Reading,  Teaching

What is Orthographic Mapping?

January 29, 2023 /
orthographic mapping in the elementary classroom

What is Orthographic Mapping?

Orthographic mapping is an essential strategy to implement in the primary education classroom when teaching reading. In the upper elementary classroom, this strategy can be used to remediate skills for readers who are struggling with basic reading or spelling skills.

Orthographic mapping helps students make connections between sounds and spelling. It uses students’ phonemic awareness and combines it with their knowledge of phonemes and graphemes. Eventually students will commit the words and phonics patterns to memory. This is a great strategy to use when teaching high-frequency words, sometimes referred to as, “heart words.”

To be successful with orthographic mapping students must have a strong understanding of phonemic awareness. When I began to implement a consistent phonemic awareness curriculum in my classroom I noticed that my students’ understanding of letter sounds and the ways words worked drastically improved. It was especially helpful to my students who were struggling readers at the time.

Orthographic mapping can be done by using a sound-spelling mapping mat. The steps are pretty simple:

  1. Give students a word and have them repeat the word
  2. Students tap the sounds in the word
  3. Students map the words into boxes using a symbol. One box is used for one sound.
  4. Students spell the sounds in the word
  5. Students write the word

Orthographic mapping can be done each day in small groups or in whole group instruction.

I’ve created a FREE resource to help teachers with orthographic mapping. It comes with differentiated mats, directions, and a student example to clear up any confusion you may have.

You can download the FREE Sound-Spelling Mapping Mat HERE

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