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Chef vs Magician, Sh Sound Spelling ci, ti, si, Card Games

Pairing up the right lessons with card games has given my struggling readers and spellers a great advantage.

_{How to teach spelling lessons with fun card games?}

Pairing up the right lessons with card games has given my struggling readers and spellers a great advantage.

Education games that students want to play. Over and Over again.

Posters can be used to teach single a lesson or combined into many lessons.

War-style card game Chef VS Magician has colorful images and letters for the many different spellings of /sh/.

The tricky sh sound spelled ci, ti, si, xi, ss, sh, ch, s, c, can now be used as a game. Students love playing card games like War and Uno. These 144 cards were made to highlight the tricky “sh” sounds in words and added a point value to the different spellings. Including the French ch = sh, and letters like c and s, in words like ocean and sugar.

“It is a trick?”

Knowing there is a trick is the best way to avoid being tricked by it. This is a fun play on words. Words like ocean, sure, and sugar all have a “sh” sound that we can not see from the spelling clues.

144-Word cards with color-coded /sh/ (many different spellings of the “sh” sound) with single beginning syllable and ending syllables.

You can find it here on TPT . The are many different ways to play. Use the cards for UNO, War, or flash cards. Printing out multiple sets have been extra helpful for me. I work with many different students at different levels. It is easier for me to have the cards grouped into leveled decks ranging from easy to advanced.

The lesson posters can be cast to the TV or smartboard. I like to keep them all bound up in a booklet, it is handy for working with small groups or tutoring students.

We review the spelling lessons and write a few words from the word lists. Some students like to draw mnemonic pictures for different /sh/spellings. Then we play the card game to put reading into practice.

Level one starts with the main spelling of the sh sound, and explains to the students that these are single-syllable words. The next level can be introducing tricky words like: sure, sugar, and ocean. Or moving on to multiple-syllable words and compound words.

Lesson Booklet Option

Binding up the pages created a valuable handy resource for me.

These mnemonic picture-embedded spelling tips have been very helpful. Especially for the very tricky R-controlled Trigraphs.

Have Pure Joy Teaching.

Hu bu hu bu Handwriting – Helps with b d reversals

Letter reversals can be a huge problem, and sometimes the letter b comes out looking like the number 6.

This is a fun way to practice the correct letter formation and the letter sounds at the same time.

Letter reversals can be a huge problem, and sometimes the letter b comes out looking like the number 6. Some students start both by drawing a straight down and then they can not remember which way the b or d should turn.

So we use the h b h b practice. I tell them the letter h and b are almost the same, the only difference is the letter b is closed at the bottom. So, make the tall letter h then close the bottom. Now it is the letter b. Be sure to make the letter sounds when you write. “h, b, h, b.” This is very important to make the letter sounds. Be careful not to use the letter name too much. Referring to the letter by its sound can help to avoid letter name interference. Letter name interference is very common with w, y, and u.

How to correct b and d reversals in handwriting

©Pure Joy Teaching

This is also a great time to remind them that the letter h is a tall letter, and the letter n is a small letter.

It is super important that students learn to start the letters at the top, not the bottom. We have found that when students start the letters on the bottom line there is a good chance that they will turn out backwards. We were seeing confusing letters and thought “Is it dyslexia?” In this case no, it was not. It was just bad handwriting habits that needed to be corrected by teaching the students to start the lowercase letters at the top, and not the bottom.

This is one of the reasons that I wrote this book R’s Pirate Handwriting Storybook. The shape of the letter r is a really good way to group all the letters that make the same starting shape. Practicing these letters together can also help remove the b d confusion. This book series is full of effective practices for teaching writing.

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Blue Tongue Spelling Tip CVCC Words

Think of a blue tongue to remind you how to correctly spell the word tongue. They both have the same /ue/ ending.

Teaching with card games.

Spelling tip today.

Think of a blue tongue to remind you how to correctly spell the word tongue. They both have the same /ue/ ending.

The other day we were playing the CVCC Uno card game after our reading group. The word tong, was one of the cards that we took the time to discuss vocabulary and meaning. That brought us to the word tongue and blue, in a roundabout way. One student was thinking the word (tong) might be “tongue.”

They were surprised when I wrote the words tongue and blue on the whiteboard. I underlined the ue and told them to think of the word blue to remind themselves how to spell this tricky word.

There are many teachable moments in these small reading groups. It is pure joy for me to hear them working out new words that they have never read before and discuss their meanings during our games. Teaching the students with flashcard games helps them to sound out new words that they may not find in regular reading passages. When they have confidence in their decoding abilities, then they can stop guessing with the whole word strategy. It is awesome, to hear the shock in their voice when they realize they can read a new word they never knew before.

You can find this CVCC Uno Here. Take a look at the R-Controlled Uno game too.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Vowel-Teams-Mnemonic-Booklets-Visual-Aid-Literacy-Spelling-Bundle-Structured-9616850

Here are more of the mnemonic spelling cards.

Full of more picture clues embedded within the letters to help visual learners.

Test your knowledge. How many animals have a blue tongue? Here.

Follow me on TPT.

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ch, wh, sh, Teaching Trick Digraphs

I have created some hints within the letter shapes to help remind the students of words that make the same digraph sound.

Creative Picture Embedded Hints with the Letter Shapes

Digraphs might be more complex to learn than blends, especially with all the tricky sounds, silent letters, and spelling rules. I have hidden some hints within the letter shapes to help remind the students of words that make the same sound as the digraph. Example ch – one of the sounds of ch is in chomp and chicken. The letter c has teeth to chomp or chew on the chicken leg, which is very similar to the h shape.

This is the first sound of ch, as in chicken. Some kids have it mixed up with the sound /tr/. I was very surprised by this until they explained that /ch/ is for the train picture. (oops!) Some programs have a Choo-choo train for /ch/ sound and it was confusing the emergent readers.

There are many more clever hiding pictures with the digraphs and trigraphs in this set. Including the 3 different sounds for the ch.

These grapheme images incorporate the letter shapes with embedded images to help students recall the sounds that they make. Pictures aid phonemic sound recall and link to memory pathways.

3 different sounds of ch ch, k, sh:

ch – 1 st sound ch, Letter c has teeth to chew the chicken on the letter h.

ch – 2nd sound k, Christmas tree image, letter c is a sack of gifts and letter h on
the tall tree has the “sh” silent hand.

ch – 3rd sound /sh/ chef, letter c shape is uncovering the food. (French Word Origins)

3 different sounds of gh:

gh – Ghost images laughing, thinking, and shhhh hand. (3 sounds on one card)

gh – Gh sleeping and coughing with h shhhh hand.

Other digraphs

ck – Duck image with bubbles on letter c and letter k has duck feet

th – Letter t is sticking a tongue out at the thumb image on letter h.

ph – Letter p using a phone and h looks like a phone.

wr – Wrench image with silent w.

tr – Covered with train tracks and a train on letter t.

and much more……

Check out the whole set on my Teachers Pay Teachers page Pure Joy Teaching

The cards can be printed with a word list on the back. Some cards have very helpful spelling tips too. Color-coded to help highlight the digraph or trigraph.

Keep watching this space, I am working on a card game to help reinforce some of these tricky sounds and teach some spelling words at the same time.

These helpful cards are a lot like my first set for R-controlled phonics.

R-Controlled Clipcards Trigraphs

Have Pure Joy Teaching

CVC builder Hot dogs dramatic play easy booklet

VC included. Vowel Consonant and CVC is very common, and VC is sometimes overlooked. The capital /I/ can be very tricky for some emergent readers. They learn that the capital I, says it’s name when it is on its own, sometimes when they see it next to another letter, like at the beginning of a sentence, it can create some confusion. ( The capital letters A and I, can be used to make words like: In, It, If, An, At.

Practice building CVC and VC words, quick set-up, and super fun

This booklet-style setup creates an easy and organized way to play and store this fun CVC and VC resource for students and teachers. Dramatic play with educational games has been a huge hit in my classroom. Kids love to play and they are learning at the same time.

Customize to Fit Your Needs

The back page is larger and has the barbecue grill image on it. This creates a fun playing surface to lay out all the vowel hotdogs on.

The top half is left open with enough space to attach a small snack-size recloseable bag. This is a great option for storing all the pieces that go with this dramatic games-style teaching resource. Sight word condiments and vowel hotdogs.

The bottom half of this resource can be printed double-sided and attached to the grill with rings or a binding machine. This lays out nicely and removes some of the reversal issues.

VC Vowel Consonant – Closed Syllable Pattern

VC included. CVC is very common, and VC is sometimes overlooked. The capital /I/ can be very tricky for some emergent readers. Letter I, and A, are examples of an open syllable vowel.

They learn that the capital I, says it’s name when it is on its own, sometimes when they see it next to another letter, like at the beginning of a sentence, it can create some confusion. ( The capital letters A and I, can be used to make words like: In, It, If, An, At. Now they changed into closed syllable vowels.

Sight Words

Sight words – Tricky non-decodable words are included: said, of, the, his, all, is, do, was, are, what, as, have, too.

The sight words are grouped by color to make teaching a little easier. All the yellow mustard words have the letter s that makes the /z/ sound: his, is, was, as, has. ( I call these the sleeping snake words. He falls asleep and snores zzz…. sometimes)

R-Controlled

All of the consonant buns should make decodable words. The letter r, is not included as an ending letter. This is not the time to teach bossy r-controlled words. This is purely for early sound-letter decoding.

Tricky – Y

The letter y, is only in the first position making the correct sound. This is not the time to teach digraphs ay, ey, oy, uy, gym, or eye. All those fun words will come later. As well as words ending with w, aw, ow, ew, should be taught later.

Here is a fun game for short o sounds with /wa/Candyland-style Fruitland.

The CVC Hot Dog builder can be found on my TPT site.

You may also like the CVC sandwich builder or the matching blends. The PB&J’s progress to the digraphs and vowel teams.

Tips for setting up the grill.

Print the grill back page on full-sized 8.5×11 paper.

Print the hot dog vowels, single-sided, 2 to a page.

Print the Bun Consonants, double-sided, 2 to a page.
Use a piece of cardstock or scrap of laminated paper inside of the sandwich bag to make it ridged and strong enough to punch holes through.

Snack-sized reclosable bag attached with a binding machine. Pure Joy Teaching

This booklet was created with the smaller half-page grill, attached on the long side. But it could be set up with a larger full-page-sized grill. Very easy to customize to your classroom needs.

CVC Hot dog word builder, consonant buns. © Pure Joy Teaching 2023

Pure Joy Teaching © Hot Dog CVC VC builder — © Pure Joy Teaching CVC VC word builder hot dogs

CVC Uno game for Emergent Readers

Remember always to have – Pure Joy Teaching.

Remote Learning with Google slides

Great way to teach remotely or in class with a large display cast to the classroom TV or student Chrome books.

We have been using small laminated letters in class, but it can be a struggle to find all the letters and keep them sorted. Now that I have these Google slides my lessons can be saved and sorted out quickly.

I have them sorted by the vowels. This one is the letter /e/ the vowels are red. It includes long, short, and vowel combinations like:

Silent e, ey, y that says “e”, er, ed, pre, re, ei, ei, ee, ea, e_e,

Prefixes and suffixes (pre, re, er, ed) with whole word tiles.

The first slide is color-coded for younger students. This is a neat way to help them with sorting out the line place for the letters and to aid them in making the left-to-right reading connection. Green for go, Yellow in the middle, Red stop. This is the direction of reading and writing. * The teacher can choose any of the letters the student will need before the slide is sent to the student. This slide is a good one for CVC words or small 2 & 3-letter words.

This slide is for the small 2 letter words that make the long e sounds.

Great for open syllable words: Words like he, we, be, me, & 3 letters she.

* Notice here that the /sh/ tile is one box to drag and drop. This is to help students make the phonics connection that /sh/ is one sound digraph and NOT two separate sounds /s/h/.

Link HERE

If you like these slides and think they will work in your classroom or remote learning world, you can get them from my shop at TPT. TeachersPayTeachers.

Awesome Alphabet Poems

the perfect book for young learners! This colorful, interactive resource is designed to teach preschool and kindergarten children the correct starting and stopping points of lowercase letters, making it a fantastic tool for early literacy development.

Awesome Animal Alphabet Poems: A Fun and Engaging Learning Adventure

Welcome to Awesome Animal Alphabet Poems—the perfect book for young learners! This colorful, interactive resource is designed to teach preschool and kindergarten children. Practicing the correct starting and stopping points of lowercase letters, makes it a fantastic tool for early literacy development.

Animal Theme

Each page features fun, animal-themed poems that guide children step-by-step as they trace the letters with their fingers. With clear starting points marked by a green dot and arrows that direct the movements, little learners can easily follow the animal actions while mastering each letter.

Find Cards HERE

b sounds Ben, bear, blueberry, buzzing bees

Find Book on Amazon

Why You’ll Love This Book:

Engaging & Fun: Simple rhymes and vibrant illustrations captivate children’s attention and make learning the alphabet an enjoyable experience.
Kinesthetic Learning: The finger-tracing activity helps build muscle memory, promoting better letter recognition and laying the foundation for handwriting skills.
Memorable Rhymes: Easy-to-remember sayings help children recall the movements of each letter, supporting both reading and writing success.
Perfect for Home or School: Ideal for classroom activities or at-home learning, this book is designed to nurture early literacy skills in a way that sparks curiosity about animals and the world around them.
Builds Confidence: With every turn of the page, children will gain confidence in their letter-writing abilities, setting them up for future success in handwriting and reading.
Letter Sounds: Poems use words that tie into the main letter sound. Letter sounds are extremely important for reading and decoding skills.

From A to Z, Awesome Animal Alphabet Poems is a fun, effective, and memorable way to help children discover the world of letters through animals, movement, and rhymes. Whether in the classroom or at home, this book is sure to be a favorite for young learners as they begin their journey toward literacy!

Handwriting

Air Writing ABC Book

Download and print the flashcards for this book. Teachers Pay Teachers

For play-based learning; with Air Writing

Students can pretend to be an airplane, and mirror the letter movements of the teacher. This exercise can help them learn the correct starting and stopping points of the capital letters. The helpful green dot shows the starting point of the letter, with numbered steps for letters that have more than one step. Valuable teacher instruction pages and Flash Card pages that can be cut out of the book to use in class. The reversed alphabet chart on the back cover of this book, helps to remind the teacher in which direction to make the letters. Very helpful when the book or the card is facing the students.

Mirror image; Why does it look backwards?

Remember my right is your left, when we are facing each other. This book will help teachers so the students will NOT be seeing the reversed Image by mistake. It can aid and support future handwriting success, while learning feels like play.

Find on Amazon

Read Write and Paint in classroom

After reading we talked about ways that we might paint like the pets in the story.

The kids in room 6, really enjoyed the story this week.

Based on the Book If A Pig Could Paint

When the pig hides the paints from the other pets, one little girl said, “I see them hiding in the hay.”

The class did not think the pig would share the paints.

Brainstorming in ideas

After reading we talked about ways that we might paint like the pets in the story. Next week they will make story bubbles and write sentences based on the book.

I can hardly wait to see the art.

Links to the downloads HERE.

And find book Here.

This children’s book features animals creating paintings, with some of their artworks resembling true masterpieces. It was thrilling to discover how many of the great artists were familiar to the young readers!

Books

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Munch Math Match with Waffles

Take a look HERE.

For letter of the week W. Waffle Math Match, based on the book –

When Walruses Want Waffles, By D Passmore.

Waffle Math Match can be used in lots of ways:

Play it like “Go Fish” each player would have their own walrus to feed the matched waffles to.

Play it like “Memory Game” each player would have their own walrus to feed the matched waffles to.

One on One with the teacher, Match the numbers, and feed the walrus the matched sets.

Use addition, Subtraction, and Equals symbols to work out math equations.

Roll a die, and match the numbers to the waffles until they are all feed to the walrus.

For W letter of week lessons, you may also like the waffle letters.