Phonics, Spelling, Word Study System

The Fountas & Pinnell Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study System (PWS) is a collection of 100 lessons (K-3) and 105 lessons (4-6) designed to expand and refine children’s reading and writing powers, and enable you to help children attend to, learn about, and efficiently use information about sounds, letters, and words. Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study Lessons, also include features that enable you to plan and teach efficiently and systematically:

• Explicit lessons with materials appropriate for whole-group instruction (5–10 minutes) and for individual, partners, or small-group application (10–15 minutes)
• Master Lesson Guide: Suggested Sequence for Phonics Lessons: a convenient chart for planning and extending learning across the year
• Organization by nine areas of learning in grades K-1, six in grades 2-5, and five in grade 6— Early Literacy Concepts, Phonological Awareness, Letter Knowledge, Letter-Sound Relationships, Spelling Patterns, High-Frequency Words, Word Meaning/Vocabulary, Word Structure, and Word-Solving Actions
• Inquiry approach that encourages students to construct understandings and notice more about letters, sounds, and words
• Specific connections to Sing a Song of Poetry (K-2), to Words That Sing: Poetry Charts for Shared Reading(K-3), and to Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™ Interactive Read-Aloud Collectionand Shared Reading Collectiontitles as mentor texts and examples for generalizing and applying principles
• Guidance for assessing students’ learning within the lessons and in the online Assessment Guide found in Online Resources
• Digital classroom and teacher materials in Online Resources, such as Gamemaker, a tool to create and customize games and lesson activities

Each Phonics, Spelling, and Word Study lesson follows a simple structure:

TEACH: Provide a concise lesson based on a clear principle.

APPLY: Engage students in an active, “hands-on” application activity.

SHARE: Meet with students for a reinforcement of the principle and optional assessment at the end of the activity.

Phonics, spelling, and word study are also pervasive throughout various instructional contexts within Fountas & Pinnell Classroom™.