Nonsense words are useful to determine if readers can apply their phonics knowledge to read an unfamiliar word. It is more accurate than when readers are asked to read real words because they already might know them by sight. However, we do not want readers to practice reading nonsense words because they are not meaningful.
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Activity: Establish a Baseline
Standards
Decode CVC, one-syllable words (with consonant digraphs).
Reader Goals
I can read short vowel words (with consonant digraphs).
Target Words
• short vowel words: dep, fam, gib, coff, hud
• short vowel words with digraphs: nush, thex, chid, vack, shull
Helpful Hints
Guide
- Say
Let’s take a quick quiz to see how you sound out words you don’t recognize automatically.
I am going to show you some nonsense words on the screen. They are not real words, so you don’t have to think about what the word means. All you need to do is read them out loud to me.
If you are not sure what it says, then sound it out.
Let’s get started. - Push next to continue
Teacher Analysis Tip
- As the reader reads the words, Observe:
- if the reader reads the word without sounding them out or if the reader decodes sound by sound to read a word,
- if there are errors in blending the sounds back to a word after sounding it out.
- Analyze the errors to determine which phonics skills need more practice (e.g., a specific consonant (single or digraph) or vowel sound)
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(dep) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(fam) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(gib) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(coff) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(hud) - Push next to continue
Guide
- Say
Now let’s do some words with digraphs. - Push next to continue
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(nush) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(thex) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(chid) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(vack) - Push next to show the next word
Guide
- Point to the word and Say
Read this word.
(shull) - Push next to see teacher analysis prompts
Guide
Teacher Analysis Prompts
Determine reader baseline with this assessment data and focus your lessons on providing the support your reader needs while following the scope & sequence in Phase 2.
