First, the video for the module is in your email. Then, you can navigate through the actual module tasks here with all of the necessary links. Finally, at the bottom of the page, you’ll find the slides that I used for creating this module. Remember to use the Facebook group!

This module is all about words! There are two sides to the coin, though.

First, consider that students need practice DECODING words, even at the secondary level. If we don’t practice something, we forget it.

Secondly, students need word KNOWLEDGE. What do words mean? What roles do the words play in each sentence? And so on. Both sides of this coin will be addressed in this module.

Task 2.1:

This task is about decoding words. Yes, our secondary students SHOULD know how to do this but the chances are that they need practice. So find 3-5 (content area teachers) or 5+ words (ELA teachers) in your text that you can break down to the syllables WITH your students. Why? Because in order for it to be an automatic process, students still need practice, even at this level!

Add this practice in as a daily/weekly bellringer, one off game one day, or as a quick finisher activity. I don’t care where you fit it in but DO IT! Even our older students need practice and reminders about how to decode words.

For further reading related to Effective Word-Level Interventions related to Decoding, check out this blog post.

Task 2.2

This is a word KNOWLEDGE task. Not decoding.

Simply choose a word knowledge activity from this blog post, 10 Engaging Vocabulary Activities to Build Word Level Knowledge, or shared in the Facebook Group. Add at least one of these activities to your lesson plans. Don’t forget to add materials for it to your to-do list.

Task 2.3

Look back at your Text Complexity Planner. Remember that you wrote down words that your students would struggle to decode AND words that your students might not know the meaning of. This task is all about the second section. Look at those words and decide which ones you can hit on as you go and which words you actually need to teach explicitly, probably ahead of time.

For example, I wrote down eight words that my students probably don’t know from the first book of The Odyssey graphic novel by Gareth Hinds… words like cunning, arrogant, muse and bard. BUT I’m not going to explicitly teach cunning or arrogant. Why? Because those are tier 2 words that students SHOULD be able to figure out on their own (especially since I have made context clues and word consciousness a priority in my classroom). I WILL explicitly teach muse and bard, though. Because those are words that students aren’t very likely to encounter elsewhere and they really need to know them to understand the story.

Decide how you will explicitly teach your words and add your plans and materials to your unit calendar.

Task 2.4

As a bonus task for today, choose a vocabulary system from this older blog post to add to your structures for the year. Don’t forget to add any necessary materials to your to-do list.

Task 2.5:

Our final task for today is another extra. Share your own idea about teaching at the word level in the Facebook group. How do you feel about making decoding practice a priority? Do you have a tried and true method for building a word consciousness? Let’s debate and share ideas!