In 1996, Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountas presented Guided Reading, the most comprehensive guided reading resource ever published. Hailed for its practical, systematic approach, the book showed hundreds of thousands of teachers how to address the needs of the whole classroom as well as individual readers. Now, with the publication of Word Matters, Pinnell and Fountas offer K-3 teachers the same unparalleled support, this time focusing on phonics and spelling instruction.

Word Matters presents essential information on designing and implementing a high-quality, systematic literacy program to help children learn about letters, sounds, and words. The central goal is to teach children to become "word solvers": readers who can take words apart while reading for meaning, and writers who can construct words while writing to communicate. Where similar books are narrow in focus, Word Matters presents the theoretical underpinnings and practical wherewithal of word study in three contexts:

• word study that includes systematically planned and applied experiences focusing on the elements of letters and words
• writing, including how children use phoneme-grapheme relationships, word patterns, and principles to develop spelling ability
• reading, including teaching children how to solve words with the use of phonics and visual-analysis skills as they read for meaning.

Each topic is supported with a variety of practical tools: reproducible sheets for a word study system and for writing workshop; lists of spelling minilessons; and extensive word lists, including frequently used words, antonyms, synonyms, and more. Armed with these toolsand the tried-and-true wisdom of Gay Su Pinnell and Irene Fountasteachers can help students develop not just the "essential skills," but also a joyful appreciation of their own literacy.

A companion volume to Guided Reading, this text presents and promotes a concept called word solving, which means that children can take words apart in order to understand their meaning, and construct words from the elements of letters and letter clusters. Sections focus on how children learn about letters and words, oral language, word study, word learning and word solving, and developmental issues. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

In this companion volume to Guided Reading, Pinnell and Fountas present essential information on designing and implementing a high-quality, systematic literacy program to help children learn about letters, sounds, and words.

Word Matters presents essential information on designing and implementing a high-quality, systematic literacy program to help children learn about letters, sounds, and words.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 395-396) and index.

Gay Su Pinnell is a professor in the School of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. She has extensive experience in classroom teaching and field-based research, and in developing comprehensive approaches to literacy education. She has received the International Reading Association's Albert J. Harris Award for research and the Charles A. Dana Foundation Award for her contributions to the field of education. She is also a member of the Reading Hall of Fame. Together with Irene Fountas she has authored numerous books, videos, and websites with Heinemann that are considered standards in the field of literacy instruction and staff development. Their latest innovations are The Fountas and Pinnell Leveled Literacy Interve

A Quality Literacy Program: Supporting Young Word Solvers

Eight Principles of Literacy Learning

Designing a Quality Literacy Program

Becoming a Word Solver

A Dynamic Classroom Environment for Word Solving

Interactive Word Walls and Charts

Understanding Language and Words

What Teachers Need to Know About Language

Building on Early Learning

What's in a Word? Phonological and Orthographic Awareness

Word Study: Investigating Letters and Words

What Children Need to Know About Letters and Words

Assessing What Children Know

Word-Solving Strategies: Organize to Teach

Teaching for Print and Sound Knowledge

Word Explorers: Teaching for Strategies That Promote Active Inquiry

A Comprehensive Word Study System

Inside Reading and Writing: Learning About Letters and Words

Interactive Writing: Developing Word-Solving Strategies

The Writing Workshop: Support for Word Learning, Mary Ellen Giacobbe

Reading Instruction: Systematic Observation and Teaching for Word Solving

Guided Reading: Powerful Teaching for Word Solving

Thinking Comprehensively About Word Matters

Establishing Benchmarks for Progress

Thinking Comprehensively About Word Solving

Appendixes

:Alphabet Books

Books for Word Play

Alphabet Linking Chart

100 High-Frequency Words

500 High-Frequency Words

Words with Consonants (initial and final)

Words with Consonant Clusters (initial)

Words with Consonant Clusters (final)

Words with Consonant Digraphs (initial) 1

Words with Consonant Digraphs (final) 1

Words with Double Consonants 1

Words with Short Vowel Sounds 1

Words with Vowels and "r" 1

Words with Silent "e" 1

Phonograms 1

Multisyllable Words 1

Words with Silent Letters 1

Contractions 1

Compound Words 2

Affixes 2

Prefixes 2

Adding Endings 2

Synonyms 2

Antonyms 2

Homographs 2

Homophones 2

Plurals 2

Spelling Demons 2

Shortened Words (Clipped Words) 3

Onomatopoeic Words 3

Greek Roots 3

Latin Roots 3

Portmanteau Words 3

Possible Minilessons 3

Process Interview: Reading 3

Process Interview: Writing 3

Have a Try 3

Word Strips for Spelling Dictionary 3

Word Search 4

Crossword Puzzle 4

Words to Learn (3 samples) 4

Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check Study Sheet (2 samples) 4

Buddy Check Sheets (3 samples) 4

Making Connections (2 samples) 4

My Finished Writing 4

Topics I Can Write About 4

My Proofreading List 4

Frequently Used Words 4

What I Know About Writing Words 5

Words I'm Learning How to Write (A Personal Word Wall) 5

Writers' Workshop Guidelines 5

Word Study Board Icons