Gamify encoding success with scrambled words. Students love unscrambling the words. Targeted phonics skill are building as the decode and encode words that match the images.
Encoding and decoding can be overwhelming for some students. These unscrambling cards were a big success.
Success is Satisfying
Unscrambling words can feel super satisfying for some students. cvc, cvcc & ccvc. This was created for one of my wonderful students. He finds it easier to encode the words when he has letters to choose from on the cards. It is easier than decoding. This is really helping him build up his phonemic skills, and he is not as frustrated.
Get that Reluctant Reader to Engage
Used the card with the blending board huge success.
Master the bossy r spellings sounds with this engaging Flip Chute game! A fun, self-check way for kids to practice encoding and build confidence.
Students build spelling pattern recognition with targeted spelling skills of ar, or, er, ir, and ur. These R-controlled words are a fun way to practice the spelling of ar, or, ir, er, and ur sounds. Each card has a picture and word, with the r-controlled vowel missing. Bossy R game. Students can choose the missing letters and self-check by flipping it over to the back. Instructions & template for making a Flip Chute are included.
Targeted bossy r controlled vowels
How flip cards work:
The front side with the arrow has an image and word that is missing the two letters that are the r-controlled vowel. The answer is on the back and is revealed when the card is flipped in the direction of the arrow. Easily flipped in over when inserted into the flip chute.
Easy DIY Flip Chute
Kids love mastering Bossy R sounds with this interactive Flip Chute game! Practice ar, or, er, ir, and ur words using self-checking cards that make learning phonics fun and independent.
Many different literacy skill games from the Pure Joy Teaching TPT shop, along with other Flip Chute games. All Flip Chute cards come with the template and instructions to DIY your own Flip Chute box.
Support early readers with this hands-on Flip Chute CVC game! Students practice short vowel sounds in CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words using self-checking cards that build decoding and confidence.
Simple self-check game for vowel sound practice.
Short vowel sounds are super important for reading and spelling. The targeted CVC game is a great way for students to practice the 5 short vowel sounds.
CVC is one of the first skills to master after learning the letter sounds. However, many students do not realize that every English word must have a vowel or a letter that acts as a vowel, such as the letter Y. Additionally, because of the schwa sound and spelling words with different word origins, many students struggle with the sounds /a/ & /u/, and likewise/e/ & /i/.
This game is a great way to target that middle vowel practice with self-checking cards. It can also help with vocabulary; each card has an image on the front.
This set included ccvc and cvcc words.
Make short vowel practice simple and fun! This Flip Chute CVC game lets students self-check as they learn short vowel sounds and blending skills. Great for centers, intervention, or phonics review.
The Flip Chute is easy to make. Template and instructions are included.
You can get them from the Pure Joy Teaching TPT shop, along with other Flip Chute games. All Flip Chute cards come with the template and instructions to DIY your own Flip Chute box.
Building Cognitive Flexibility and Supporting Reading Intervention with Uno-Style & Crazy 8 Spelling Games
These colorful, engaging card games are more than just fun—they’re powerful tools for building cognitive flexibility and reinforcing essential spelling and decoding skills. Designed in the style of popular games like Uno and Crazy 8, these four targeted spelling games support reading intervention while keeping learners motivated and engaged.
Each game focuses on a foundational spelling pattern:
CVC – Simple consonant-vowel-consonant words, perfect for early readers. Carefully selected to avoid confusing endings like “r” or “z.”
CVCC – Emphasizes ending blends and introduces nine essential spelling rules (like ck, wa, qu, double consonants, and soft c/g). Blends such as nd, mp, nk, and others are practiced with separate flashcards.
CVCe – Also known as the “Magic e” pattern, this game incorporates six spelling rules, including when o says /ŭ/ and when s sounds like /z/.
R-Controlled – Covers patterns like ar, or, ur, er, and more complex sounds like air and oar, along with homophones and tricky combinations (w+ar, w+or).
How These Games Build Cognitive Flexibility:
Cognitive flexibility involves shifting attention, adapting to new rules, and recognizing patterns—skills that are constantly exercised as players sort, match, and interpret cards based on multiple spelling rules and phonics cues. The color-coded format strengthens visual memory and reinforces sound-symbol correspondence.
Ideal for:
Reading intervention groups
Small group instruction
Independent centers
Home practice with families
Students can use these as traditional flashcards or jump into fast-paced gameplay, practicing decoding, blending, and rule application in a low-stress, highly engaging format. Wild cards representing spelling rules further deepen understanding and allow teachers to differentiate instruction with ease.
In short, these games blend play and pedagogy, making foundational literacy practice fun, effective, and flexible.
th, wh, w Heart Words. By focusing on a target skill, teaching these sight words can be easier for some students. Instead of choosing random sight words that may span over many new skills and spelling patterns. Choosing similar words will help them focus on what they are learning and help them escape the guessing game. I have found this very helpful strategy during reading intervention, especially with dyslexic students.
There are some tricky sight words that may leave many students guessing. Without lots of heart word practice, they may be relying on predictive reading strategies.
What is a heart word? Simply put and heart word is very much like a Sight Word, or a High-Frequency Word with one expectation. The heart word has at least one part of the word that needs to be memorized by heart.
The word they.
The word (they) may be decodable for more advanced students who know that the /th/ is a digraph and sometimes the letters /ey/ can make the long /a/ sound as in the word obey. For other students, the word (they) could be overwhelming as they try to decode four letters that are not making their normal letter sounds.
Grouping th, wh, and w, Words Together
By focusing on a target skill, teaching these sight words can be easier for some students. Instead of choosing random sight words that may span over many new skills and spelling patterns. Choosing similar words will help them focus on what they are learning and help them escape the guessing game. I have found this very helpful strategy during reading intervention, especially with dyslexic students.
th wh w uno targeted heart words. Pure Joy Teaching
Wh, and w – usually make the same /w/ sound. Except for words like: who, whom, whose, and whole. In the game, these words are wild cards, because the /wh/ is now making the tricky /h/ sound. This may be hard for ESL students to understand when they read these words in isolation or come across them in text. That is why this game is so helpful. It gives them advanced practice with these spelling patterns. Notice that they all have the letter /o/ after the /wh/.
Do you need help understanding how to teach the SCHWA Spelling pattern?
Surprise! There are a few tricks to this spelling pattern that can make it easier to teach and fun for students to learn.
Do you need help understanding how to teach the SCHWA Spelling pattern?
Surprise! There are a few tricks to this spelling pattern that can make it easier to teach and fun for students to learn.
Kids love to play games. This Schwa UNO-style game has a very predictable sound pattern. All the words have at least one short /u/ sound. It is not just the final letter /a/ that can make the schwa sound as in: pizza, tuna, and comma.
The truth is any of the vowels can make the schwa sound. So be on the lookout and listen for all the vowel patterns in this game. Vowels: a, e, i, & o, might be making the short /u/ sound.
Letter a
was
what
grandma
about
The vowel /a/ might make the schwa sound, it can be in any position in a word. It may depend on your country, region, or dialect of English. It is often called the lazy /a/ sound. The open-mouth schwa sound is easier to say.
Letter e
The
the
The vowel /e/ may be the first schwa sound word that trips up the young student decoder. Letters /th/ are a digraph that they might know, but then the letter /e/ changes and is now making the schwa sound. In the game, there are both capital and lowercase cards for /the/.
Letter o
love
other
done
some
of
The vowel /o/ makes the schwa sound more often than you might think. There is a very predictable spelling pattern for some of the words. When the vowel letter /o/ is followed by: v, m, n, or th, it might make the schwa sound.
v, m, n, th
Examples are these words: oven, love, glove, and shovel.
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.
The Sound Wall Frame and Heart Words were a big hit with my students. We focused on the short /o/ sound, as in “all.” One of my students drew two L’s hugging each other, the letter /a/ is thought it was so cute, and she made the /o/ sound, “ŏ.”
You can use letter pictures to teach sounds and spelling patterns.
Sound Wall Frame and Heart Words were a big hit. Skill was Short /o/ as in all.
The Sound Wall Frame and Heart Words were a big hit with my students. We focused on the short /o/ sound, as in “all.” One of my students drew two L’s hugging each other, the letter /a/ is thought it was so cute, and she made the /o/ sound, “ŏ.”
I created a simple and versatile sound wall to display on my classroom wall, right next to my reading table. As part of my reading intervention lessons, students are encouraged to create visual images to help them remember the skills we are working on.
Add some silliness to the sight words. I have a collection of sight words that have a silly snake image. I tell the students that it is a sleepy snake. He falls asleep and starts to snore. He makes the “zzzzz.” sound.
This snoring snake would be a cute one to draw for the Sound Wall Frame.
A Simple Black Frame Has Inspired Students to Draw Decodable Sounds.
Sound Wall Frame. Letter g Pure Joy Teaching
Art has always been my first love, and it is a great way for students to make sound connections to letters, digraphs, spelling patterns, and heart words.
Any space can easily be used for this type of visual-sound encouragement.
I used a lightweight plastic frame with no glass and painted it black. I also colored the tacks black with a large permanent marker so that they were hidden. Now, the focus is on the art and the sounds.
Easy Step to Create a Sound Wall
Cut the background fabric a little larger than the frame opening.
Pin or staple the fabric to the wall.
Place large black tacks in the corner of the frame opening. Let the frame hang on the tacks inside the top two corners.
Let students draw pictures inside the letters to help them make sound connections. (Try to encourage using the letter shapes to make sound links to relatable words. Example /ee/ bee – might be two bumble bees.)
Extra tacks are there for students to hang their art.
Or display the main skill that you are working on for the day.
Lowercase letter g for girl, with braided long hair hanging down.
Some of my younger ESL students were confusing the hard and soft letter g sounds. This is actually very common because of the letter name influence.
The name of the letter G, does have a soft “j” sound and they can instantly relate the name and sound together. I like to correct them by reminding them that they are correct. Sometimes the letter G, does make the “j” sound but it also has a tricky first sound and that is the hard /g/ as in girl.
I created a sample drawing for them, where my girl had brown braided hair flowing down in the shape of a lowercase “g.” The other girls wanted to draw their own versions, adding colored hair, flowers, and crowns. We kept the pictures displayed for a while, and it actually helped some of the other intervention groups who were facing the same difficulty with the “g” sound.
If you don’t want to hand draw all the letters for the students you can print them out. It is very handy to have them ready ahead of time and add a word list on the back to inspire the art. This is my set for Long E.
These pre-made cards can be used to inspire the students with images that relate to the sounds that the letters make.
What to do with the pictures after they draw them?
After the lesson is over, I leave the pictures up for a while. Sometimes I have to take them down for the next group and replace them the next day. It depends on your classroom situation. I teach reading invention, in seven different groups a day.
Some of the groups began creating a sound notebook, gluing the pictures into it. This was a great way to keep the images and lessons organized together. If you think this would be helpful, I have a link to that resource.
vowel team digraph cards
Find this on TPT mnemonic images for sounds and spelling patterns.
The schwa sound can be challenging to teach and learn. While there are some tricky words, there are also predictable spelling patterns. These games and lessons can be helpful in mastering it.
Following the scope and sequence, some of the first words students may encounter are in the first lesson. These include words like: the, was, what, of, some, come, and from.
Learning the Schwa Spelling Pattern is Easier with Games and Posters.
Looking for a way to introduce and practice the schwa sound?
Explain the schwa sound to emergent readings
The schwa sound is more than just the letter /a/ making the /u/ sound in words like banana, grandma, and pizza.
Students may first encounter the sound in the words the, was, what, and the word of. As well as the words come, some, from, and love. The bundle below has my favorite tools for introducing the schwa sound and spelling patterns to students of many levels and skills.
Schwa spelling bundle
The schwa sound can be challenging to teach and learn. While there are some tricky words, there are also predictable spelling patterns. These games and lessons can be helpful in mastering it.
Following the scope and sequence, some of the first words students may encounter are in the first lesson. These include words like: the, was, what, of, some, come, and from.
The first poster set includes them. The warning sign theme helps reinforce the visual reminder that some words have tricky vowel sounds that we will call schwa.
schwa words of, the, was, what, warning signs. Pure Joy Teaching
The schwa sound is typically the short /u/ sound. What makes it more challenging to teach is that any of the vowel letters can represent the schwa sound.
You may choose to group the spelling patterns together to help students better remember them.
One option is to introduce the letter /o/ as a schwa sound, with a predictable pattern that students may encounter.
schwa love, dove, glove, Pure Joy Teaching
This schwa sound UNO-style game is excellent for helping students master words that feature the schwa sound.
Fast pasted fun educational game students will love to play.
The Letter U has Many Sounds
More than just schwa…………….
The letter “u” sound can be quite confusing, but this fun mnemonic sentence and image of the letter “u” pushing a super unicorn can serve as a memorable spelling aid.
