Word Knowledge

Yopp & Yopp suggest that one cannot easily master comprehension without first gaining word knowledge. Cunningham & Cunningham further elaborate and say that there is a close relationship between spelling ability and ability to identify words in reading. So before grasping this word knowledge, children must also first gain a good grasp on spelling and phonemic awareness through invented spelling, "Making Words", and practicing decoding skills. Developing word knowledge is not an all or nothing task, there is a wide range: from no knowledge of a word to using a word daily and fully understanding that word.This vocabulary development can be acquired in 3 main ways:

1. Wide reading (incidental word learning)
2. Explicit instruction of words and word learning strategies
3. Establishment of an environment that promotes word learning

I loved the idea of the "Ten Important Words." That way, children can write which words that they feel are important in a story. I think most kids are on different levels of understanding, so allowing them to come up with their own important words would be an easy way to judge what each child is struggling with. I also like the idea of the color card prompts so that the kids can think for themselves and get a further grasp on deep comprehension and understanding of the important words (For example: List antonyms of the word, act out the word, draw a picture of the word, etc.).