: Resources for building "mental dictionaries" or semantic lexicons by connecting new words to known synonyms, antonyms, and concepts.
In the LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling) training manual , serves as a specialized tool for educators to deepen their understanding of vocabulary development and oral language. Located within Unit 5: The Mighty Word , this resource list provides a curated collection of materials and references that support the unit's focus on how students acquire and use new words to bridge the gap between decoding and comprehension. Overview of Unit 5: The Mighty Word
Orthographic mapping is the mental process readers use to turn unfamiliar words into instantly recognizable sight words. It requires anchoring the sounds (phonemes) to the letters (graphemes). Resource List 5.3 prevents teachers from treating all high-frequency words the same, allowing them to explicitly guide students through mapping the regular and irregular parts of words. Strategic Lesson Planning resource list 5.3 of the letrs manual
like, make, see, look (A kindergarten student who only knows short vowels will see like as irregular, but a first-grade student who has learned the Silent-E rule will see it as fully decodable).
The list often operationalizes the developed by Isabel Beck, Margaret McKeown, and Linda Kucan: : Resources for building "mental dictionaries" or semantic
is a foundational toolkit designed for educators to select, evaluate, and systematically teach vocabulary in alignment with the Science of Reading . Found within Unit 5: The Mighty Word: Oral Language and Vocabulary , this specific resource list bridges complex semantic research into everyday classroom practice. It acts as a curated anchor for vocabulary expansion, prioritizing structured literacy methods over traditional, ineffective memorization practices.
To get the most out of Resource List 5.3 during your instructional block, consider the following best practices: Overview of Unit 5: The Mighty Word Orthographic
In addition to the skills listed above, Resource List 5.3 also provides a range of activities that teachers can use to support phonemic awareness development. Some examples include:
Once you have the list, the next step is making it work for you in the classroom. Here's how to use the list to its fullest potential, informed by the science of reading:
While the exact list of items is typically accessed via the Lexia LETRS Online Platform or the physical
This process moves vocabulary instruction from a scattered approach to a targeted, strategic practice that supports deeper reading comprehension and expressive language.
