This is an easy no-prep whiteboard game that we did the other day. We simply used some words from the UFLI lesson 107 suffix spelling changes roll and read. They had to remember to erase the double consonants and the suffix.
Students are challenged to find the hidden root words.
Added suffixes seem to come very naturally when we are speaking, but it grows more challenging when we need to spell or read these longer words.
Students are often intimidated by the length of a word. They often say “I don’t know” or “I can’t.” too quickly. Plural words and past tense words may be some of the first words they will encounter. I have made fun games for both of those skills.
This is an easy no-prep whiteboard game that we did the other day. I simply used some words from the UFLI lesson 107 suffix spelling changes. I wrote the words on the board and then the four students took turns trying to find the main root word. All the words that I chose had the double consonant pattern.
I used simple words like bag, pop, slip, win, and more…
The girls enjoyed it so much that we had to adapt the game and play it again the next day.
There are a lot of spelling skills that you can teach with just the suffix -ed.
Free Consonant Blend Cards. Bread and butter samples for word builder play-based learning.
Bread and Butter Sandwich Blends are a great addition to the CVC word builder.
Play-based word builder fun with sandwich letters. CVC Cheese Sandwiches are a good place to start. Use consonant letters and cheese vowels to build consonant-vowel-consonant patterns. Students can learn the imports of vowels by starting with two consonant bread letters that can not make a real word without putting a cheese vowel in the middle.
Some people like to add butter to the bread and that is where the blends come from. Two consonant letters make up a consonant blend. Sample this with a free download here.
Or add the Vowel Teams with CVVC peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Let students order sandwiches from the word list menus. Consonant bread letters with the best team-up peanut butter and jelly vowels.
This game has a funny backstory. Once during a reading group, one of the students told me, “An is not a real word. I asked my mom and she said it’s not real.”
It was good reminder that this word is underused and needs to be taught.
When teaching emergent readers the word “an,” it’s important to explain it in simple terms. This is one example of how you might do that:
Explain the Role of “An”: “An” is a word we use before a noun when the noun starts with a vowel sound (like “a,” “e,” “i,” “o,” or “u”). It helps us say things clearly, like in “an apple” or “an umbrella.”
Give Examples:
“An apple” (because “apple” starts with the vowel sound “a”).
“An egg” (because “egg” starts with the vowel sound “e”).
“An ice cream” (because “ice” starts with the vowel sound “i”).
Contrast with “A”: You can explain that “an” is used only when the next word starts with a vowel sound. If the next word starts with a consonant sound, we use “a.” For example:
“A dog” (because “dog” starts with the consonant sound “d”).
“An apple” (because “apple” starts with the vowel sound “a”).
Practice with Simple Sentences: Help them practice with simple phrases:
“I see an apple.”
“She has an orange.”
“He wants an umbrella.”
By connecting “an” to things they are already familiar with and using it in simple sentences, emergent readers can start to recognize and use “an” correctly in their reading and writing!
Vowels are important
Vowel knowledge is essential for early learners. As educators, we often use terms like “CVC words,” but young learners may not fully understand what CVC, consonants, and vowels mean.
This is a great reminder that the five vowels are special and not the same as the other letters. The game below has the vowels marked in red.
Use the Spelling Patterns ai, ay, a-e, eigh to Make a Game.
Teaching can be fun and flexible with games that help students review and repeat the spelling patterns that they just learned.
I like to use card games after every reading grouping. My goal is to have a game for every spelling pattern or spelling rule.
Card games are very flexible, they can be put into different groups that progressively get harder, just by removing or adding some words as they progress. The cards can be used as flashcards for reading practice or my new idea is to use the cards to move around the game board.
Long a game board
This game board is a great match to the long /a/ card game. The flashcards can be used to move players along the path to the end, instead of using a die.
Students like to play this game. I choose skills or words that they need to practice. Great for handwriting practice, cvc words, sight words, or tricky vowel sounds.
Create a reusable whiteboard to practice handwriting and spelling.
Tic-Tac-Toe was one of the first games I learned to use as a tool, to help teach my preschool students. Simple x’s & o’s, and the spatial awareness of drawing the lines. The kids think of it as a game and are more willing to pick up a pencil or crayon if it feels fun.
White Board with Tape Lines.
Using electrical tape has created something reusable. I was surprised at how much the kids loved erasing the words, and the lines stayed. It was like magic to them. They wipe the letters off and rush to play again. Hooray!
Adding the lines has given new life to this old scratched-up whiteboard.
Cutting the Tape
The original thickness of the electrical tape is wide. Making the lines thinner, by cutting with scissors was too hard. Using an Xacto made it easier to cut.
Carefully cut away from yourself.
Cutting a straight line without a guide was too hard. Don’t try it! I found a plastic milk cap that was a nice thickness. With the electrical tape flat on the table, I could keep the Xacto knife flat on the cap. Rotate the tape slowly and cut the tape with a little bit of pressure to cut the tape. Be sure to cut away from your body.
Pure Joy Teaching
Try CVC words.
CVC words are great for this game. After we play the Uno CVC game, I will choose some words they need to practice writing.
Using the tic-tac-toe game is great for practicing sight words. Try capital letters and lowercase letters. Especially in words like the letter /i/ (It, If, Is, In) Those are good words to work on. Remind the students to sound out the word as they write it.
Sometimes we practice just the letters b, and d. This helps with letter reversals.
CVC consonant vowel consonant. This is my first and most important go-to game for new students. They love playing it, mostly because they start to feel successful at reading new words that they did not know they could read.
CVC Uno game is made up of decodable short vowel phoneme cards, an easy-sound sorting games can be played to help reinforce the short vowel sounds.
CVC Uno consonant vowel consonant. This is my first and most important that I play with my students. It is an easy go-to game for new students who need some short vowel support. They love playing it, mostly because they start to feel successful at reading new words that they did not know they could read.
It has all the great wildcards that Uno should have, skips, wilds, draw 2, draw 4, but there are no reverse cards. ( Trust me that is a bonus! – reverse cards cause arguments )
226 words, all decodable color-coded with red vowels and black consonants.
Playing Cards are grouped by colors
a e i o u / a-red, e-yellow, i -purple, o-orange, u-blue
This is a digital item, so you can print more than one set. I like to have 2 sets. One that is sorted, and one that is complete. Some students are working on vowel sound distinction. Hearing the difference between short e and short i. For those students, we play the game with just e,i, words. Other many struggle with the short vowels a and u. It is nice to have extra sets on hand to quickly support small groups and tutoring.
If you are using any of the satpin decodable books you may want to start with the short a and i cards, and then build up the other vowels. Reading words in isolation without the distractions of pictures is a good way to help students focus on the letter sounds. Keep those eyes on the words for successful decoding.
Print multiple sets for easy-level transitions
I like to keep one set shorted by the short vowel sounds for emergencies.
Having an extra card set ready makes this a fast and easy resource to grab when I want a quick game to help support students. If I notice that a student is stumbling over the same short vowel sound, I will pull out this game and choose the short vowel that the student needs to review. After reading a few words as flashcards, the students often start to recognize that the middle sound is the same. Some students start to discover the word families on their own. It is great! I love it when that happens naturally.
Next, in the scope and sequence of decodable reading games, you might like the r-controlled uno. Many of my students are shocked to hear themselves reading words that they said were too hard. I love it.
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.
