Kids Work Through Big Words

Today during Reading Workshop, as a group of olders was discussing The Missing Mummy, an A to Z Mystery, someone asked, "what is this word?" She was pointing at "sarcophagus" and a couple of the other kids immediately attempted a pronunciation. I was proud to hear sar-cof-u-gus come out of the mouth of one of them and others agreed with her.

I had figured this unknown word out last night as I read the book myself, and this was exactly how I would say the word. The text explained that this is the coffin in which the mummy rests.

A little while later when I was talking with the youngers who are reading Henry and Mudge books, Henry's picnic lunch was discussed. Lydia announced that Henry ate jelly sandwiches, a pear and some gingersnaps. At first she tried the cookie word by beginning with a hard g sound. I reminded her that sometimes g says j especially if it is followed by an e or an i. She quickly got gin and then ger and snap was easy for her.

The point of all this is that when kids cannot acquire a word from what they know by chunking or beginning the word, they do try to at least say the word. I breathe a sigh of relief when their attempts stay close to the sounds represented by all those letters. And when they figure out the meaning from the context, I might even gloat at all these kids know about reading!!!

All that hard work we do is paying off!!

Mary Ann