Goals
Stage: Starting Point
Goal Information
Date: April 14, 2026Attainment Scale:
Midpoint:
By April 10, a group of third grade students without an adequate grasp of Heart Words will read and spell correctly a total of 4 new Heart Words as measured by a classroom assessment.
Target Goal:
By May 19, 2026, a group of students without an adequate grasp of Heart Words will read and spell correctly a total of 12 new Heart Words as measured by a classroom assessment.
Notes
During a personal check-in, she shared that she had been busy – the musical was that week, she had been in charge of hospitality for the forensics meet, and she had been to see Hamilton!
She has identified three students, who she describes as hard workers, but frustrated:Â Brianna, Alexa, and Hazel.
She has followed up on her plan to explore Module 5 early. She read it, copied and pasted information she wanted to remember, and looked up more info about strategies named.
Before our call, she emailed me these documents:
- A seven-page List of Strategies that begins with this intro: Teaching “Heart Words” (irregular high-frequency words) is all about shifting the focus from rote memorization to orthographic mapping.  Since these words have “parts we have to know by heart,” we want to show students that most of the word actually follows regular phonics rules.
- “My Heart Word MissionMap” for students
- Help Your Child Master “Heart Words” at Home! for parents
Impressive!!!!!
She is planning a dedicated spot for a Heart Words Wall. She reports that, since they don’t practice Heart Words in third grade, she is getting the 2nd grade list. If that is not a comprehensive list of all the Heart Words taught within 95%, she will also get the K and 1st lists.
She is planning instruction with a gradual release of responsibility that incorporates kinesthetics. As an example, she described a predictable routine of doing Map It and Mark It on Monday, Trace and Retrieve on Tuesday, and dictation and speed emphasis on Wednesday, etc. She is planning to use Seesaw with sentences of at least seven words in which students will record themselves. She will utilize a sensory table, do speed drills with short sentences, and will have students highlight the words in passages.
She is pondering how to individualize her instruction, because the three students have not all mastered exactly the same words.
We will finalize her goal via email and meet again on 3/24 at 10:15.