Final thoughts on Phonics....
Word Chaining, Writing Words & Phrases, and Making It Work are critical components in systematic and explicit phonics instruction. What are the three actionable next steps you could commit to taking to improve student literacy? Feel free to use AI to create meaningful activities that supplement & complement grade-level subject area instruction.
Systematic and Explicit Phonics Instruction
By the End of This Course You’ll Be Able To
Learners will understand the characteristics of an effective systematic and explicit phonics program.
Learners will gain a foundational understanding of English orthography.
Learners will be able to name and explain the role of the instructional components of an effective phonics program.
Why It Matters
The most recent report from our National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2019) showed that nationwide 66% of our 4th students scored below proficient in reading. The highest performing state showed 55% below proficiency. We know from decades of research how students learn to read, how to assess to identify those at risk, and what and how to teach so that the majority of our students can be successful, and systematic and explicit phonics instruction is a critical part of building literacy.
I can create/provide critical thinking activities that include:
ReplyDelete-Chaining
-Writing Words & Phrases (orthographic mapping)
-re-Writing (ex., Summarizing, Alternate Endings, New Characters, etc)
I like your idea of re-writing to create thinking, because I have seen and heard of some great ideas that my students work on when they add alternate endings or characters to a pre-existing text. Many times, I would have never thought of a story ending the way that they have it written - very interesting!
DeleteSystematic and explicit phonics instruction requires an increase in the breadth and depth of words that a student encounters. I feel like in my classroom (Science/SS/Reading/Writing), I am able to incorporate all elements of phonics instruction to support my students academically.
ReplyDeleteI would use chaining with vocabulary words and words in context to help them learn newer terms, as well as becoming more fluent with the specific term of usage: cap/lap, lip/slip, oath/oat etc. I can also use chaining with Wordly Wise terms.
I would also have them to practice writing words and phrases in Book Creator, as well as their quick writes that relate to Science and Social Studies. This would help with syntax and orthography.
Last, in their Book Creator journals, as well as during explicit teaching; I would focus on Semantics. This will help me understand how well my students are familiar with vocabulary words in context and identify students that need additional support. Semantics also determines if a student understand what he/she is writing (writing words and phrases) when creating simple or complex sentences.
I like the idea of using word chaining with wordly wise words. You could use words that have similar roots, prefixes, or suffixes.
DeleteI like your thought process regarding chaining with wordly wise terms. We are using those already so that is a great way to increase the content.
DeleteIn my 3-6 reading club this week, I am going to be doing a chaining activity with students by doing a word ladder that I created. I can also incorporate activities that give students an opportunity to write. After reading a book, I would like to give students time to write their own ending to the story or even create a new story using the characters from the book we have read. They love sharing their writings and ideas, so they would be excited to do this! I can also incorporate “games” to give students time to practice writing words and phrases, and can even include blending and segmenting practice into this as well.
ReplyDeleteI like the alternative endings idea!
DeleteI am excited to see how the chaining activity turns out. Great thinking! :)
DeleteHere are three activities that AI suggests as a way to incorporate upper level phonics and word chaining with 7th and 8th grade ELA students.
ReplyDelete1. Word Trees
Write a target word with multiple syllables on the board (e.g. multiplication).
Have students identify root words, prefixes, suffixes and break the word into syllables.
Branch off each part of the word into a "tree diagram" showing how the word is constructed.
Challenge students to form new words by changing prefixes/suffixes.
2. Word Link Storytelling
Put students in small groups and give each a target word (e.g. metropolitan).
Go around the group having each student add on a new word that starts with last letter of previous word (metropolitan - narcotic). When time is up, have groups share their word chain stories. See whose story makes the most sense!
3. Morphology Mad Libs
Create a mad lib story with some words blank. For the blanks, provide the root word with a prefix/suffix in brackets (e.g. [re]build, dis[able], un[predict]).
Students fill in the blanks by adding prefixes/suffixes to construct new words that fit in the story context. Have students read their new mad lib stories aloud using the new morphology words.
I particularly like the idea using a Mad Lib approach. The next step is to have AI create some of those!
The Mad Lib idea also sounds fun!!
DeleteYes, I'm anxious to see how the Mad Lib activity works out! :)
DeleteI agree that the mad lib idea sounds fun! I think a lot of our students would enjoy that. I also like the word link storytelling. I have seen videos of people doing similar things (not with the added challenge of beginning with the last letter) and some of them turn out hilarious!
DeleteThose are good suggestions and a great use of AI as a thinking partner!
DeleteI really like that word trees activity! There are so many terms that build on the same prefix throughout our units; this would be very helpful. I think I'm going to use that in the new year! Thanks! Wanna do my lesson plans too?! J/k... unless you're in.
DeleteI would use word chaining ladder activities in class incorporating our spelling words and our vocabulary words. This is also a good activity to make in Book Creator with a different page for different ladders.
ReplyDeleteFor Writing Words and Phrases, I would use dictation implementing content area vocabulary from science and social studies. We could discuss the semantics as well as the spelling.
Ai could be used to create appropriate decodable texts. We could work in small group breakout rooms to read and assess the progress of each student individually.
I like the idea of creating the teams. I think this would make it fun for them and greatly increase their engagement .
ReplyDeleteChaining words or word ladders(as I know them) can be used in science and math using vocabulary(shorter words would be easier). I tried to have AI help me with this one and it was a no-go. I either need to find the right prompt or I need to hurry up and just use my brain to come up with some! Publish, then become rich!
ReplyDeleteDictation comes into play to encode the science or math vocabulary we are focusing on. Having the students write these words increases their vocabulary usage, but also gives them a chance to use other words that they may have to "hear" it broken down into syllables before they can write it.
These ideas can be made into a fun game using Book Creator-give them a template book with me dictating words or phrases and even put their word ladders in them.
Breaking things into syllables will definitely help with science vocab! It may help them realize that there are parts of other familiar words within the new vocabulary which will in turn help them with remembering and understanding the word meaning.
DeleteIt can be all about the prompt in AI...... I do agree that dictation is important.
DeleteStudents always like a competition! Teams could be engaging for them
ReplyDeleteWriting: I am going to challenge my students to use the vocabulary words in their current Wordly Wise lesson and create their own story/ I have been including an AI created alternative text with the current vocabulary words. IT will be interesting to see what stories the students create.
ReplyDeleteChaining: I have added chaining to my phonemic awareness skills block. The students have enjoyed it but still struggle with the vowel sounds. This will be a skill that
I will continue to use.
My final idea is from AI:
Engage Families in Literacy Development:
Parent Workshops: Organize workshops or informational sessions for parents to educate them on literacy development and provide strategies for supporting their children at home. Offer resources, such as reading lists, to help parents select age-appropriate and culturally relevant books.
I love the idea of having a parent workshop to educate the families! We could have a parent night or each teacher could create something to share with the families.
I like the idea of involving parents and doing a parent workshop so they can better understand literacy development and help their children. This can help empower parents in their role as learning coaches, which will only help our students as well. This could possibly be done at one of our future face-to-face events!
DeleteI also like the idea of having your students create their own stories using their vocabulary words. I’d love to see what they create!
Yes, really like including the parents. They are crucial to this developmental process!
DeleteI love the idea of involving parents too! It would be great if we could work together to come up with a workshop for the beginning of the year and also record it for those parents unable to attend and for the parents of students that enroll later in the year.
DeleteNext week we are using a text titled Snowflake Bentley to create words relating to winter and snow.
ReplyDelete1. We are going to create word ladders begining with the word snow and use words in the same word family moving towards multisyllabic words.
2. The book has many compound words, so we will use the words in the book to analyze compounds words and make winter related compound words. I will use AI to create a paragraph with some the words we find. We will use the passage for fluency.
3. I will then use AI to create a writing prompt and rubric for students to write a winter story using some of the words.
I love how you have different activities to go with a theme and the text Snowflake Bentley, which is such an interesting story. I can’t wait to hear how the word ladders turn out! I’d also love to see the stories that students create. I’m sure they will enjoy getting to create their own winter stories.
DeleteSeasonal and a good strategy for multisyllabic words.
DeleteBefore I give my suggestions given by AI, I wanted to share one thing I learned at GAETC that some of you may have already done. Changing your custom instructions in ChatGPT makes a huge difference to the responses you receive. I have told my Chat that I am a virtual middle school math teacher who uses Google Suite to teach. You can see where it even mentions Google in the response below. There have even been times that I might ask a question not related to school and it will say, "As a virtual middle school math teacher, this content may not be relevant."
ReplyDeleteHere were some suggestions I received from AI to help incorporate phonics into my middle school math class:
1- Implement Math Vocabulary Building Activities:
Task Example: Assign vocabulary journals where students record new terms, their definitions, and example problems. Periodically, have them share and discuss their entries in Google Meet, fostering collaborative learning.
2-Integrate Reading Comprehension in Math:
Activity Example: Provide students with math-related articles, problems, or real-world scenarios. Ask them to read and analyze the content, identifying key concepts and solving associated problems.
3-Promote Written Communication in Math:
Task Example: Assign regular math reflection essays or short paragraphs discussing a specific concept or problem-solving strategy. Provide constructive feedback through written comments in Google Meet or use collaborative documents for peer review.
Thanks for sharing how you changed the prompt . I think that really does make a difference sometimes.
DeleteThat is a very helpful hint about changing your instructions in ChatGPT. I remember hearing about it but have not done it yet. Thanks for the reminder!
DeleteThat is helpful about how to correctly prompt Chat- and I like the examples you have given. As a vocabulary quiz correction I had students complete modified frayer models- and I actually had a student tell me it was helpful with their understanding of the vocabulary they missed.
DeleteAwesome tip Jamie! The better the prompt, the better the response. So having alot of the prompting work done for you up front is such a great idea! For a little levity, I have a colleague in my Teaching Fellowship that even named his... it's Athena in case anyone needed a good laugh!
DeleteI can use many different literacy strategies with the lyrics in simple songs that we are learning to sing. Whether learning the song by rote or reading the lyrics on the screen we can practice writing our own lyrics by coming up with a "new" verse for the song (while incorporating the vocabulary from the previous verses). We can also practice chaining with any of the lyrics from the songs. Third, we can create an entire song with student composed lyrics using a given set of academic language.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, I wonder if I can incorporate a bit of this during the PE dance/ rhythm unit?
DeleteI plan on adding in more word chaining activities and dictation of words and phrases using words from our current topic in science and social studies. I asked Chat GPT 4 for some suggestions of words and these are the results.
ReplyDeleteHere’s a simple word chain that focuses on Arctic animals and related concepts:
seal - teal - team - tame - mane - main - rain - rein - reindeer
bear - bead - lead - load - toad - road - roan - moan - moose
snow - show - shoe - shore - share - shark - stark - stack - track
As we do the word chains I will briefly talk about the different meanings of some of the words the students are unfamiliar with along with discussing the homophones. I will also add some more content words and phrases as we are doing our dictations. I asked Chat for suggestions for that as well and it gave me several along with pictures. It would take up too much space to share here but there are multiple that I will incorporate in my lessons.
While I love Magic School AI to help generate many resources, for direct vocabulary practice I use Twee. With Twee "learn and practice new words" section I can create fill ins, matching, extra exemplar sentences, essential vocabulary, 2 line dialogue, collocations from a text, translation, and even create a word formation exercises. These can be easily integrated into micro lessons or review activities to help student not only remember vocabulary- but actively use the terms in context. My favorite is probably the fill in the blank. I feel like- with so many science terms close to looking and sounding the same- the fill in the blank allows students to see where vocabulary works and where it doesn't which can lead to discussions as to why certain words can be used where others cannot.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting! I might need to take a look at this. I don't recall hearing about Twee before.
DeleteAs I was working through our lessons this week I realized that word chaining was such an important component I was missing in my phonics lessons. Going forward I will start utilizing word chains more often with the activities and content words we are using in class. It will be great to support my students who are working on reading fluency and need engaging activities with decoding practices.
ReplyDeleteMy AI Generated next steps include the following:
ReplyDeleteImproving student literacy in a 5th and 6th-grade language arts and social studies classroom through word chaining, writing words and phrases, and incorporating explicit phonics instruction involves a combination of engaging activities and targeted teaching strategies. Here are three steps you could commit to:
1. **Integrate Word Chaining in Reading and Writing Activities:**
**Implementation:**
- **Regular Word Chaining Sessions:** Begin each language arts class with a short word chaining activity. This can be an alphabet story chain or category chain. It not only reinforces vocabulary but also encourages students to think about word patterns and phonics elements.
- **Literature-Based Chains:** Choose words or phrases related to the current literature or social studies unit. For example, if studying historical events, create a chain with words related to that period. This helps students connect their reading and social studies learning.
2. **Incorporate Writing Words and Phrases into Vocabulary Practice:**
**Implementation:**
- **Interactive Word Walls:** Create interactive word walls with words and phrases related to the language arts and social studies curriculum. Encourage students to add words they find interesting or relevant. This serves as a visual aid for literacy and vocabulary development.
- **Word Journals or Logs:** Have students maintain word journals or logs where they write down words and phrases encountered in their reading or social studies materials. Include a section for students to write sentences using each word to reinforce their understanding and application.
3. **Implement Explicit Phonics Instruction in Reading Lessons:**
**Implementation:**
- **Structured Phonics Lessons:** Dedicate specific class time to explicit phonics instruction. Break down phonics rules and patterns, emphasizing sounds and letter combinations relevant to the grade level. Use multimedia resources, games, and hands-on activities to make it engaging.
- **Phonics in Reading Assignments:** Choose reading passages or texts that include examples of the phonics elements being taught. Have students identify and highlight words or phrases that follow specific phonics rules. Discuss how these phonics patterns contribute to decoding and understanding the text.
Additional Tips:
- **Differentiation:** Tailor activities to accommodate different learning styles and levels within the class. Provide additional support or challenges based on individual needs.
- **Regular Assessments:** Conduct regular assessments to monitor students' progress in phonics skills. Use the data to adjust instruction and provide targeted support where needed.
- **Parent Involvement:** Communicate with parents about the importance of phonics instruction and word chaining activities. Share resources or activities that parents can do at home to reinforce literacy skills.
By consistently incorporating these steps into your teaching routine, you can create a holistic approach to improving student literacy that integrates word chaining, writing, and explicit phonics instruction into your language arts and social studies curriculum.
Some AI driven content created activities that could help reinforce phonics in upper grades as well as meaningful vocabulary acquisition that I have created are as follows:
ReplyDelete1. Curipod has created a frayer model generator that works really well with vocabulary acquisition. Here's an example I created with specialization:
https://curipod.com/18980614-07c6-407f-b34a-29413639bc36/lessons/1c4c7451-dcce-4c5e-a8ef-50fa044e4efb?showpreview=true
2. I also really like the vocabulary drop and drag that diffit has created. I have used these activities a good bit, but they take a while to set up, and it's so nice that diffit has done all the work. Additionally, it adds in so much more than simply that one activity. Here's one I created on the Civil War: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-r6NBhYdh_saV-Y43n3xiWdSTOrEO3a98mNaCGK7ebE/edit?usp=sharing
3. One activity that ChatGPT suggested, that I think would work really well with vocabulary acquisition of economic terms, is a virtual scavenger hunt. Students are given a list of words relevant to the current topic and then search for real-world examples or images related to the identified terms. I was thinking a list of preapproved sites would help narrow this down, and a class discussion at the end would help me not only identify students who might be struggling, but also allow for peer instruction.
If I am honest, systematic and explicit phonics instruction is difficult to incorporate into PE class because my standards require movement. I have found a few active games that incorporate movement and phonics. However I am also trying to break down new content specific vocabulary by syllables.
ReplyDelete