the globe. The brothers activate their Creature Power Suits to fly with Peregrine falcons, tag along remora-style with a Great White Shark, or dive to the bottom of the sea with whales and Colossal squid!
Go to PBS Kids website > Celebrate National Letter Writing Week (January 9-16) by encouraging your child to write an old-fashioned pen-to-paper letter. It can be a personal note (a belated thank you for holiday gifts?), a fan letter to a favorite author, or a persuasive letter to a local official about a community service project. Here are some activities to get you started.
See article > Related blog post: The gift of a thank you letter > Related booklist: Letter Writing with Flare >
Research & News Scientists from the Stanford School of Medicine using new brain imaging technologies say they have been able to predict with 90% accuracy which children with dyslexia will be able to improve their reading skills. Researchers say their findings reveal activity in specific brain regions during reading that could eventually lead to new interventions.
Read article > Help us make Reading Rockets better! We're interested in finding out what you think about the Reading Rockets website, and hearing your ideas on how we can make it even more useful for parents and educators everywhere. The survey takes only about 15 minutes to complete. For taking the time to help us, you can enter a drawing to win an iPod, pre-loaded with our podcasts.
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Wish
For someone to read a poem
again, and again, and then,
having lifted it from page
to brain — the easy part
cradle it on the longer trek
from brain all the way to heart. — From Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo Poems by Linda Sue Park
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