For the last 25 minutes of every day I, along with two other people, teach a small reading intervention group - 6 special education children. (This has been an amazing eye-opening experience. I never realized the incredible struggles that these little kiddos have to deal with.) Anyways, Mr. Laha (short for a name that no one can pronounce) has been playing a word game to help build decoding skills. There are 300+ tiles, in two colors, that are turned over and then drawn at random. First you draw a yellow tile (the onset or beginning of a word) then you draw a green tile (the rime or ending of a word). If the two parts make a match then you get to keep it. The winner has the most tiles at the end.
Well, Mr. Laha had two children working with him. The first child drew two tiles - onset "wh" and rime "ore." Whore. Student: "Mr. Laha is this a word?" Mr. Laha: "Nope." (That's what you have to say. How can you explain the definition to a 2nd grader?) The second child drew two tiles - onset "sl" and rime "ut." Slut. Student: "Sss-lll-uuu-ttt. Slut. Is that a word?" Mr. Laha: "Nope." (Again one of those words that can't be defined to a 2nd grader with comfort.) The first child goes again - onset "f" and rime "art." Fart. Student: "Mr. Laha that is a word!" True. That's a word and a keeper.
Of the 300 tiles in the pile, what are the chances that those 6 would be drawn. Love these days!!
