Breaking the Code
An Instructional Blueprint for Reading, Writing, and Spelling
Grades K-1
from Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing
by J. Richard Gentry, Heinemann, 2006.
Level 0 – NONALPHABETICExpected Competency Level = By Beginning of Kindergarten
Writing Characteristics / · No letter use
· Scribbles, wavy lines, loopy writing
· Can’t write own name
Spelling Characteristics / · Just learning to write name
· No other spelling competence
Reading Characteristics / · None
Key Techniques / · Writing workshop
· Writing one’s name
· Letter formation and practice
· Use of invented spelling
· Scaffolded writing
· Adult underwriting
· Word play with rhyming words
· Clapping syllables
· Materialization techniques such as stretching out the sounds in the child’s name while modeling with stretchable fabric
· Modeling beginning sounds by elongating and accentuating sounds
· Matching beginning sounds, particularly words that begin with the beginning sound of the child’s name or a targeted letter-sound correspondence
from Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing by J. Richard Gentry, Heinemann, 2006.
Expected Competency Level = By Middle of Kindergarten
Writing Characteristics / · Letters used to represent message
· No letter-sound correspondence is evident
· Writer may or may not know left-to-right directionality
· Letters in sporadic order
· Alphabetic knowledge may be minimal or substantial ranging from a few known letters to substantial production of many letters
· Repeated strings of letters
· Preference for uppercase letters
· Lower and uppercase letters interspersed
Spelling Characteristics / · At least half of invented spellings are precommunicative
· No letter-sound correspondence
· Letters may be floating on page
· Numerals may be used as letters
· Letters may be interspersed with scribbles or letter-like forms
· Invented spelling may represent entire messages or may represent specific words
Reading Characteristics / · No specific letter-sound processing
· Can read some logos
· No attention paid to letter-sounds
· Attention paid to nonalphabetic information
· Possible phonological awareness (ex: clapping syllables, rhyming)
· No phonemic awareness
Key Techniques / · Writing workshop
· Scaffolded instruction
· Use of invented spelling
· Adult underwriting
· Hand spelling for new sounds and letters
· Materialization techniques such as stretching out the sounds in words while modeling with stretchable fabric
· Modeling by elongating and accentuating sounds
· Teaching concept of word
· Modeling the space between words
· Finger spelling may be introduced as children move into Level 2
· Letter boxes/sound boxes may be introduced as children move into Level 2
from Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing by J. Richard Gentry, Heinemann, 2006.
Level 2 – PARTIAL ALPHABETIC WRITINGExpected Competency Level = By End of Kindergarten
Writing Characteristics / · Writer knows that letters represent sounds
· Writer can complete partial representations of sounds
· Some sounds omitted, particularly middle sounds
· Letter-name spellings (ex: U for you; R for are, LFT for elephant)
· Word segmentation may or may not be evident
· Concept of word begins to materialize
· More use of correct word spacing
· Left-to-right directionality evident
Spelling Characteristics / · At least half of invented spellings are semi-phonetic
· Partial but not full representation of sounds
· Beginning and ending sounds more likely to be represented than middle sounds
· Letter-name spellings
Reading Characteristics / · Some phonemic awareness is evident
· Reader attends to beginning and ending sounds
· Initial knowledge is of only a few letters and sounds
· Growth seen in letter and sound knowledge
· Limited memory for letters within a word
· Lack of attention paid to medial letters in a word
· Difficulty distinguishing between similarly spelled words
· Development of voice-to-print match
· Student doesn’t use analogies for reading (word families) unless the analogy is in view
Key Techniques / · Writing workshop
· Scaffolded writing
· Use of invented spelling
· Adult underwriting
· Materialization techniques such as stretching out the sounds in words while modeling with stretchable fabric
· Modeling by elongating and accentuating sounds
· Finger spelling
· Letter boxes/sound boxes
As children move toward the end of Level 2, use 3 materialization techniques in this order:
· stretch out sounds
· finger spell the word
· use letter/sound boxes
from Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing by J. Richard Gentry, Heinemann, 2006.
Level 3 – FULL ALPHABETIC WRITINGExpected Competency Level = By Middle of First Grade
Writing Characteristics / · Full representation of sounds in words
· With few exceptions, all sounds are represented in every word
· Letter-name spellings may be present
· Word segmentation is generally in evidence
· More stabilized concept of word
· Alphabetic knowledge may be complete
· Child has phonemic awareness
Spelling Characteristics / · At least half of invented spellings are phonetic
· Letter represents each sound
· Spellings such as EGL for eagle are common
· Nasals are not represented before consonants (STAP for stamp)
· The vowel is omitted before syllabic R (MOSTR for monster)
· Vowel digraphs (ex: ai, ea, ay, ee) are generally spelled with one letter (PLA for play)
· The e-marker for CVCe pattern is often spelled using a letter-name strategy (BIK for bike)
· Sound spellings may not look like the correct spelling (ATE for eighty)
· Inflectional endings, s, ‘s, -est, -ing, and –ed are often spelled like they sound (RATZ for rats)
· Inflectional ending –ed is spelled like it sounds (PEKT for peeked, CLOSD for closed, CHRADAD for traded)
· Tr may be spelled ch (CHUK for truck)
Reading Characteristics / Student:
· Pays attention to all letters in word
· Attends to complete letter-sound correspondences
· Has full phonemic awareness
· Has stabilized concept of word
· Distinguishes among similarly spelled words
· Learns to read similarly spelled words easily
· Begins to read new words by analogy
· Uses fingerpoint reading successfully
· Begins to recognize spelling patterns
Key Techniques / · Writing workshop
· Scaffolded writing moving to more complex forms
· Use of invented spelling with encouragement to invent in chunks
· Moving to phase out adult underwriting
· Hand spelling for new onset/rime patterns
· Continue 3-step materialization technique as with Level 2 students
· Extensive use of word families and onset/rime patterns
· Making and writing words
· Extensive medial vowel work, especially with short vowel patterns
· Extensive word sorting of basic vowel patterns (CVC to CV to CVCe)
· Contrasting CVC and CVCe words
from Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing by J. Richard Gentry, Heinemann, 2006.
Level 4 – CONSOLIDATED ALPHABETIC WRITINGExpected Competency Level = By End of First Grade
Writing Characteristics / · Consolidation of individual phonemes into chunks or regular patterns when inventing spellings
· Spelling of many more words and word parts by analogy
· More words spelled conventionally than invented in more lengthy pieces of writing
· Potential for more elaborate and extended pieces of writing
Spelling Characteristics / · Vowel represented before syllabic R (MONSTUR for monster)
· Chunks of letter combinations are used (YOUNIGHTED for united)
· Vowel digraphs used liberally but often incorrectly (PLAID for played)
· The e-marker on CVCe words begin to stabilize
· Visually recalled spellings begin to replace sound spellings
· Inflectional endings more likely to be spelled as they look, not as they sound
· Visually recalled spellings may appear in mixed-up letter order (HUOSE for house)
· Many alternatives ma be used for the same sound (RANE for rain, ABUL for able)
· Correctly spelled words used in great abundance
· Numerous spelling principles remain to be learned, such as double consonants, homonyms, prefixes
Reading Characteristics / · Consolidation of letters into chunks of spelling patterns (tel-e-phone)
· Processing of words in chunks
· Increased sight-word recognition of 100 words or more
· Use of analogizing by using many common words and patterns
· Reading multisyllabic words in chunks
· Reader less dependent on echo-reading for word learning
· Increased volume of reading including a move to easy chapter books
· Reader is more independent for reading new material
Key Techniques / · Comprehensive reading instruction with emphasis on comprehension and fluency
· Writing workshop
· Scaffolded writing moving to more complex forms
· Story frames for more elaborate productions
· Use of invented spelling with encouragement to invent in chunks
· Extensive pattern recognition work in many formats with new patterns
· Extensive word sorting of basic vowel patterns
· Contrasting CVC and CVCe words
· Extensive vowel pattern study moving to vowel digraphs once short vowel patterns and basic e-marker long vowel patterns are mastered
· Making and writing words
· Explicit spelling instruction
from Breaking the Code: The New Science of Beginning Reading and Writing by J. Richard Gentry, Heinemann, 2006.