Four Strategies for Learning to Love and Use Words #engaginglitminds
Imagine a place where our words are not free. Where “some words are very valuable and cost much more than other words. And so, in this odd place, in this strange land, some people can’t afford to buy certain words (de Lestrade, Docampo, 2009).” While the picture book Phileas’s Fortune portrays an imaginary world, I can’t help but connect this story to my own experiences as a teacher.
Our language register, the words we know and level of formality we communicate with, allow us to fit our speaking style with the situation. But, not all children come to school with the words and language register they will need to express themselves. Some of the students at my school are non-verbal and learn to use augmentative and assistive (AAC) devices to read, write and communicate.
There are also many children who have only experienced intimate and informal linguistic registers (the words and way we communicate with family and friends), leaving more formal words and language structures unavailable to them. With class closures, too many students have not been able to engage in formal learning and have been living in "word-deserts".
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School can be the place where words are learned and used by all. In Chapter 11 of Engaging Literate Minds, the authors cut through the "reading wars" debate to describe the heart of a classroom where students learn to love and to use words. As I read, I began to create an ingredient list of best practices that I could take back to discuss with my staff towards building a “collective lexicon” (p.156).
Build Word Awareness - Provide shared reading experiences where students work together to decode and figure out word meanings. Supporting lessons with interactive anchor charts will draw attention to word patterns (ex. ture ending) and provide opportunities “for the children [to] become more curious about words and the relationships between them” (p. 157). During small group instruction, be prepared with items such as magnetic letters and word cards for sorting, so that word study becomes an expected part of all reading and writing activities.
Practice Responsive Instruction - As the teacher, if we ourselves are flexible and “systematically attend to [children’s] actual conceptual understanding from careful observation” (p. 170), we can avoid the pitfalls of children getting stuck at a presumed literacy stage that a sequential-based program/approach might create. The authors remind us that “well-timed and targeted instruction” and plenty of opportunity and reason to rehearse and analyze independently” will direct childrens’ attention to essential literacy concepts such as the alphabetic principle. An important distinction the authors provide here is that the instruction must not only come from the teacher, but from the students also teaching each other.
Start with Writing - From the beginning, children need to understand that meaning-making is at the center of their literacy practices. When a child writes, they are showing us what they know about words and books. We can see how they problem solve and what resources they have learned to use (ex. word wall, published books, peers). Writing teaches children to be flexible “because as makers of books, children can successfully make readable writing when they don’t know everything they would need to read the words other people write” (p. 167).
Don’t Forget to Play - Play invites our curiosity and by playing with sounds and words, students practice flexibility as they inquire into what they know and can learn about words. Starting with sounds, activities such as Elkonin boxes and word ladders help students understand words are made from sounds and sounds can be manipulated. Songs, nonsense rhymes and word games “frees language from the burden of meaning… [and] allows children to step back from language and inspect it” (p. 166). Once children learn how to play a game such as Green Glass Door, the possibilities for pattern play are endless.
We want all children to have access to becoming fully literate and participating citizens. Words should not be held hostage by economics or experience. As teachers, we have the opportunity to support students in developing a full language register that can carry them forward into their hopes and dreams. Planning for a return to school calls me to solidify what I know about literacy instruction, because now more than ever we need to make every learning moment count. Chapter 11 in Engaging Literate Minds is a valuable reminder of the practical ‘how’ we can create the conditions for curiosity and learning, where all students learn to love and use words.
This post is part of our 2020 Summer Book Study. Find all previous posts and more information here. Also, we will discuss Engaging Literate Minds next Wednesday at 4:30 P.M. at the newsletter. Sign up below – it’s free! (Also, we will be hosting a Zoom chat on the last Wednesday, July 15 at the same time. Sign up for the chat during next Wednesday’s discussion.)