Jot down words that individual children continue to have trouble unlocking even after several encounters.

Distribute personal lists to students and have them write, syllabify and define each word on a recipe card.

Ask them to file their cards in ABC order in private "treasure chests" (small boxes).

Work individually with children on their word cards at regular intervals.

When a word is thoroughly mastered, put a gold star on the card.

Students can embellish their own cards with dictionary-type illustrations as decoding aids and, perhaps, decorate their boxes to resemble chests.