Ep. 188: How to Teach Students to Read Irregular Words with Danielle Colenbrander & Katie Pace Miles
Mar 22, 2024
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Experts discuss teaching students to read irregular words, the role of morphology, and different approaches to decoding. They emphasize the importance of meaning and context in word recognition. Strategies include mispronunciation correction, morphology understanding, and providing a toolbox of decoding strategies for students
Irregular words range in difficulty from regular to highly irregular, requiring various teaching approaches for effective learning.
Meaning and context are key factors in word recognition, emphasizing the importance of providing students with decoding strategies.
Morphology instruction and vocabulary enrichment aid in decoding irregular words, supporting comprehensive literacy development.
Deep dives
Understanding Orthographic Mapping and Phoneme Correspondences
Orthographic mapping is a vital process connecting letters to word spellings and pronunciations. Researchers emphasize the significance of securing these bonds in memory for efficient reading by sight. The connection between spellings, pronunciations, and meanings aids accurate word representation and recall. Mispronunciation correction is highlighted as a key strategy for building precise orthographic memory.
Regular vs. Irregular Words and Decoding Strategies
Words exist on a spectrum of regularity, from easy like 'cat' to more complex like 'aisle' or 'meringue'. Decoding strategies like mispronunciation correction help students tackle irregular words effectively by connecting sound units to familiar words. Contextual usage and morphology are additional tools that support word analysis and spelling comprehension.
Strategies for Teaching Irregular Words
Balancing phonics instruction with word memorization for irregular words like 'the' allows for efficient learning but should complement decoding skills. Flashcard usage for a few high-frequency irregular words is acceptable, but excessive reliance inhibits overall decoding proficiency. Varied approaches like mispronunciation correction and morphological analysis enhance word retention and pronunciation accuracy.
Navigating Morphology and Vocabulary Building
Understanding how morphemes shape word spellings and meanings aids in decoding irregular words. Beginning with basic morphological units and gradually introducing complex word structures supports reading and spelling proficiency. Vocabulary enrichment enhances grapheme-phoneme connections and fosters intricate word analysis.
Practical Application and Balancing Teaching Approaches
Teachers can utilize word analysis activities to reinforce decoding skills and anchor students to word structures effectively. Considering the blend of research-based strategies like mispronunciation correction, morphology instruction, and vocabulary expansion supports comprehensive literacy development. Adapting teaching methods to individual student needs and integrating various tools optimizes word recognition and comprehension.
Danielle Colenbrander and Katie Pace-Miles discuss orthographic mapping, irregular word instruction, and the different terms used to describe high frequency and irregular words. They translate research about the effectiveness of different approaches to teaching irregular words. They also discuss the role of morphology - how understanding morphemes can help students decode and understand words.
Takeaways
Irregular words exist on a spectrum, ranging from completely regular to highly irregular.
Different teaching approaches, such as mispronunciation correction, can be effective for teaching irregular words.
Meaning and context play a crucial role in word recognition and understanding.
Teachers should provide students with a toolbox of strategies to decode and understand irregular words.
Temporary irregularity is a helpful concept for students, emphasizing that irregular words are only temporarily challenging until they learn the necessary grapheme-phoneme correspondences.
Katie's PRINTABLE Word Analysis Manual, a resource to support learning and word analysis activities to use with high frequency words (and any word, really!)