WordWorld’s Research and Curriculum

WordWorld is Informed by Research

WordWorld is grounded in scientifically based reading research and incorporates the recommendations of the landmark report Teaching Children to Read by the National Reading Panel (2000). Additionally, as recommended by researchers, WordWorld immerses children in a language-rich environment. Literacy experts and advisors in the fields of child development, psychology and education are an integral part of the WordWorld team and review content throughout the development process. WordWorld is also continually informed by formative research with preschool children, teachers and parents, conducted by the Michael Cohen Group. Results from these ongoing studies guide the development and production of WordWorld.

The Curriculum of WordWorld

The curriculum of WordWorld is designed to introduce, support and foster emergent literacy skills in children ages three to five. The curriculum draws from four skill sets critical for young children’s emergent literacy: print awareness, phonological sensitivity and letter knowledge, comprehension (including vocabulary development) and socio-emotional skills. Here are some details about each skill set and the specific skills/knowledge that WordWorld addresses:

Print Awareness: The understanding of the characteristics of print—what it looks like, how it is organized and how it works.

Through regular exposure to WordWorld, children will develop an emerging sensitivity to and recognition of the following:

• Words, both spoken and written, carry meaningful messages
• Print moves from left to right
• Speech and print are characterized by individual words
• There is a relationship between speech and print
• Many words represent real-life objects
• Common terms of print such as: word, read, spell, letter
• Print has multiple functions, that is, that print is used in a variety of different contexts such as: playing games, making product labels, getting directions, making lists for shopping, making notes for remembering information 

Phonological Sensitivity and Letter Knowledge: The ability to recognize, identify and manipulate the sequence of sounds represented in words. Through regular exposure to WordWorld, children will develop:

• An increasingly clear understanding that letters represent sounds, sounds make up words, and words stand for real things in the world
• A growing awareness of letters and the sounds they represent
• An emerging sensitivity to and recognition of the following:
  • Rhyming words
  • The visual and auditory segments in words
  • The blending of word parts into words
  • The names of a sample of  letters
  • A sample of letter-sound relationships
  • The concepts (though not the terminology) underlying such structures as compound words, plurals, comparatives and superlatives
  • Aspects of phonological awareness such as discrimination, segmentation and blending
  • Aural syllabication

Comprehension: The process of making sense of spoken and written language.

Through regular exposure to WordWorld, children will develop an increasingly clear understanding of the vocabulary, grammatical structures, thinking strategies and concept/content knowledge that will contribute to comprehension. WordWorld aims to help children demonstrate increasing awareness and/or understanding of:

• New vocabulary items
• Literal question and answer relationships
• Predictions
• Cause and effect relationships
• Concepts (though not necessarily the terminology) underlying such structures as compound words, plurals, comparatives and superlatives
• Problem-solving contexts
• Inferences from statements or actions
• Story elements such as characters, setting, problem and solution
• New concept and content background knowledge

Socio-Emotional Skills: The skills that allow individuals to work cooperatively, learn effectively, and interact successfully in social contexts. In WordWorld, socio-emotional skills are presented in two broad categories–self awareness and social awareness:

• Self-Awareness Skills: Perception of oneself as a successful learner.

Through regular exposure to WordWorld, children will develop an increasing ability to see themselves as learners and readers, as well as an emerging sensitivity to and understanding of the following:

• Seeing themselves as readers
• Experiencing success in recognizing words
• Viewing reading as an enjoyable, pleasurable and attainable activity
• Recognizing words they can read

• Social Awareness Skills: The ability to imagine how others feel, to recognize and understand ways that others may be different, to solve problems, and to make sensible decisions.

Through regular exposure to WordWorld, children will develop an awareness of skills that foster positive interpersonal relationships. Children will develop an emerging sensitivity to and recognition of the following skills in personal interactions:

• Identifying and considering the feelings of others
• Showing concern for others
• Sharing with others
• Recognizing and appreciating differences
• Applying appropriate decision making in the solution or resolution of problems
• Acting fairly
• Identifying positive qualities in others
• Discovering ways to work and play effectively with others
• Identifying common problems and resolutions/solutions
• Seeking help when necessary