Orthographic mapping provides a physical way to represent the relationship between phonemes (sounds) and graphemes (letters and letter combinations). Connecting the orthography (conventional spelling) of words to their sounds helps readers automatically recognize the most common English words found in reading. Once readers recognize the sounds that letters and letter combinations make and have one to four intentional exposures decoding a word, they often can read them accurately and quickly.
If you see readers who . . .
Recognizing the sounds represented by letters and letter combinations by orthographically mapping a word helps readers automatically recall and read words. Continued exposure and practice with mapping will, over time, eliminate the need to decode every word, thus freeing up the brain’s working memory to process and understand what is being read.
Say the word slowly and listen for the individual sounds the letters or letter combinations represent. The number of sounds in a word tells us how many sound boxes the word will need when mapping.
When you come to a word that needs decoding, model orthographic mapping (Map It).
Suggested Language
Also consider materials, setting, instructional practices, and cognitive process.
These strategies may provide support before, during, and after teaching this strategy:
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