Phonics instruction started out as something I found very difficult to teach. I thought it was dry, to simple, and often forgotten right after it was taught. I noticed I was teaching these skills in isolation and I needed to infuse it into everyday routines. I wanted students to be immersed in phonics and see these types of words in books and all around them.  After trying several methods, reflecting, and then tweaking to fit the needs of my students, I feel phonics has now not only become a more enjoyable skill for me to teach, but it has become more meaningful!

Every week in second grade we have a new phonics pattern to learn. Each day there is a 10-15 minute mini lesson that focuses on how that pattern sounds and how it is spelled. We do a word sorts, missing letters, discuss patterns, and learn rules (if they apply). Throughout the week students are then encouraged to look for these words during guided reading, independent reading, and/or any other time throughout the day. Once they find a word, they can write it on a card to be placed in our phonics chart. This chart then serves as a word wall and students are encouraged to use this as a resource during their writing time! 

At the end of the week, since my school is the Dunlap Grade School Royals, I crown the Phonics King and the Phonics Queen of the week. They get $50 in Pitzer Cash and all participants receive $10 in Pitzer cash. The card must have the word spelled correctly and their name must be on it, in order for it to count.

I find it extremely important for students to have multiple opportunities to see these types of words in their reading environment.  Every week we reread our big book and go on word hunts throughout our classroom/school. All of these words are then added to our reader’s notebook. This serves as an excellent resource during our writer’s workshop time or any other time we need help spelling a word. After our study is complete, students are expected to this pattern correctly during independent writing.

I am always looking for ways to infuse our phonics/word study no matter the subject or time of day. The longer I teach the easier it is for this to be more conversational. What are some ways you have had success with phonics instruction?

Learning vocabulary in second grade is always so much fun.  We start our lesson with a set of pictures.  We know that it deals with the word but not what the word is yet.  As a class we talk about what we see, how the pictures are the same and how they are different.  We not only get our brain thinking about how to define the vocabulary word but we practice important comparing and contrasting skills.

Here is an example of a set of pictures we would see prior to knowing the vocabulary word.

Then we have the vocabulary word revealed to us.  Sometimes we guess the word, come close, or define it without even knowing we did.  We then use our discussion to help us write a definition of our vocabulary word.  We put it in our own words and try to spell as best we can.  As the year progresses, I begin holding students accountable for words they should know or words with patterns we have already learned. We also sketch a picture of the word to help keep it in our brains longer.  Finally we share some definitions with the class and put the word in our dictionary so we can use it in our writing.

Student vocab journal example

For homework then, students bring home an index card with the word and the definition on it.  They can either draw or find (on the computer, magazine or newspaper) a picture that represents that word.  They are encouraged to fill all the white space, use lots of detail and try our very best.  Check out some of the examples below:

At school the next day, students share their vocabulary cards with their partner.  We practice communicating what the picture is and why we chose it to represent that word.  We also practice being a good listener because after we explain it we have to switch cards to see how much we can remember.  It is so much fun to see what ideas are classmates come up with to represent the words.  It even gives us ideas for next time.

After we share our vocabulary cards, we put them in our vocab boxes in alphabetical order.  This way we have the cards to use and look back on throughout the year.  I always say just because we learned the word once doesn’t mean we forget about it.  We try to use it in our writing and even play games with past vocabulary words like Password.

We learn 3 new vocabulary words a week, and are encouraged to revisit our vocabulary journals every day to revise, add more detail, and make sure our meaning is clear. When we have all our vocabulary words done for the theme, we add color pictures, and rate ourselves using the rubric on the front.