How to teach phonics through writing whole words

According to McCracken and McCracken (1982), the third step of teaching phonics through writing is to teach learners to write whole words.

Here are the materials needed for teaching phonics through writing whole words.

• Paper, pencil, and eraser, or
• Chalkboard and chalk.

Here are some guidelines to follow when you teach phonics through writing whole words:

• Use words that the learners know.
• Repeat the steps below until you have taught all the sounds of the language.
• When the learners can do the basic activity well, go on to the advanced activity.

1. Say a word.
2. Have the learners repeat the word so that they can hear and "feel" the sounds.
3. Have them put a line on the chalkboard or page for each sound they hear in the word.
4. Have them write in the letters that they know.

Writing words

1. Have the learners divide their chalkboard or paper into four areas.
2. Think of four words for which the learners know all the letters.
3. Say one of the words once.
4. Have the learners repeat the word as many times as they need to, then write it in one of the spaces on the chalkboard or paper.
5. Check to make sure that each learner has written the word correctly.
6. Repeat Steps 3-5 with the other three words.

   Results: All four boxes will be filled by the end of this step.

Erasing words: optional

7. Ask a student to read one of the words.
8. Have the rest of the class find that word, say it, and erase it.
9. Repeat Steps 7-8 until all the words have been erased.
10. Repeat the entire procedure with a different set of words.

• Task module: How to teach phonics through writing whole words
• In task module: How to teach phonics through writing
• In task module: Developing spelling skills
• In task module: Developing literacy skills, by Martha A. Lane (contributor), Delle P. Matthews (contributor), Leah B. Walter (contributor), Glenys Waters (contributor), Anne Klaassens (editor), and Trudy K. Stewart (editor, contributor)
• In task module: Teaching people to read and write, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler)
• In task module: Implementing a literacy program, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler)
• In modular book: Implement a literacy program, by Carole P. Spaeth (compiler) and Leah B. Walter (compiler)
• In bookshelf: Literacy

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 4.0, published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 1999. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 26 August 1999

© 1999 SIL International