What if one of the richest language opportunities in your literacy block is already hiding inside your phonics word list? Even the simplest decodable words can carry surprisingly rich meanings. A word like “cap” might be something you wear on your head, the top of a bottle, an action you perform when you cover something, or even part of the phrase “no cap.” Simple to decode doesn't necessarily mean simple in meaning. In this episode, I share a few simple ways to intentionally sprinkle meaning into the decoding and spelling practice you're already doing.
Key Takeaways:
- Why multiple-meaning, or polysemous, words offer such rich opportunities for language development
- Why a quick contextual sentence during decoding or dictation is so important
- How "Word of the Day” and/or Multiple-Meaning Word Anchor Chart get students noticing interesting words across the school day
- Even while sprinkling in meaning, it’s still essential to keep the pace and offer repetitions students need during phonics
- It’s unnecessary to explore every potential meaning at once
We know explicit & systematic phonics helps students unlock the code, but meaning gives them something worth unlocking.
Want to go Beyond Phonics?
Join Beyond Phonics Club: A Membership Community with Michelle Sullivan & Sarah Paul (Logos Literacy Academy)
Inside the Beyond Phonics Club, Michelle Sullivan and Sarah Paul have created ready-to-use lessons and resources, including lessons targeting multiple-meaning words, that help you expand phonics into richer work with meaning, morphology, vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension in mind.
Go beyond phonics – without leaving phonics behind!
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