Children can learn high frequency words in isolation, but without using them when reading continuous text, the learning will only be temporary. When children are learning words it is very important that they are learning in combination of reading and writing words within continuous print. “High-frequency words, learned from reading texts, become an important foundation for understanding letter orientation and letter order within words. Building a rich collection of words that are know in every detail forms a foundation of knowledge that frees the reader’s attention to solve new words.” (Fountas & Pinnell, When Readers Struggle, page 268)
An example of a teacher prompting children to locate an unknown word:
Teacher: Say said
Children: said
Teacher: What letter would you expect to see at the beginning of said?
Children: s
Teacher: Yes, it starts like see,with a s.
Teacher: Find said on this page. Now turn the page and find said on page 6.
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