The coding procedures found throughout SPIRE are crucial to developing word mastery. Coding teaches students to refrain from guessing at an unknown word—we mark up all known parts of the word to determine syllable type and existing teams, ensuring we can recognize all the discrete components. Vowels are the nucleus of words. That is to say, the vowels are the central focus of the word. When one knows their syllable types, they will know what sound the vowel makes. We color code our vowels and teams to allow for ease in phonetic pattern identification, drawing attention to the different parts we can identify and further supporting our recognition of the existing syllable type. Ultimately, we color code to ensure that we are keeping a code emphasis approach to teaching phonics and language skills.
The downloadable resource below shows each coding practice as it is introduced throughout the levels of the program. Keep in mind that as students advance through the levels, they need to know all the previously taught coding procedures, so these markups are developed gradually and reviewed cumulatively. Coding portions of the words is not a strategic approach to resolve the issue of guessing. Thus, we code the entire word.
Quick Check lessons can be used to facilitate coding knowledge development for students that place in Level 2 or above.
Download: SPIRE Coding Across Levels