The SnapWords® System
What is the SnapWords® System?
The SnapWords® System inextricably binds sight word acquisition with explicit phonics instruction so children learn from the beginning the sounds (phonemes) and spellings (graphemes) that are found in their high frequency list of words, and also gain an extensive vocabulary of words that are related to their sight words list by sounds/spelling patterns.In fact, the 60% process in ways we tend to view as non-traditional. It is our desire to provide resources that honor their natural wiring so that all our children have equal access to success in learning.
In Summary
The SnapWords® System inextricably binds sight word acquisition with explicit phonics instruction.
Who Is It For?
As each Level of SnapWords® is taught, SnapWords® Mini-Lessons teach word recognition, the related phonics concepts, spelling, writing, decoding unknown words, and comprehension. Students practice their new skills in context by reading correlated decodable children's readers. They follow reading practice with game-based activities that provide an opportunity for them to deepen their learning and become fluent with their new skills. What follows is a breakdown of the System, the students we are reaching, how the System works, and why it works.
For left-brain dominant processors:
- who work well with abstract symbols
- who think in words
- who can learn and use steps in a procedure
- who are sequential processors
- who learn from part to whole
- whom images are superfluous
- who benefit from drill and repetition
- who view their work as an end in itself
- who can remember isolated data
- who can articulate their thoughts verbally
For right-brain dominant processors:
- for which symbols are meaningless
- who think in pictures
- who need the goal and create a procedure for themselves
- who are global processors
- who learn from whole to part
- who must have images to learn
- who learn visually, all at once, and permanently
- who need relevance and a link to their life
- who need a meaningful link to known data – a context
- who understand but struggle to verbalize
How Does it Work?
There are four primary components of the SnapWords® System. By following a reading practice with game-based activities, this provides an opportunity for them to deepen their learning and become fluent with their new skills.
SnapWords®
SnapWords® are a collection of over 640 curated high frequency words that comprise over 90% of words found in children’s text. The plain font words are redesigned to accommodate visual and kinesthetic learners who need to capture the whole word in visual memory at first glance before breaking words apart into phonemes and graphemes. A body movement that reflects the meaning of the word enhances memory and recall for Kinesthetic learners. Finally, sentences containing the SnapWords® enhance comprehension and correct usage. SnapWords® are available in 11 Lists of words, 5 difficulty Levels in each List, for a total of 55 Levels.
SnapWords® Mini-Lessons
The two volume set of Mini-Lessons provides adults with a comprehensive lesson for teaching each of the words. Lessons are simple but comprehensive and accommodate the neurodiversity of learners in any classroom: "word recognition, body motion that reflects meaning of word, visual imprinting of the word - sending the whole word into visual memory, linking sound to spelling as students write the word, phonics concept(s) in word, words that share the same sound spellings, and creating sentences or phrases using the word."
Easy-for-Me™ Decodable Sight Words & Phonics Readers
Easy-for-Me™ decodable readers are perfectly correlated to SnapWords® and SnapWords® Mini-Lessons. Each set of books are linked to a SnapWords® List and sight words and phonics skills are reviewed before children read the each book. Teaching guides are provided inside each decodable book including comprehension questions like: "sound spellings (phonics skills), snapwords®, decoding, text preview, read for fluency and comprehension, or answer the comprehension questions."
Beyond Sight Words Activities
Deepen the learning with hands-on, ready-to-use tactile games and activities that require no lesson prep. Beyond Sight Words Activities are downloadable, printable activities that reinforce the reading skills you are teaching. They are leveled by skill to correlate perfectly with the previous resources.
