The Key Words step differs depending on the series in which the student is working. In all series, the key words taught in this step appear in the story.

Sequenced Series

In the Sequenced series, the Key Words step is a vocabulary lesson that teaches students the meaning of a few important words from the story that may be challenging. Learning the meanings of these words will help students to understand the story. And because this step occurs just before the Prediction step, thinking about these words can also help students think about the story before reading and make a prediction about it.

Phonics Series

In the Phonics series, the Key Words step has two parts:

1. The first part provides a lesson for the story's featured phonics pattern* or set of patterns that includes clicking on sample words with the pattern(s) for additional instruction about them and practice reading them.

2. The second part teaches students to read and spell two high-frequency irregular words (key words to learn by heart), and then has students apply what they've learned to read a decodable sentence (consisting of at least one word with the featured phonics pattern, at least one of the key words to learn by heart taught, and only words they have already learned to decode or learned to read by heart).

* Each story includes multiple words with its featured phonics pattern(s). The lessons for each key word and the word list contain additional words with the featured phonics pattern(s) that do not appear in the story.

Idiom Series

In the Idioms series, the Key Words step is a vocabulary step that introduces the idioms discussed in the story with basic definitions. These idioms are then further explained in the story text. Because this step occurs just before the Prediction step, thinking about these idioms will prepare the students to read the story and then to make a prediction about it.

To complete the Key Words Step:

1. On the Key Words page, the student listens to the directions.

2. The student clicks each word to hear the word pronounced and learn about the word.

3. Once they have clicked and read along with each key word, the student clicks Next to continue.

1. On the Key Words page, the student listens to the directions.

   • If working in the Phonics series, the student also hears a short introductory lesson about the featured phonics pattern(s).

2. The student clicks each key word (or idiom) to hear the word pronounced and learn about the word.

   • If working in the Sequenced (or Idioms series), the student listens to (or reads along with) a definition of the word (or idiom).

   • If working in the Phonics series, the student completes a short lesson about the pattern in that word and practices reading along as the teacher reads like words.

3. Once the student has clicked each key word and read along with/heard the definition or lesson, the student clicks Next to continue.

4a. If working in the Sequenced (or Idioms series), the student moves on to the next step.

4b. If working in the Phonics series, the student completes the second part of this step: Key Words to learn by heart.

4. 1. After a brief introduction the student clicks on each of the two key words to learn by heart (high-frequency, irregular words) and hears a lesson about reading and spelling each.

   2. After clicking on both key words to learn by heart, the student attempts to read a sentence that contains one or more words with the featured phonics pattern(s) and one or both key words to learn by heart. Then the student clicks the sentence to hear it and check if they read it correctly.

See Also

• Repeating Audio Instructions

• Turning Steps Off and On