Date of Strategy Lesson: March 26th, 2019

Topic area: Study Skills

Grouping: One-on-one
Strategy used: Notecard Breakdown
Materials:
 Notecards
 Sharpie
 Highlighters
 Spelling word list
Rationale: I specifically chose this strategy because it was suggested to me by my co-op, Mr.
McLaughlin. He introduced me to it as something he has used in the past with a student, to
specifically help her study spelling words. He was going to use the same strategy with another
student, but we both thought it would be a good opportunity for me to teach his seventh-grade
student this study skill. The seventh grader is currently pulled out for English. Each week in Mr.
McLaughlin’s classroom, there is a spelling test. Lately, he has noticed this student has struggled
with his spelling words and could use extra help. I really liked how this strategy breaks the words
down. I searched other similar strategies to see if I would want to modify it, but I chose to stick
with this method with only one minor change. The student has been diagnosed with a Specific
Learning Disability in reading. Therefore, I chose to use this strategy to have a particular focus
on phonics. I am going to encourage the student to focus on the sounds they hear in the word
they are learning. This will not only help him with his spelling words, but also with their phonics
and even reading skills. Instead of just having the student break it down how they see fit, it
requires them to engage with the word a little more and make sense of it. The student is still able
to break it down how they want, but this strategy preps them to do it in a beneficial way. It can
help them become a better reader and speller. I found an article that researched the best practices
in spelling. It was written by Flint Simonsen and Lee Gunter and called, Best Practices in
Spelling Instruction: A Research Summary. The authors did research of their own to find
research that discussed the best evidence-based spelling practices. One of the major spelling
approaches they found was phonics. Simonsen and Gunter wrote, “The NRP found that
systematic phonics instruction boosted the spelling skills of at-risk and typically developing
readers as well as students from across the socio-economic spectrum…” (as cited in National
Reading Panel, 2000, p. 99). The systematic approach is supported by the strategy I chose. It
requires the student to break the word down, specifically focusing on those sounds. This strategy
breaks the word down step-by-step. It contributes to both their spelling and reading skills.
PA Common Core Standards:
CC.1.1.5.D Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Explicit steps:
1. What the strategy consists of:
1) Notecard breakdown is a strategy meant to help the student break down their spelling words
by focusing on the sound-to-letter(s) relationship as a study skill.
2) The teacher begins by telling the student this is a strategy meant to help the student study
their spelling words.
3) The teacher will then explain phonics and how focusing on the sound(s) represented by
letter(s) in each word will help us better understand how it is spelled and how we can break it
down in our heads.
4) The teacher will show the student how to break down a word while focusing on how the
sounds break it up using examples not from the spelling word list.
5) A caution to be made is to model words that are not included in the students spelling list. The
student only has ten in this case and the strategy will have more meaning if the student
interacts with the word through guided or independent practice.
6) The teacher will first model by writing the word down on a notecard in sharpie. Next, the
teacher will use different colored highlighters to show to break down of sounds. The teacher
will say the sounds they are breaking down aloud as they highlight.
7) The teacher does a few more words to be examples for the student. The teacher is saying the
word aloud and then giving the student rationale as to why they are breaking it up that way.
8) The following is an example of how it would be modeled. “My word is example. Let me read
it slower. Ex am ple. Example. I first hear this ex sound, then am, and lastly ple. I will
highlight each different segment of sound I hear. Ex am ple. Example.”
9) The student is then guided with the teacher’s help to make a notecard on their own. The
student will begin by writing the word down with sharpie.
10) The student is prompted by the teacher to read the word aloud and ask what different sounds
they are hearing. Once this is determined, the student will highlight each segment of sound
they hear.
11) After a few more spelling words are done by the student, while being guided by the teacher,
the student will do it independently.
12) The teacher checks back in with the student to ensure they are breaking the words down
through sounds and what makes most sense to them.
13) It is important to have the student break it down in a way that makes most sense to them.
This enables the student to understand the word and its sounds best through their eyes. It it
preps them to do this strategy independently.
2. Why this strategy is important:
1) This strategy preps the student to break down their spelling words. This is an important skill
for students to learn. It can be beneficial for them to see breaking something can down first can
help them see the bigger picture better.
2) This strategy is also simple for the students to use independently after it is taught. With the
emphasis on having them break it down as they hear it in their own heads.
3. When to use this strategy:
1) This strategy can be used when a student needs assistance studying their spelling skills.
Especially if the students may have limited access to resources or assistance outside of the
classroom.
2) This strategy can also be used when a student is struggling with their phonics skills. Although,
this would require more teacher involvement to ensure the students are connecting the correct
letters with the correct sounds.
4. Teacher models how to perform the strategy:
1) The teacher will begin by writing an example word on the note card. They will read the word
aloud.
2) Once they have read it aloud, they repeat it back slowly. This time pulling out segments of
sounds they are hearing in the word.
3) The teacher will repeat these segments of sounds as they highlight each segment with a
different colored highlighter.
4) Lastly, the teacher will read the word aloud one final time, combining all their sounds
segments.
5) The modeling stage should be repeated a few times at minimum.
5. Teacher guides student progress:
1) The student will begin by writing their first spelling word down.
2) Next, the teacher will read the word aloud and the student will repeat the word.
3) The teacher will then prompt the student to break the word down as they hear different
segments of sound within a word.
4) The teacher will follow along as this student breaks it down aloud. Once the student has it
broken down, they will highlight each segment with a different highlighter.
5) Lastly, the student will read the word aloud as a whole.
6) Guided practice should be repeated a few times, until the student may successful practice this
independently.
6. Student independently uses the strategy:
1) For the purpose of doing this strategy for the first time, the teacher should read all the words
aloud to ensure the student knows how to properly pronounce it.
2) Next, the student will read their words aloud independently.
3) The student will then break the word into segments of sounds with the use of their voice and
highlighter independently.
4) Finally, the student will read their word as a whole independently.
Results of the strategy:
I believe this strategy was successful overall. I was pleased with the result of the student’s
spelling test, after I used this strategy with him. He achieved the highest score he has gotten of
not only this nine weeks, but also the first two nine weeks as well. He even used the strategy the
following week for his upcoming spelling test. I would definitely use this again in my next
placements or own classroom if applicable.

Modifications/Accommodations Made:
1) The student has a Specific Learning Disability in Reading, so I ensured the student was
aware of how each word was pronounced, even before independent practice.
2) Additionally, because of his SLD, I added the component of phonics. I modified the strategy
presented to me by my co-op because I thought it would benefit him to have additional
practice with phonics. This practice can also benefit his overall reading skills.

Works Cited
Best Practices in Spelling Instruction: A Research Summary, Journal of Direct
Instruction, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 97–105. 2001