Week 8

Word Consciousness- An attitude of curiosity and attention to words critical for vocabulary development. (Words Their Way, 6th Ed.)

Developing curiosity about words is important to development because students are interested in new words and this with help to enhance their vocabulary knowledge.







Diphthongs- A complex speech sound beginning with one vowel sound and moving to another within the same syllable. (Words Their Way, 6th Ed.)

Examples: oy in boy, ou in cloud

Knowing and understanding diphthongs helps with pronunciation of words.




Ambiguous Vowels- A vowel sound represented by a variety of different spelling patterns, or vowel patterns that represent a wide range of sounds. (Words Their Way, 6th Ed.)

Examples: ou in cough, through, and could

Ambiguous vowels are important to spelling and pronunciation when reading.








Homophones- Words that sound alike, are spelled differently, and have different meanings. (Words Their Way, 6th Ed.)

Examples: bare and bear, to, too, two, pane and pain, forth and fourth

Homophones are important to eliminate confusion. These words sound the same, but have different meanings.  Understanding how the meaning and spelling go together is critical to comprehension.








Homographs- Words that are spelled alike but have different pronunciations and different meanings. (Words Their Way, 6th Ed.)

Example: tear (to tear a piece of paper OR to shed a tear)

Homographs can also cause confusion because they are spelled the same.  These are best taught in context to better understand the meaning.






Homonyms- Words that share the same spelling but have different meanings. (Words Their Way, 6th Ed.)
Homonyms can cause confusion for students, especially in writing and knowing which word to use.