Heart Word Instructional Guide
This Heart Word Instructional Guide provides teachers with a clear, research-aligned method for teaching irregular high-frequency words using the Science of Reading and structured literacy principles.
Rather than relying on memorization or “sight word” guessing, this guide explains how to teach students to analyze words, identify decodable parts, and isolate the irregular “heart part” that must be learned by heart. The approach supports orthographic mapping, phoneme–grapheme connections, and long-term word recognition.
Designed to be used alongside any phonics or structured literacy program, this guide helps teachers implement consistent, explicit instruction with confidence.
📘 What This Guide Includes
✔ Clear explanation of the Heart Word method
✔ Difference between temporarily and permanently irregular word parts
✔ Explicit guidance on decoding and encoding heart words
✔ Step-by-step lesson structure for introducing new words
✔ Sample teacher language and instructional scripts
✔ Support for orthographic mapping and sound-to-symbol instruction
✔ Guidance for addressing dialect variations
✔ Flexible implementation that works with ANY curriculum
⭐ Why Teachers Love This Guide
✔ Aligned with the Science of Reading
✔ Eliminates guessing and rote memorization
✔ Builds strong word recognition and spelling
✔ Clear, practical, and classroom-ready
✔ Perfect companion to heart word cards or student practice materials
👩🏫 Who This Resource Is For
- Kindergarten, 1st grade, and 2nd grade teachers
- Reading specialists and literacy coaches
- Teachers implementing heart word routines in their classrooms
- Interventionists and tutors
- Homeschool families
- Schools seeking research-based literacy instruction
Can be used with ANY curriculum!
