Principles for Teaching How Words Work
1. You can add letters to the beginning of a word to make a new word
(h + and = hand).
2. You can add letters to the end of a word to make a new word
(sea + t = seat).
3. You can change the first letter of a word to make a new word
(car, tar).
4. You can change the last letter of a word to make a new word
(had, has).
5. You can use a word you know to solve a new word
(car, cart; part, party).
6. You can add endings to make new words
(book, books; read, reading, big, bigger).
7. You can change the beginning and ending letters of a word to make
new words. (his hit sit).
8. You can change the middle letter or letters to make new words
(cat, cut; chair, cheer).
9. You can add letters or letter clusters to make new words
(it, pit; pitch, pitcher).
10. You can use parts of words you know to figure out words you don’t
know (tree + play = tray; she + make = shake).
11. You can show that some words sound the same and look different
(hear, here; sail, sale).
12. You can show that some words look the same and sound different
(wind, wind; present, present).
Fountas and Pinnell, (2003). Guiding Readers and Writers 3-6. p. 384.