for additional topics, click a “category” on the right
There are many lists titled “Most Frequently Used Words”. In a previous posting I offered a list which several of my students brought to me.
Sally Shaywitz provides her own compilation (itself derived from the research of someone who tallies such things) in her indispensable book titled Overcoming Dyslexia: A new science-based program for reading problems at any level (Knopf, 2002).
But look closely… some of those words are different from the others! Some of those words just don’t play fair.
They can’t be learned using our regular spelling techniques.
So the COLE curriculum sensibly separates out “Puzzle Words” – words that are irregularly spelled and therefore puzzling. These words can’t be sounded out and spelled predictably.
For example, if the word “said” played fair, it would be spelled s e d; the word “they” would be spelled th ay.; and the word “does” would be d u z!
They must therefore be learned through rote — multisensory! — repetition; what one teacher called “brute memory”. (You will notice that a few of them will become predictable later, after the child has learned more spelling choices.)
Practice these words over and over and over again (the student will soon take responsibility). Have the student look, say the word, and then simultaneously spell the letters out loud while skywriting or deskwriting, or writing in sand/sugar/rice, or even on the child’s own forearm. (The goal is always automaticity.)
Here are COLE’s six groups of “Puzzle Words” beginning readers need to read and spell instantly. Take them in order. Don’t move on until a group has been mastered; and cycle back from time to time to make certain no words have been forgotten!
(As you work with your student, you will discover additional words to add. The criterion for “Puzzle Word” is that it’s a word he or she needs to know, and it doesn’t sound like or spell the way it OUGHT to!)
PUZZLE WORDS
Group A: the, of, a to, is, you, was, are
Group B: one, do, has, two, said, come, some
Group C: as, they, were, because, your, have, been
Group D: what, who, why, where, there, how
Group E: from, does, done, more, any, many, could, should, would
Group F: around, through, other, people, friend, put, only, know, again
The current group could be kept on hole-punched 3×5 cards on a key-ring, to go with the student wherever he goes for a while.
for Tutoring, contact me at aedwardstutor@columbus.rr.com
