Improving Word-Level Skills

Just Words is a highly explicit, multisensory decoding and spelling program for students in grades 4–12 and adults who have mild to moderate gaps in their decoding and spelling proficiency but do not require intensive intervention.

The Just Words curriculum provides a sophisticated study of word structure appropriate for students beyond the elementary grades. It provides direct and explicit teaching of “how English works” for both decoding and spelling automaticity.

Program Highlights

• Directed, accelerated pacing of word structure based on the research-validated Wilson Reading System® (WRS).
  
• Emphasis on phonemic awareness, phonics, word study, and spelling.
  
• Explicit, systematic teaching of skills through the six syllable types and common Latin roots.
  
• Extensive student practice with multiple opportunities for skills development.
  
• Assessments for monitoring student progress throughout the program.
  
• Instructor Manual and online Intervention Learning Community for comprehensive teacher guidance and support.

Just Words Implementation

Just Words is designed to be implemented as a 5 day per week class in a year-long curriculum.

• 5 classes per week
• 45 minutes per class
• 14 units (each will take an average of 2 weeks) plus 2 bonus weeks = total of 30 weeks

The curriculum can also be presented as a three-day per week class but will then be completed over 1 ½ years.

Just Words can be delivered in classes of up to 15 students.

The Just Words and the Wilson Reading System provide a multi-tiered system of support for students in grades 4-12. Just Words provides targeted intervention for students with word-level deficits in the 15th-50th percentile, and WRS provides a more intensive and comprehensive intervention.

Materials for Implementation

Each teacher will need a Just Words Teacher’s Kit, and each student will need their own durable and consumable materials.

• For the initial implementation year, teacher and student durable and consumable materials are required for purchase. 
  
• Subsequent years of implementation, only student consumables are required for purchase.