TampaReads.com developer,
Richard Pressinger, standing next to
one of our - "Words of the Day."
Here we taught the difference
between the words - her - and - here.

Dear Parents and Educators:

The strategy of teaching one new "difficult" word per day is highly effective for increasing reading vocabulary in beginning readers.  This occurs because there are certain highly common words which require 10-20 times longer to memorize than other "easier to learn" words.  After testing over 150 first and second grade students, I've identified about 95 words and sounds which fall in this "difficult to learn" category and placed them on our "Word of the Day" List.  One way we taught the words at our school was to use a technique called "Delayed Repetition."  Here is an example:

First:  We creatively teach the word on our morning television show in a 30-60 second lesson.

Second: The word is reviewed by the teachers (for about 30-45 seconds) at the beginning of the reading hour.

Third: After another hour has passed, the teacher then asks - "Does anyone remember the Word of the Day? - this is a hard one"  (Watch the hands raise up in enthusiasm)

Fourth: I then stand next to the cashier in the lunch line and ask the word to each student as they pass through.

Fifth: Just before school lets out, the teacher asks again if anyone remembers the Word of the Day.

In other words, we teach the word - allow for a delay in time and then teach it again and repeat the process several times throughout the day.   Make sure you place a copy of the word in a prominent place in front of the classroom so you can refer to it easily throughout the day.

We have been choosing one new reading word a day for special study as recommended by the task force of President Clinton's "America Reads" Program.   These words have been selected because they are some of the most common words in reading books and standardized tests and are essential to achieve full comprehension of any reading material.  Additionally, these words have been chosen because they have been found to be the most difficult words for children to learn.  They often use uncommon spelling patterns or are easily confused with other similar words.  Therefore, it will take extra effort to make sure these special words are memorized completely.

Most children require many days of studying (and some children require weeks) to commit even one of these difficult words to permanent memory, therefore, we as teachers must do our part and set aside additional teaching time specifically for these words.