REWARDS®

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:

  1. circle the prefixes

  2. circle the suffixes

  3. underline the vowels

  4. say the parts of the word

  5. say the whole word

  6. make it a real word
 

 REWARDS is a registered trademark of Voyager Sopris Learning.