- [Narrator] The teacher explains
that a making words activity helps

children to understand how
longer words are constructed

based on common patterns,
such as a vowel combinations.

This process also provides
opportunities for ongoing

assessment.

The activity begins with students
building a two letter word

and culminates in the unscrambling
of the seven letter word

oatmeal.

Students reflect on what
they learned through making

words lessons.

- Right now we're going
to do a making words

lesson in which the children are given

the limited number of letters

that in the end go together
to make a long word, use that

to help us understand how words
go together and how they can

help us make patterns that we
can spell more difficult words

with.

So we're looking for patterns in words,

double bell patterns,

and then transference of
that to a larger word.

While they're doing that,

I'm going to be pointing
things out to them,

help them stretch out words,

help them to understand how
those vowel shapes need to go

together.

And I'm doing a lot of assessing actually,

because there's certain kids
that I'm going to zero in on

that I know as we build,

they're going to have a
harder time with this.

How many vowels do you have
in your collection of words?

We have four vowels.

Why are vowels important, Natalie?

- Because then the word will make sense.

Words have to have vowels in them.

- A word has have to have a vowel,

every word has a vowel.

Ready?

Okay.

We're going to start out by
making some little words and

then we're going to build,
start with some easy ones.

Are we ready?

We're going to make some two letter words.

The first letter you're
going to make is the word at.

Who can spell the word at?

Sean.

A T,

We're going to put that there
because they're going to build

on that.

Alright, you're going
to add one letter to at.

You're going to make it say eat.

Whew. That was pretty easy.

Leave that there and
add one letter Pierre.

Good. Spell it for me.

- E A T

- Good.

All right. Let's look at eat.

Now what you're going to do
is take those three letters and

you're going to change the
position and make them say ate.

Keep your three letters down.

Change your order.

It is a magic key Elliot. Good job.

Spell it for me.

- A T E

- Excellent. What we're going to do now,

Are you listening?

We're going to make the big words.

We need to find a word that
uses all of the letters.

I'm going to give you a clue.

Begins with a vowel.

When you get it cover it up.

Good, good, cool.

I like this.

Excellent. Got it.

- I got it, I got it!

Everybody stop.

We are going to hear my friend
Cole spell the long word.

- O A T M E A L.

- And what does it say Cole?

- Oatmeal.

- Oatmeal.

Good job.

Why is this activity important? Julia?

- Because you can learn more
words from this activity.

- You can learn what?

- You can learn more words.

- It helps us learn words.

Why else?

- It's like a funner version
of word study because you're

making words and it's like a game.

- Learn to read it, and to write it.

- Good it helps us with reading
our words and then helps us

with writing our words.

Good job, boys and girls.