Heart words changed the way a lot of teachers teach high frequency words, and that's a good thing. The approach gives us a better alternative to whole-word memorization, and it supports how the brain stores words for instant recognition.
But heart words are a tool. And like any tool, they can be used well, or they can become a shortcut that keeps us from teaching students something useful about how words work.
In my newest video, I take a closer look at where the heart word approach can quietly go sideways.
We talk about when the heart becomes a cop-out, when we don't really need one, and what good practice with high frequency words looks like.
P.S. The video covers heart words. The Transform Your High Frequency Word Instruction challenge takes you further: how to know which words are truly irregular, how morphology factors into high frequency word instruction, and what a solid teaching routine looks like. Early bird price ends soon! Sign up here.
Just a note
We are currently rebranding from The Measured Mom, which was our business name for 13 years.
Because of that, you will still see themeasuredmom.com on many of our resources.
We hope to complete the entire transition by the end of 2026.
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