IEP Goal: Recognizing What a Word Is

Here is an example of an IEP (Individualized Education Program) goal for a student who is working on recognizing that a word is a series of letters separated by spaces:

Goal: After direct instruction during shared reading and writing activities, STUDENT will correctly identify a word as a string of sequenced letters, independently, in 4 out of 5 trials.

After direct instruction during shared reading and writing activities, STUDENT will correctly identify and state the purpose of spaces separating words, independently, in 4 out of 5 trials.

Objectives:

1. The student will be able to correctly identify the individual letters in written words with 90% accuracy on a teacher-created assessment, given visual prompts, by the end of the first quarter.

2. The student will be able to correctly identify the spaces between the letters in written words with 90% accuracy on a teacher-created assessment, given visual prompts, by the end of the second quarter.

3. The student will be able to correctly identify the individual letters and spaces in written words with 90% accuracy on a teacher-created assessment, given visual prompts, by the end of the third quarter.

Here are a few strategies you can use to help students understand that a word is a series of letters separated by spaces:

1. Use visual and verbal models: Show the students pictures or words written on paper, and say the words out loud, emphasizing the individual letters and the spaces between them.

2. Use multisensory activities: Engage the students' senses by using tactile materials (e.g., letter tiles, magnetic letters) to manipulate and build words, emphasizing the spaces between the letters.

3. Use sentence-level context: Provide the students with sentences written on paper, and have them identify the individual words in the sentences by pointing to the spaces between the words.

4. Use word-level context: Provide the students with a list of words written on paper, and have them identify the individual letters in each word by pointing to the spaces between the letters.

5. Practice writing words: Have the students practice writing words on their own, making sure to include spaces between the letters.

It's also important to provide positive reinforcement and give the students plenty of opportunities to practice identifying the individual letters and spaces in words. With consistent practice and explicit instruction, they will be able to understand that a word is a series of letters separated by spaces.

Free Resources:

• Use the informal concepts of print assessment from Michigan's Mission: Literacy.