REWARDS® is a research-validated reading program designed to assist students with decoding multi-syllabic words. Through the use of systematic instruction, students will learn a strategy for breaking apart words containing two to eight syllables. The REWARDS® program affords students the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary, increase fluency, improve comprehension and assist with spelling.
While in the classroom, students partake in a variety of activities that follow a routine within each lesson (please note, a lesson can be extended over several class periods). The activities include:
A. Oral Activity - orally blending word parts to form read words
B. Vowel Combinations - quickly recognizing and producing vowel pattern sounds
C. Vowel Conversions - emphasizing the difference between long and short vowel sounds
D. Reading Parts of Real Words - longer words are made up of smaller word chunks
E. Underlining Vowels in Words - brining students' attention to the vowel sounds in words
F. Oral Activity - correcting mispronounced words in text
G. Prefixes and Suffixes (indentifying and circling them) - peeling off the prefix and/or suffix is a key piece in decoding multi-syllabic words
H. Meanings of Prefixes and Suffixes - understanding the meaning of the prefix/suffix assists with vocabulary and comprehension
I. Spelling - spelling dictation of words using vowel patterns and prefixes/suffixes learned
J. Academic Vocabulary - direct instruction on vocabulary
What can I do at home to help support my child in the REWARDS® program?
If your son/daughter is in the REWARDS program, they are learning a strategy to assist them when reading long, hard words. You can help by prompting your child to use their strategy. When encountering a challenging word, tell your child to 'use your strategy.' This will prompt him/her to go through the process and decode that difficult word.
Strategy:
- circle the prefixes
- circle the suffixes
- underline the vowels
- say the parts of the word
- say the whole word
- make it a real word
REWARDS is a registered trademark of Voyager Sopris Learning.