Page 15 - iRead EL in Research Paper

Through exercises that reinforce the semantics, syntax, and usage of these words, students learn their function and meaning, which is especially important for ELLs and other students who may lack a rm understanding of how these words function in written and spoken English. For example, in the Cloze sentence activity Super Sentence Skills, children are asked to complete a sentence by selecting the correct sight word, guiding them to think about and use their understanding of the meaning and function of the words. Particular emphasis is placed on contextualizing prepositions, such as with and of, as comprehension of these words is best developed in the context of surrounding text.
Where are those kids hiding? I do not see them in here.
Will
Where
When White
Julia D.
Sentence Fill-In
Word Watch
And because words are best learned in rich semantic
contexts (Adams, 1990), vocabulary is explicitly introduced and reviewed. Students learn sight words in context sentences that demonstrate their meaning and function, and then they practice using them to complete sentences. To further ensure a deep understanding of word meaning, the software provides multiple encounters with vocabulary across di erent texts.
To determine which high-frequency words to include, iRead ’s development team carefully reviewed the following authoritative word list sources:
1,000 Instant Words (Fry, 2000)
The American Heritage Word Frequency Book (Carroll, Davies, & Richman, 1971)
Basic Elementary Reading Vocabularies (Harris & Jacobson, 1972)
Beginning to Read (Adams, 1990)
Common Core State Standards (NGA, CCSSO, 2010)
Dolch Basic Sight Vocabulary (Buckingham & Dolch, 1936)
The Educator’s Word Frequency Guide (Zeno, Ivens, Millard, & Duvvuri, 1995)
Hiebert’s Word ZonesTM (Hiebert, 2005)
Houston Independent School District 2010–2011 High Frequency Word List, Grade 2 (Hunter, 2010)
To be selected, a word had to appear on two or more of the above lists, and be con rmed by The Educator’s Word Frequency Guide (Zeno et al., 1995) and the 2010 Common Core State Standards, yielding a nal list of 147 unique high-utility sight words. Mastering these words greatly increases a student’s chance of reading success.
Syllabication
The ability to identify and divide syllables in written words equips students with strategies for identifying unfamiliar multisyllabic words.
Research Evidence and Expert Opinion
Research shows that reading success is linked to the ability of young learners “to detect syllables in speech or to segment syllables from speech” (Adams, 1990, p. 300). Syllables are larger units of spoken language than phonemes, and are thus easier for beginners to hear and manipulate (NRP, 2000). Therefore:
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