Animated Phonics and Word Study Lessons Help Using the Animated Phonics and Word Study Lessons

Welcome! These animated lessons provide hands-on practice with the Phonics and Word Study skills taught in the Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Reading Language Arts program (Kindergarten—Grade 6). These lessons were designed to be used on an interactive whiteboard (IWB) and can also be used on a computer. The lessons provide an interactive learning environment in your classroom for students of all levels, in a whole class or small group setting. The lessons include activities that can be done individually, with partners, or in groups. Each animated lesson includes four types of activities, where applicable: Blending: Provides students with practice in learning to blend letter-sounds, or word parts, to make

words. Word Building: Provides students with practice in changing, adding, or deleting letters, or word parts,

in a given word to form new words. Sorting: Provides students with practice in sorting words according to the same sound-spelling

patterns, or other categories. Fluency: Provides students with practice in timed speed drills so as to help improve their automaticity,

that is, their ability to recognize a letter, word, or a series of words effortlessly and rapidly. Phonics and Word Study Skills in This Program

There is an animated Phonics and Word Study lesson for key skills taught in each grade. The number of lessons varies per grade. Teachers may access the lessons for any grade as needed for instruction, practice, or review.

Using an Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) This program is compatible with most models of interactive whiteboards used in the K-12 market, including those produced by SMART Technologies and Promethean. You can visit the websites of these and other whiteboard manufacturers for helpful tips about using an interactive whiteboard in your classroom.

Whiteboard vs. Desktop Mode

This program has two different modes, one for use with a whiteboard and the other for use on a computer. The lessons can be used in the whiteboard mode or in desktop mode. Toggle between the two modes by clicking the mode icon in the control panel at the bottom of the screen. The controls for each mode are slightly different. As you move through this Help menu, you will see customized directions for both modes as needed. You can identify these by the following icons:

Whiteboard Mode and Desktop Mode

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Whiteboard Mode In whiteboard mode, you can access interactive tools for marking or drawing on the screen by clicking the toolbar icon. The toolbar icon appears on both the right and left sides of the screen so that the tools may be easily accessed from either side of the interactive whiteboard.

Desktop Mode Desktop mode is designed for viewing the lessons on a computer. (Note that Internet access is needed.) This mode may be suitable for individual or small group instruction. You can also use desktop mode to present the lessons if your classroom does not have an interactive whiteboard. The lessons function essentially the same way in either mode.

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Navigating We’ve designed this program to be as easy to navigate as possible. There are two ways to navigate: Use the graphic user interface to move through the lessons. There will be helpful prompts to guide you

on your way at every stage. Using the toolbar and other controls, you can easily navigate to the material that you need. You can continue through a lesson screen by screen, review part of a lesson or fast-forward through it, pause the lesson, skip an activity, or repeat it as many times as you like.

Use the Menu button to navigate directly to any part of a lesson for a grade level by selecting the lesson and activity from a list.

Using the Graphic User Interface To begin, click the button for the grade level you wish to access. (Note that if you’ve entered via the ConnectED portal, you will automatically be sent to your grade level. But you can navigate back to this screen and choose another grade level if you wish.) Each grade level is presented in a different color on this menu, and the same colors are used consistently throughout the lessons for each grade.

A short animation welcomes students to the course of study for the grade level. The animation plays automatically, and then brings you to the Animated Phonics and Word Study Lessons Main Menu (Home). To bypass the animation, click Skip to go straight to the Phonics and Word Study lessons for your grade level.

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Viewing the Phonics and Word Study Lessons Main Menu All skills for a grade are available from the Animated Phonics Lessons Main Menu screen. Scroll down using the vertical scroll bar on the right. Click the skill name to automatically start the animated lesson. To choose a different grade level, click the arrow in the lower left corner of the screen to view the grade-level menu.

Whiteboard Mode To return to this screen from any point within a lesson, click .

Desktop Mode To return to this screen from any point within a lesson, click .

Using the Menu to Navigate At any point in a lesson, you can move to another skill or another activity via the Menu. Scroll down using the vertical scroll bar on the left. Click the lesson or the activity for the skill you want to access, and you’re there.

Whiteboard Mode To access the Menu, click on the toolbar.

Desktop Mode To access the Menu, click at the bottom of the screen. To close the Menu, click the X at the top left of the Menu.

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Using the Toolbars

Next and Previous Arrows You can move through the program by using the Next and Previous arrows at the bottom of

the screen. To move to the next activity, click Next . To move back to a previous activity, click Previous .

When you complete the learning reinforcement at the end of the lesson, the Next arrow will glow and you will be prompted to click the arrow to move to the activities. After the activities are completed, you will return to the Main Menu, where you have the option of selecting another skill, reviewing the same skill, or exiting the program.

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Animation Player Controls The animated lesson plays automatically when you select a skill from the skill menu. You can fast- forward through the animation, rewind, or pause it by using the animation player controls at the bottom of the screen. You can also drag the progress arrow to any point along the line to jump to different parts of the animation.

Help Access the Help feature at any time for more information.

Whiteboard Mode To access Help from any point, click on the side toolbar.

Desktop Mode To access Help from any point, click .

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Lesson Information Bar Located at the top of the screen, the Lesson Information Bar tells you where you are at a glance.

The Grade Indicator at the top left lets you know for which grade level the animation lesson is tailored.

The Skill Name appears in the middle of the information bar.

Home You can return to the Main Menu screen to select another skill at any time by clicking the Home icon.

Whiteboard Mode Click to return to a grade level’s Main Menu from any point within a lesson.

Desktop Mode Click to return to a grade level’s Main Menu from any point within a lesson.

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Exit You may exit the lesson at any time by clicking the X button located at either the top or bottom of the screen. In the dialog box that pops up, click Yes to confirm that you want to exit, or No to return to the lesson.

Whiteboard Mode Click the X button on the toolbar at the bottom of the screen.

Desktop Mode Click the X button at the end of the information bar.

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Using the Interactive Whiteboard (IWB) Tools In addition to the tools menu that comes with your whiteboard, there is a second set provided within the course. This will allow desktop users to have some whiteboard features available.

The selection tool allows you to select items. The pencil tool allows you to write or draw on the screen with a thin line. The marker tool allows you to write or draw on the screen with a thick line. The shape tool allows you to choose a circle, square, or line to draw onto the screen. The default color for digital ink is black. Click the color selection tool to choose a different color for the pencil, marker, or shapes. The eraser tool erases any digital ink made by the pencil or marker tools, but not the shape tool. This clears the screen of all digital ink and shapes. Click to close the tools toolbar.

Using the Animated Phonics and Word Study Lessons

Each lesson includes a short animation providing instruction in the phonics or word study skill that closes with a short interactive learning reinforcement.

Whiteboard Mode Simply place your finger on the answer and drag it to the appropriate location, then lift your finger. The answer will fall into place. Immediate audio and visual feedback lets you know whether or not your answer is correct.

Desktop Mode To drag an answer into place, click on it and hold, then move it to the appropriate location and let go. Immediate audio and visual feedback lets you know whether or not your answer is correct.

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The learning reinforcement activity in some lessons include an audio portion. Click the speaker icons to hear the sounds.

Handwriting Practice (Consonants and Short Vowels) The lessons for the consonants and short vowels in Kindergarten through grade 2 include handwriting practice. The animation models how to write both the uppercase and lowercase letters. Students then practice writing the letters on their own.

Whiteboard Mode Use a marker or your finger to write the letter on the whiteboard. Use the marker tool if you are using the program on a desktop computer.

Desktop Mode Writing tools are not available in Desktop Mode. If you are using this program on a desktop computer, you may access the marker tool by switching to Whiteboard Mode.

Done Button Click the Done button to continue with the lesson after completing the handwriting exercise.

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More About… Button Some lessons provide additional instruction after the learning reinforcement is completed. Click the More About... button to view and use the material depending on your students’

needs. To skip the additional instruction and go directly to the activities, click Next .

If the More About option has been selected, view the instruction, then click Next to access the menu for the activities for that skill.

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Using the Phonics and Word Study Activities

Each lesson includes several different activities to help students practice the designated phonics or word-study skill. Audio and visual guidance is given to help students complete the activity. Teachers may wish to use these activities to practice the skill with the whole class or in a small group. An audio recording of the general instructions for each activity plays automatically when an activity is selected from this screen. The instructions also appear as on-screen text, so that students can read and

hear the directions. Click to close the directions box and start the activity.

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Blending Activity In this activity, students click frogs representing letter-sounds to practice blending the letter-sounds to make words or syllables.

Step 1: Students click on frogs representing the separate letter-sounds in a word. They hear and repeat each of the letter-sounds.

Step 2: In multisyllabic words, students click the Jump button to hear the word blended syllable by syllable. Students say the syllables of the word after hearing them blended.

Step 3: Students click the Jump button. The letters of the word appear on the log. Students are prompted to say the word. They have an opportunity to say the word before hearing the word with all the sounds blended together.

Note: when a word has one syllable, there is no step 2. Students are guided through step 1 and then through step 3. For each word, the steps may be repeated as many times as students need for each word in the activity. This activity is organized by rounds.

Click to close the directions box and blend the first word in the activity.

Jump Button Click this button to hear the word blended. In words with more than one syllable, click Jump to hear each syllable blended. Click Jump again to hear the word blended.

Replay Button Click this button to repeat each step for a particular word.

Next Button Click this button to move to the next word in the blending activity.

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Word-Building Activity In this activity, students build words by clicking birds representing the correct letter or letter combination in the correct order. The birds fly to a branch in the order in which they were clicked. After building the word, students click Done to receive audio and visual feedback. If the word was built correctly, students have an opportunity to see and hear the word. If the word was not built correctly, students receive audio feedback guiding them to try again. After two unsuccessful tries, students receive feedback in which they hear the word again and see it built correctly. Once the correctly built word is displayed, students are then given an audio cue to build another word by clicking on birds on the branch to remove letters and/or clicking on birds in the trees to add letters. This activity is organized into rounds. You may wish to have students complete one round, or continue to other rounds.

Click to close the directions box and hear the first word in the activity.

Build Word Button Click this button to hear the word to build.

Done Button When the activity is completed, click this button to receive feedback.

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Sorting Activity In this activity, a basketball game provides a context in which students can sort words based onsound-spelling patterns or other categories presented in the lesson. This sorting activity provides students with an opportunity to practice the skill and reinforce learning. The game is as simple as shooting hoops. For each round, a set of words will appear on basketballs. Students see a group of basketball backboards labeled with categories drawn from the lesson they just viewed. Students are instructed to click and drag each word to the net of the backboard with the pattern that the word matches. They receive immediate feedback. If the word is sorted correctly, it appears below the net. If it is sorted incorrectly, students are guided to try again. When all words are sorted correctly, they have a chance to view the lists of words grouped by pattern. This activity is organized into rounds. You may wish to have students complete one round, or continue to other rounds.

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Fluency Activity The fluency activity gives students practice in one-minute speed drills to help improve their ability to recognize a letter, a word, or a series of words in text effortlessly and rapidly. Students have one minute to read aloud as many letters or words as they can from an on-screen list. To start the timer, they click the first item in the list. Students read aloud from left to right across each row. When they finish reading the last row, they click Next at the bottom of the screen to keep reading until the minute is up.

When the timer rings, students click the last word they were able to read aloud. They receive immediate feedback on the number of letters or words they read in 60 seconds. Students may play the game again, as many times as they wish, to try to improve their score.

Technical Support If you have any additional questions or require more support than this document provides, please call McGraw-Hill Technical Support at 1-800-678-2747

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