Word Family Shoe Box Centres

NEW YORK • TORONTO • LONDON • AUCKLAND • SYDNEYMEXICO CITY • NEW DELHI • HONG KONG • BUENOS AIRES

by Pamela Chanko

Word Families

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Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the activity sheets from this book for classroom use. No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted

in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of thepublisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.

Edited by Joan NovelliCover design and photograph by Brian LaRossa

Interior design by Holly GrundonInterior illustrations by James Graham Hale

ISBN 0-439-53795-9

Copyright © 2006 by Pamela Chanko.Published by Scholastic Inc.

All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

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For my father, the man of the family, who gave me my love of words.

AcknowledgmentsGrateful thanks to Joan Novelli and Deborah Schecter,

excellent editors and wonderful wordsmiths.

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C O T E T SNNAbout This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Sample Word Family Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Shoe Box Learning Centers Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Meeting the Language Arts Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Shoe Box Learning Center Skill PageMy Mini Picture Dictionary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Making Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Egg Scramble Word Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Words With Beginnings and Endings . . . . . . . . . 13A Wheelbarrow of Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Words With Beginnings and Endings . . . . . . . . . 16Flip-Book Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reading Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Squish and Spell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Spelling Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Elephant Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matching Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Word Family House . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Word Family Spelling Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Hens and Eggs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Spelling Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Take the Cake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matching Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Balls in the Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Word Families . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32Lace Race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Matching Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Wally the Word Snake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practicing Word-Building Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37Word Family Guessing Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Word Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Sunken Treasure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43Leaping Lilypads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Spelling Patterns for Vowel Sounds . . . . . . 46Word Family Shape Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing Words With Recognizable Chunks . . . . . . . . . . 49Race for the Rhyme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing and Writing Words With Phonograms . . . . . 51Shake It Up! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using Spelling Patterns to Spell Words . . . . . . . . . . . . 53Word Family Print Parade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Spelling Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55Silly Sentence Magnets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Sentences With Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . 56Zoom! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Practicing Long-Vowel Sounds and Spelling Patterns . . . 58Word Family Train . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Word Family Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60Three Little Pigs Word Family Houses . . . . . . Using Spelling Patterns to Build Words . . . . . . . . . . . . 62Word Family Soup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Words With Recognizable Chunks . . . . . . . . . 66Monster Word Builders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forming Words With Phonograms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Centipede Slide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Building Rhyming Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70I Spy a Rhyme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Word Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Tower of Rhymes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Spelling Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Grab Bag Story Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Writing Words With Recognizable Chunks . . . . . . . . . . 75Rebus Rhyme Mini-Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Recognizing Spelling Patterns in Connected Text . . . . . . 77More Easy-to-Make Shoe Box Learning Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

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About This Book

Children are naturally drawn to rhyming words and sounds, from nurseryrhymes to playground chants. Rhyme makes words fun to play with and

easier to remember. Exposing children to word families—words that end in thesame sound and spelling pattern—builds on their natural love of rhyme andleads them to become better readers. The more phonograms (the letters in theword family that form the common sound) children learn to recognize, themore words they can read and spell. For example, a child who recognizes thephonogram -at can more easily add the words cat, bat, rat, sat, and mat to his orher sight vocabulary. And once children know what these words look and soundlike, the better able they’ll be to use them in their own writing. Teaching wordfamilies as part of a reading program gives children the tools they need toefficiently decode a wide variety of words, and provides them with the sense ofconfidence that leads to a lifelong love of reading.

Another important component of any literacy program is independentpractice. When children are given the opportunity to use the strategiesthey’ve learned (and perhaps discover new ones) on their own, the learningexperience takes on a whole new meaning. When children are able to say “Idid it all by myself!” they take pride in their own learning and find joy in theprocess of learning itself. For this reason, the use of independent learningcenters as part of a reading and writing program is of paramount importance.Centers not only help children to learn independently but also allow them topractice working in groups—reinforcing the concepts of teamwork,cooperation, and responsibility.

Shoe Box Learning Centers: Word Families allows you to quickly and easily create30 engaging, portable, hands-on learning centers that teach important literacyskills in fun and creative ways. Making these shoe box learning centers is as easyas photocopying the reproducible labels, directions, and activity pages. Anyadditional materials that may be needed for a shoe box center, such as crayons,dried beans, or shoelaces, are readily available. The materials for each center fitneatly inside a shoe box, allowing you to stack and store them conveniently andpull them out as needed. With a few shoe boxes and a photocopier, you cancreate an incredible variety of fun, enriching literacy centers—in a snap!

What the Research Says

There have been many research studies conducted on the usefulness ofphonics instruction in the classroom. Because phonics instruction involves

teaching students to recognize the most common sound-spelling relationships inEnglish, word families are an important part of this instruction.

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Word families are a reliable method for teaching sound-spelling patterns.According to Cunningham (1995), the brain works as a “pattern detector.”Since word families contain reliable sound-spelling patterns, learning torecognize their common patterns increases children’s sight vocabulary. Onestudy reviewed 286 phonograms common to primary-level texts. Of these, 95 percent were pronounced the same in every word in which they were found(Durrell, 1963). Wylie and Durrell (1970) also found that nearly 500 primary-grade words can be derived from just 37 common phonograms.

As children’s decoding skills improve, so does their comprehension. Thereason for this is simple: Decoding a word takes time and energy. The fasterchildren can decode words, and the more words they recognize by sight, themore time and energy they have to devote to the meaning of the text(Freedman and Calfee, 1984; LaBerge and Samuels, 1974). Thus,teaching word families provides students with a valuable tool fordecoding words as they read. And as children learn to recognizecommon patterns in the words they encounter, this decoding ismade easier—allowing for smoother reading andbetter comprehension. For more information onphonics instruction and research, see Phonics From Ato Z, by Wiley Blevins (Scholastic, 1998).

Setting Up Shoe Box Learning Centers

This book contains 30 shoe box learning centers.The clear organization allows you choose the

activities you want to use and set up the shoe boxcenters quickly and easily. For each center, you’ll find:

• Shoe Box Setup: For most activities, all you’llneed to do is gather the materials and makecopies of the reproducible pages. These and anyother directions are listed in a “Shoe Box Setup”section for each center.

• Label and Directions: A label (shoe box learningcenter title) and set of student directions isprovided for each shoe box learning center.Photocopy these sections of the page onto coloredpaper (or have children decorate), and cut themout. Glue the label to one end of the shoe box. Glue the student directions to the inside of the box lid.

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Model each shoe boxactivity for childrenbefore having themtry it on their own.

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• Materials: An at-a-glance list includes all the items needed for each shoe box learning center. Simply gather the materials and place them in the box.

• Tips: These ideas include activity variations and extensions, as well ashelpful hints for making the most of children’s learning experiences.

• Reproducible Pages: Record sheets, story mats, game boards, word cards,mini books, and patterns are just some of the shoe box center suppliesincluded in the book.

Reinforcing and Assessing Student Learning

One of the greatest benefits of using centers in the classroom is that theyprovide teachers with the opportunity to work with small groups or

individuals on the concepts and skills being taught. To record students’ progressas they move through the shoe box learning centers, you may want to createassessment files. To do so, provide a pocket folder for each student. In the firstpocket, place a checklist of all the centers so that students can keep track ofthose they have completed. (See page 8 for a reproducible Shoe Box LearningCenters Checklist.) In the second, have students store completed record sheetsfor you to review. For activities that do not require record sheets, sticky noteswork well as an assessment tool. Observe students as they work with a shoe boxcenter and ask related questions. Jot comments on sticky notes, and record thechild’s name, the date, and the shoe box learning center name. Keep these on aseparate sheet of paper in the pocket folder for easy reference. In addition,comments for any center can be recorded on the checklist. Use theseassessments to guide students’ work with the centers. Encourage students torevisit those centers where they show a need for more practice.

Meeting the Language Arts Standards

M id-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL), anationally recognized, nonprofit organization, has compiled and

evaluated national and state standards—and proposed what Pre-K–12teachers should provide for their students to grow proficient in language arts, among other curriculum areas. The activities in this book support thesestandards for grades K–2. The chart on page 9 lists specific skills for each shoe box learning center as they relate to these standards.

ResourcesCunningham, P. M. 1995. Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing.New York: HarperCollins.

Durell, D. 1963. Phonograms in Primary Grade Words. Boston: BostonUniversity.

Wylie, R., and D. Durell. 1970. “Teaching Vowels Through Phonograms.”Elementary Education 47.

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A Note onTerminology andWord Family Lists

The teaching of wordfamilies centers onphonograms, or theletters in a word familythat form the commonsound. Phonograms canalso be referred to asword endings. (This partof a one-syllable word isalso known as a rime.)

The activities in thisbook were designed tocover the 50 mostcommon word families.However, most of theactivities can beexpanded or changed toteach any word family,and many of thereproducibles includeblank templates for youto plug in your ownphonograms.

On the followingpage are sample wordlists for some of themost common wordfamilies, which you candraw from to createyour own versions of theshoe box centers. Youcan also teach differentinitial consonants,blends, or digraphs bysubstituting other wordbeginnings, or onsets.

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Short-Vowel Phonograms

Short -a Phonograms-ack back, Jack, pack, quack, rack, sack,

black, crack, snack, track-an ban, can, Dan, fan, man, pan, ran,

tan, van, bran, plan, than-ank bank, sank, rank, tank, yank, blank,

clank, crank, drank, thank-ap cap, gap, lap, map, nap, rap, tap, clap,

flap, snap, trap-at bat, cat, fat, gnat, hat, mat, pat, rat,

sat, chat, flat, slat, that

Short -i Phonograms-ill bill, fill, hill, Jill, mill, pill, sill, will, chill,

spill, still, thrill-in bin, fin, pin, tin, win, chin, grin, skin,

spin, thin, twin -ip dip, hip, lip, nip, rip, sip, tip, zip, drip,

flip, skip, slip, trip-ing king, ring, sing, wing, bring, spring,

string, swing, thing-ink link, pink, rink, sink, wink, blink,

drink, shrink, think

Short -e Phonograms-ell bell, fell, sell, tell, well, yell, shell, smell,

spell-est best, nest, pest, rest, test, vest, west,

zest, chest-et bet, get, jet, let, met, net, pest, set,

wet, yet

Short -o Phonograms-ock dock, knock, lock, rock, sock, tock,

block, clock, smock-op bop, cop, hop, mop, pop, top, chop,

drop, flop, shop, stop-ot cot, dot, got, hot, knot, lot, not, pot,

rot, tot, slot, spot

Short -u Phonograms-uck buck, duck, luck, muck, puck, suck,

tuck, cluck, stuck, truck -ug bug, dug, hug, jug, lug, mug, rug,

tug, chug, plug, slug, snug-ump bump, dump, hump, jump, lump,

pump, clump, stump, thump

Long-Vowel Phonograms

Long -a Phonograms-ail fail, hail, jail, mail, nail, pail, rail, sail,

tail, wail, snail, trail-ake bake, cake, fake, lake, make, rake,

take, wake, shake, snake-ate date, gate, Kate, late, rate, crate,

grate, plate, skate, state-ay bay, day, hay, lay, may, pay, ray, say,

way, clay, play, stay, tray

Long -i Phonograms-ice dice, mice, nice, rice, price, slice, spice,

twice-ide hide, ride, side, tide, wide, bride, glide,

pride, slide-ight fight, knight, light, might, night, right,

sight, bright-ine dine, fine, line, mine, nine, pine, vine,

shine, swine

Long -e Phonograms-eat beat, heat, meat, neat, seat, cheat,

cleat, treat, wheat-eep beep, deep, jeep, keep, peep, cheep,

sheep, sleep, sweep

Long -o Phonograms-oke joke, poke, woke, broke, choke,

smoke, spoke, stroke-old bold, cold, fold, gold, hold, mold,

sold, told, scold

Variant-Vowel Phonograms

-air fair, hair, lair, pair, chair, flair, stair-ar bar, car, far, jar, tar, scar, star-aw caw, gnaw, jaw, law, paw, raw, saw,

claw, flaw, straw-ore bore, core, more, sore, tore, wore,

chore, score, store

Sample Word Family Lists

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Shoe Box Learning Center Date Comments

My Mini Picture Dictionary

Egg Scramble Word Builders

A Wheelbarrow of Words

Flip-Book Fun

Squish and Spell

Elephant Parade

Word Family House

Hens and Eggs

Take the Cake

Balls in the Air

Lace Race

Wally the Word Snake

Word Family Guessing Game

Sunken Treasure

Leaping Lilypads

Word Family Shape Books

Race for the Rhyme

Shake It Up!

Word Family Print Parade

Silly Sentence Magnets

Zoom!

Word Family Train

Three Little Pigs Word Family Houses

Word Family Soup

Monster Word Builders

Centipede Slide

I Spy a Rhyme

Tower of Rhymes

Grab Bag Story Starters

Rebus Rhyme Mini-Books

Shoe Box Learning Centers ChecklistName

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Meeting the Language Arts Standards

My Mini Picture Dictionary

Egg Scramble Word Builders

A Wheelbarrow of Words

Flip-Book Fun

Squish and Spell

Elephant Parade

Word Family House

Hens and Eggs

Take the Cake

Balls in the Air

Lace Race

Wally the Word Snake

Word Family Guessing Game

Sunken Treasure

Leaping Lilypads

Word Family Shape Books

Race for the Rhyme

Shake It Up!

Word Family Print Parade

Silly Sentence Magnets

Zoom!

Word Family Train

Three Little Pigs Word Family Houses

Word Family Soup

Monster Word Builders

Centipede Slide

I Spy a Rhyme

Tower of Rhymes

Grab Bag Story Starters

Rebus Rhyme Mini-Books

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DirectionsChoose a mini-book. Write your nameon the cover.

Find the pictures that go in yourbook. Paste a picture on each page.Write the word on the line.

Think of another thing that rhymes.Draw a picture. Write the word onthe line.

Use your rhyming dictionary to writea silly sentence, poem, or story.

My Mini PictureDictionaryChildren cut and paste pictures to createtheir own rhyming dictionaries.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• mini-book pages (page 11)• mini-book pictures (page 12)• resealable plastic bags• crayons• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

Copy and cut out the mini-book pagesand pictures for each phonogram

you’d like to teach. Staple the pagestogether and write a phonogram on eachcover. (Use the following phonograms togo with the pictures on page 12: -op, -ake, -ail, -ing.) Place the books, pictures,glue, crayons, and pencils in the shoe box(one book and set of pictures per student;for multiple setups, place materials inresealable bags). Glue the label to oneend of the box and the student directionsto the inside of the lid.

F or a less challenging activity,write the phonogram on

each page of the book, leaving aspace for children to fill in only themissing initial letters. For a morechallenging activity, place all the picturesin the shoe box. Challenge children to findfour pictures of things whose names rhymeand to write the words for them.

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MakingRhyming Words

Making Rhyming Words

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My Mini PictureDictionary

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My Mini Picture Dictionary

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DirectionsShake egg carton 1. Open it. Where did the bean land? Write it on the score sheet under Egg 1.

Shake egg carton 2. Open it. Where did the bean land? Write it under Egg 2.

Put the letters together in column 3. If they make a word, give yourselfone point. Give yourself an extrapoint if you can say another wordthat rhymes.

When the score sheet is full, add upthe points. Play again. Can you beatyour score?

Egg Scramble Word BuildersIn this game, children scramble word-part eggs to cook up words.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• egg patterns (page 14)• score sheet (page 15)• two clean, empty egg cartons• dried beans• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

M ake copies of the egg patterns andscore sheet. Cut out the eggs. Glue

the eggs with word beginnings into eachcup of one egg carton. (You can gluethem at a slight vertical angle so the eggslook like they are sitting in the carton.)Label the outside of this carton “1.” Gluethe word-ending eggs inside the secondcarton. Label this “2.” Place a dried beanin each carton and close the lid. Placethe cartons, score sheets, and pencils inthe shoe box. Glue the label to one endof the box and the student directions tothe inside of the lid.

M ake copies of the blankeggs to teach different

phonograms. Simply write newword beginnings on one dozen and newphonograms on another dozen.

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Building Words With Beginnings and Endings

Beginnings and EndingsBuilding Words With

Egg ScrambleWord Builders

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Egg Scramble

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ack ap ay ed ot ink

in ip est ine ice ide

b p r s t l

d m n w sh tr Shoe

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Egg Scramble Score SheetName Date

Egg 1 Egg 2 Scramble! Points

Egg Scramble Score SheetName Date

Egg 1 Egg 2 Scramble! Points

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Directions(for 2 or more players)

Choose a wheelbarrow. Place thewheelbarrow on Start. Place thegame cards in rows picture-side up.

Take turns following these directions:

• Toss a penny. If it lands heads up,move one space. If it lands tailsup, move two spaces.

• Take a card that matches the vegetable on that space.

• Try to use the letter or letters onthe back of the card to make aword with the letters on yourwheelbarrow. If you can make aword, keep the card. If not, returnthe card facedown.

Play until each player reaches Finish.Read aloud the words you make.

A Wheelbarrow of WordsChildren practice reading words withcommon phonograms in a game that letsthem “pick” peas, beans, corn, and moreto fill a phonogram wheelbarrow.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• game board (page 17)• wheelbarrows and game cards

(page 18)• penny

Shoe Box Setup

Photocopy the game board andlaminate. Photocopy the

wheelbarrows and cut them out. Write a phonogram on each. Make multiplecopies of the game cards. On the back of each, write a consonant, blend, ordigraph that will, when combined with a phonogram on a wheelbarrow, make aword. Make at least six cards for eachwheelbarrow. Use duplicate consonants,blends, and digraphs if desired. Place thegame board, wheelbarrows, game cards,and penny in the shoe box. Glue thelabel to one end of the box and thestudent directions to the inside of the lid.

For record-keeping andassessment, encourage

children to list the words theymake on paper. Let them read their wordlists to you to further reinforce the sound-spelling relationships they’re learning.

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Building Words With Beginnings and Endings

16

Beginnings and EndingsBuilding Words With

A Wheelbarrowof Words

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A Wheelbarrow of Words

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A Wheelbarrow of Words

18

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DirectionsTake a f lip bookpage. Cut along thedashed lines.

Place the large stripon the bottom. Stackthe smaller strips ontop. Line up the holes.

Push a paper fastenerthrough the holes. Bendback the ends.

Flip the pages andread each new word.Draw a picture of eachword on the page.

Flip-Book FunChildren read and illustrate rhymingwords with a flip book they createthemselves.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• flip books (pages 20–21)• hole punch• paper clips• paper fasteners• crayons

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the flip-book pages. Each strip isa set of pages for one flip book (a

larger page and two smaller pages). Cutalong the dashed lines to make threepages for each book. Punch holes whereindicated. Clip each set of flip-bookpages together. Place the book pages,paper fasteners, and crayons in the shoebox. Glue the label to one end of the boxand the student directions to the insideof the lid.

U se the blank flip-book stripto create new books for

different phonograms. You canalso make multiple copies of the smallpages (for word beginnings) to expand asingle flip book. For an extra challenge,have children attach several of theseblank pages to their books and fill in theletters themselves to make new words.

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ReadingRhyming Words

Reading Rhyming Words

Flip-Book Fun

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cll

slj

Flip-Book Fun

soc

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ox L

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Flip-Book Fun

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DirectionsChoose a bag and a card.

Place the bag on top of the card.Trace over the letters with your f inger or the eraser end of a pencil.Add one or more letters in front tomake a word.

Squish the bag to erase the letters. Use the same card to make new words.

Repeat using different word-ending cards.

Squish and SpellChildren practice letter formation,spelling patterns, and word-buildingskills using a fun, tactile writing surface.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• index cards• markers• large resealable plastic bags• clear hair gel • food coloring • pencils • tape

Shoe Box Setup

W rite phonograms on index cards(one per card). Fill the resealable

bags half full with hair gel. Tint with foodcoloring. Squeeze the excess air out of thebags and seal. (You may wish to tape thebags closed as well.) Place the phonogramcards, bags, and pencils in the shoe box.Glue the label to one end of the box andthe student directions to the inside of the lid.

For more practice, providerecord sheets for children to

list the words they make foreach phonogram card.

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RecognizingSpelling Patterns

Recognizing Spelling Patterns

22

Squish and Spell

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Directions(for 2 to 4 players)

Elephant ParadeIn this game, children match rhyming words to link elephants from trunk to tail.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• elephant patterns (page 24)

Shoe Box Setup

On card stock, make four copies of theelephant patterns. Write two words

on each elephant: one on the trunk andone on the tail. Use the word sets belowto create a starter set of elephants. Placethe elephants in the shoe box. Glue thelabel to one end of the box and thestudent directions to the inside of the lid.

Sample Word Sets:cake/bag rag/shellbell/top mop/tailmail/snake bake/sellyell/hop stop/flagdrag/sail pail/rakelake/truck duck/lightnight/sink drink/napcap/luck pluck/ringsing/bright flight/maptap/rink link/thing

To make a new game, write words on the

elephants that children can link according to features such asinitial and final consonant.

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MatchingRhyming Words

Matching Rhyming Words

Divide the group of elephants evenlyamong players. The first player setsout an elephant.

The next player reads the word on the elephant’s tail. This playerlooks for an elephant with a word on its trunk that rhymes. The playerthen links the matching elephants(trunk to tail) to start an elephantparade. If a player does not have a matching elephant, the next playertakes a turn.

Players continue taking turns addingto the elephant chain until no morematches can be made.

Elephant Parade

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Elephant Parade

24

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DirectionsCut along the dashed lines on Part 1to make window and door f laps foryour house. Be sure not to cut on thesolid lines.

Place Part 1 on top of Part 2. Glue together around the edges. Be sure not to glue down the f laps.

Lift the f laps to see what’s inside.Write the missing letters.

Which word family lives in the house?Write it on the front door. Use the words to tell a story about the family.

Word Family HouseEvery family needs a home. As childrencreate this special house, they learnabout the word family that lives in it.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• house patterns (page 26)• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the house patterns onto sturdypaper and cut them out. You may

want to use one color paper for the houseand another for the words and pictures.(Precut the windows on the house, ifdesired.) Place the house patterns,scissors, glue, and pencils in the shoe box.Glue the label to one end of the box andthe student directions to the inside of the lid.

M ake multiple copies ofthe house top, and have

children make homes fordifferent word families. Simply write thephonogram you’d like children to use onthe front door. Have children cut theflaps and glue the pattern to a sheet ofplain construction paper. They can lifteach flap and paste pictures of and labelitems belonging to the word family. Youmight even set aside a special bulletinboard for the houses and create a wholeword family town!

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Using Word-FamilySpelling Patterns

Using Word-Family Spelling Patterns

Word FamilyHouse

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Word Family House

____ at

____ at ____ at

____ at

____ at

The______Family

Part 1 Part 2

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Directions(for 2 to 4 players)

Place the eggs facedown. Each player takes a henhouse and a set ofhens, and places a hen on each nest.

The f irst player turns over an egg. Ifit makes a word with the letters on ahen, the player says the word andplaces the egg on the matching nest.If the egg does not make a word,place it faceup on the table.

The next player takes a turn. This player can take an egg that is faceup or choose a new egg.

Play until all the eggs are in a nest orno more matches can be made. Eachnest can have more than one egg.

Hens and EggsIn a matching game that reinforces wordrecognition and spelling patterns,children match eggs to their word family hens.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• henhouse (page 28)• hens and eggs (page 29)• resealable plastic bags

Shoe Box Setup

Copy a henhouse and set of hens foreach player. Laminate for durability.

Copy a set of eggs and cut them out. (Use the blank eggs to add wordfamilies.) Place each set of hens in aresealable bag. Place the henhouses,hens, and eggs in the shoe box. Glue the label to one end of the box and thestudent directions to the inside of the lid.

For a challenge, includeseveral blank eggs in the set.

If children turn over a blankegg, they can say any initial consonant,consonant cluster, or consonant digraphthat will make a word when combinedwith one of their hens. For practicereading different initial consonants,blends, and digraphs, simply white outthe word beginnings on the eggs andwrite new letters to form different words.(Or change the phonograms on the hensand make new eggs as needed.)

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RecognizingSpelling Patterns

27

Recognizing Spelling Patterns

Hens and Eggs

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Hens

and

Eggs

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Hens andEggs

29

b c r t p

n z d w s

f sl st th wh

tr fl h m k

____ at ____ ake ____ in

____ est ____ eat ____ op

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Directions(for 2 players)

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MatchingRhyming Words

30

Matching Rhyming WordsTake the CakeChildren match rhyming words in thisvariation on a popular card game.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• cake cards (page 31)

Shoe Box Setup

On card stock make two copies of thecake card patterns. Cut out the

cakes, and write one of the followingwords on each: slide ridesheep jeepfill spillfine linequick tricksame gamebee kneebright lightback trackpay dayscore morehot spot

Place the cards in the shoe box. Glue thelabel to one end of the box and thestudent directions to the inside of the lid.

U se the cards to playdifferent games. For

example, children might playrhyming rummy or concentration. For atwist on concentration, make two sets ofcards and give each player a deck.Children can have a race to see who canmatch all of his or her cards first.

slide ride

slide ride

Take the Cake

Each player takes f ive cards. Stackthe other cards facedown. Turn overone card to make a discard pile.

Take turns following these directions:• Read aloud a word on a card. • Ask the other player if he or she

has the rhyming card. If so, he orshe gives it to you. If not, thisplayer says “Take the cake!”

• Take the top card on the stack orthe top card from the discard pile.

• Display any rhyming word pairs,then discard one card.

Play until one player has matched all of his or her cards. Players read theirrhyming word pairs.

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Take the Cake

31

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DirectionsChoose a juggler. Read the letters on the juggler’s hat. Write them onthe record sheet.

Choose a milk cap. Add the letter or letters on the milk cap to the letters on the hat. Do they make aword? If they do, place the milk cap above the juggler’s hands. If they don’t, try a new milk cap.

Add as many milkcaps as you can to make words.Complete therecord sheet toshow the lettersyou used. Writethe letters in thecircles. Write thewords on the lines.

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BuildingWord Families

32

Balls in the AirChildren get into the act by sortingjuggling balls that belong to the sameword family.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• juggler patterns (page 33)• milk caps• permanent marker• record sheet (page 34)• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

Copy and cut apart the juggler patterns.Write a word family on each juggler’s

hat. Laminate the jugglers. Write an initialconsonant, consonant cluster, orconsonant digraph on each milk cap that,when combined with one of the wordfamilies, will make a word. For example, ifyou write the word families ack and ay onthe jugglers, you could write the letters cl,p, r, s, t, qu, b, d, m, tr, cl, h, and j on themilk caps. Customize the record sheets tomatch the word family on each juggler.Place the jugglers, milk caps, record sheets,and pencils in the shoe box. Glue the labelto one end of the box and the studentdirections to the inside of the lid.

For a variation, place eachjuggler and a set of milk caps

in a resealable bag. Use milkcaps that will make words as well as onethat will not. Have children find outwhich one doesn’t belong.

Building Word Families

ball

t c

w

Balls in the Air

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Balls

inth

eAi

rBa

llsin

the

Air

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Balls

inth

eAi

rNa

me

Date

Balls

inth

eAi

rNa

me

Date

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Directions(for 2 players)

Each player gets a sneaker. Oneplayer says “1, 2, 3, Lace!” to beginthe game.

Look at the f irst word on the left.Push the end of the shoelace throughthe hole next to the rhyming word onthe right. Then pull the shoelaceback up through the next hole on theleft. Again, push the shoelacethrough the hole next to the rhymingword on the right.

Continue until each player hasmatched each word with its rhyme.

Turn the sneakers over to check youranswers. The player who f inishesfirst wins the race—but only if thewords are connected in order!

Lace RaceChildren practice both speed andaccuracy as they race to match rhyming words.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• sneaker patterns (page 36)• shoelaces • hole punch

Shoe Box Setup

C opy the sneaker patterns onto cardstock. Cut out both sides of each

sneaker. Glue the sneaker patterns back-to-back so that they line up. Punch holes where indicated, andlaminate if possible. For each sneaker,thread the shoelace through the first hole on the left and tie a knot in back tosecure. Place the completed sneakers inthe shoe box. Glue the label to one endof the box and the student directions tothe inside of the lid.

M ake blank sneakerpatterns to create new

games. Write rhyming wordsof your choice on one side of the sneakerand numbers showing the correct lacingorder on the other. You can also create avariation by writing initial consonants,blends, or digraphs on the left and wordendings on the right. Challenge childrento lace up the sneaker to build words.

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MatchingRhyming Words

35

Matching Rhyming Words

Lace Race

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Lace

Race

Lace

Race

8 10 2 4 6

1 3 5 7 9

jum

p

play run

hoop

ball

fun

scoo

p

call

pum

p

day

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Directions(for 2 to 4 players)

Place the markers on Start. Stack the cards facedown next to the board.

The f irst player spins and moves that many spaces on the snake. The player reads the word endingand takes a card. If the letters on the card make a word with theending on the space, the playerstays on the space. If not, the player moves back one space. The next player takes a turn.

After each turn, players return their card to the bottom of the pile. The first player to reach Finishwins the game.

Wally the Word SnakeIn this game, children rely on both word-building skills and chance as theyrace to reach the finish line.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• game board (page 38)• game cards and spinner (page 39)• game markers (such as different-

colored math cubes or tiles)• paper clip• paper fastener

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the game board, game cards, andspinner onto card stock. You may

wish to laminate them for durability. Cutout the cards and spinner. To create thespinner, push a paper fastener throughone end of a paper clip and then throughthe center of the spinner. Be sure tofasten loosely so the clip will spin easily.Place the board, cards, spinner, andmarkers in the shoe box. Glue the labelto one end of the box and the studentdirections to the inside of the lid.

For a variation, usecorrection fluid or tape to

change the spaces on theboard. Provide word beginnings and aline for word ending. Make cards withword endings.

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Wally

the Word Snake

Practicing Word-Building Skills

Practicing Word-Building Skills

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Wally the Word Snake

38

____ oke

____ an____ ine

____ ell____ ip____ in

____ ake

____ ide____ ank ____ ish

____ et____ ug

____ air

____ it____ ight

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Wally the Word Snake

br f r f l

sm p ch m

sn w t j

l b sh s

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Directions(for 2 to 4 players plus “announcer”)

The f irst player chooses a word family category and points to anyclue f lap. The announcer uncoversthe clue and reads it aloud.

The player guesses the word and theannouncer lifts the f lap. If the playerwas correct, he or she gets the number of points shown.

Players continue to take turns choosing categories and clue f laps.Each clue can be used only once.

When all the clues have been used,players add uptheir points. Theplayer with themost points wins the game.

Word Family Guessing GameChildren play for points in an exciting game that challenges them to guess words in differentphonogram categories.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• game board top (page 41)• game board bottom (page 42) • paper• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

C opy the top and bottom of the gameboard onto card stock. Cut the top of

the board along the dashed lines to makefour rows of four flaps each. Be sure notto cut on the solid lines. Staple or gluethe game board top to the bottom,attaching the edges so that the flaps donot get glued down. When lined upcorrectly, the flaps will reveal the answersand points when lifted. Attach a smallsticky note to each flap to cover up theclues. Place the game board, paper, andpencils in the shoe box. Glue the label toone end of the box and the studentdirections to the inside of the lid.

C reate a new game bywriting in new phonograms

at the top of the board. Useadditional small sticky notes to write newword clues and answers. Attach the notesto the flaps and to the board’s bottom.

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RecognizingWord Parts

Recognizing Word Parts

40

-ock -ink -ack

Word FamilyGuessing Game

Word Family Guessing Game

__ock

It tells time. It makes a breeze.

You do this whenyou close you eyes quickly.

Jill went up the hill with him.

__an __ink __ack

It goes on your foot.

You can cook in it.

You can ice skate on it.

You can do thiswith blocks.

I t m e a n s s o m e o n e w a n t s

t o c o m e i n .

Y o u c a n r i d e i n i t .

Y o u w a s h d i s h e s i n i t .

I t ’s t h e o p p o s i t e o f f r o n t .

I t ’s a n o t h e r n a m e f o r a s t o n e .

Y o u c a n b u y s o u p i n i t .

Th i s m e a n s t o g e t s m a l l e r .

A t r a i n r u n s o n i t .

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41

Wor

dFa

mily

Gue

ssin

gG

ame

__oc

k

Itte

llstim

e.It

mak

esa

bre

eze.

You

do

this

whe

nyo

ucl

ose

you

eyes

quic

kly.

Jill

wen

tup

the

hill

with

him

.

__an

__in

k__

ack

Itgo

eson

your

foot

.Yo

uca

nco

okin

it.Yo

uca

nic

esk

ate

onit.

You

can

do

this

with

blo

cks.

Itm

eans

som

eone

wan

tsto

com

ein

.

You

can

rid

ein

it.Yo

uw

ash

dis

hes

init.

It’s

the

opp

osite

offr

ont.

It’s

anot

her

nam

efo

ra

ston

e.

You

can

buy

soup

init.

This

mea

nsto

get

smal

ler.

Atr

ain

runs

onit.

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Wor

dFa

mily

Gue

ssin

gG

ame

cloc

k

200

fan

300

blin

k

300

Jack

100

sock

100

pan 100

rink

200

stac

k40

0

knoc

k

400

van

200

sink

100

bac

k

200

rock

300

can

400

shri

nk

400

trac

k30

0

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43

Directions(for 2 to 4 players)

Stack the treasure cards facedown in the center of the board. Eachplayer places a marker on a different Start space.

Take turns rolling the number cube.Move that many spaces. Follow anydirections on the space.

When a player lands on “Dive!” he orshe picks a treasure card and readsthe word. If the player can say threemore words that rhyme, he or shekeeps the card. If not, it is placedon the bottomof the pile.

Continue untilall the cardsare gone.

Sunken TreasureIn this game, children dive for treasureand come up with rhyming words.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• game board (page 44)• treasure cards (page 45)• number cube• game markers (such as different-

colored math cubes or tiles)

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the game board and cards ontocard stock, and laminate if desired.

Children might like to color the gameboard and cards first. Cut apart the gamecards along the dashed lines. Place theboard, cards, number cube, and gamemarkers in the shoe box. Glue the labelto one end of the box and the studentdirections to the inside of the lid.

To incorporate writing andspelling, have children

write their rhyming words on asheet of paper. You might have one childbe a “spellchecker.” For an even greaterchallenge, increase the number ofrhyming words children must make inorder to keep the treasure.

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RecognizingRhyming Words

Recognizing Rhyming Words

Sunken Treasure

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44

Dive!Skip

aturn.

Move

ahead2

spaces.

Move

ahead2

spaces.

Go

back2

spaces.

Go

back3

spaces.Dive!

Dive!

Dive!

Sta

rtSta

rt

Sta

rtSta

rt

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ring shell

crown bank

gold lock

chest sack

map ship

45

Sunken Treasure

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Directions(for 2 or more players)

Each player takes a game board, setof frogs, and record sheet. Eachplayer places a frog on Start.

Players take turns rolling the numbercube and moving their frog. If thereis a word on the lilypad, read it. If theword rhymes with the word on thefrog, record both words in a lilypadon the record sheet.

On each turn players may start a newfrog or move a frog already on theboard. Players canmove a frog aroundthe game boardmore than once tomake a match. Thefirst player tomatch each frog toa lilypad wins.

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Recognizing Spelling Patterns for Vowel Sounds

46

Patterns for Vowel SoundsRecognizing Spelling

Leaping LilypadsChildren build word family lists as they hoptheir frogs from one lilypad to another.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• game board (page 47)• frog patterns and record sheet

(page 48)• resealable plastic bags• number cube• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

C opy the game board and frogs ontocard stock (one set per player). Make

copies of the record sheet. For each gameboard, write six words that representsdifferent phonograms on six randomlilypads (one word per lilypad). Write aword that rhymes with each lilypad wordon a frog. Place the frogs in a resealablebag. Make a different game board and setof frogs for each player. Place the gameboards, frogs, record sheets, number cube,and pencils in the shoe box. Glue thelabel to one end of the box and thestudent directions to the inside of the lid.

For a challenge, invitechildren to write a new

word on each lilypad (on therecord sheet) that rhymes with the othertwo words. Expand the shoe box center bycreating new game board and frog sets.Children can help make these, reinforcingspelling patterns in the process.

Leaping Lilypads

LeapingLilypads

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Leaping Lilypads

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Leaping Lilypads

Name Date

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DirectionsChoose a shape. What does it looklike? Complete the word and writeyour name to make the book cover.

Trace the shape and cut it out tomake more pages. On each page,draw a picture of something else in the same word family. Write the word.

Staple the pages together to make a book. Read it to a friend.

Word Family Shape BooksChildren use their own pictures andletters to create shape booksrepresenting word families.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• shape book patterns (page 50)• paper• pencils• crayons• stapler

Shoe Box Setup

Enlarge the shape book patterns andcopy onto card stock. Cut out the

shapes. Place the patterns, paper, scissors,pencils, crayons, and stapler in the shoebox. Glue the label to one end of the boxand the student directions to the insideof the lid.

Refresh this center from timeto time with new shape

book patterns to reinforcedifferent word families. For example, youmight create a ship pattern for the -ipfamily, a baseball cap for the -ap family,and a van shape for the -an word family.

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Recognizable ChunksWriting Words With

Word FamilyShape BooksName

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50

____

ig

____ at

____ ock

____ ing

Nam

e

Word Family Shape Books

Name

NameName

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Directions(for 3 players)

Spread out the objects on a table.Shuff le the clue cards. Place themfacedown.

One child chooses a card and readsthe clues aloud. The other two playersrace to name and spell the matchingobject. The first player to guess correctly takes the card and object.

Another child chooses a card. Theother two players race to name andspell the object. Continue taking turnsto match up all the cards and objects.

Race for the RhymeChildren practice spelling patterns as theymatch objects that have rhyming names.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• clue cards (page 52)• resealable plastic bags• sets of objects (see lists in Shoe

Box Setup)

Shoe Box Setup

Copy and cut apart the clue cards.Place each set of cards in a resealable

bag and label (short i, long i). Gatherobjects to represent each item describedin the clue cards, for example:

Short i: small stick, toy ring, picture ofbaseball mitt, picture of a face with arrowpointing to the chin, pink crayon, toyfish, safety pin, paper clip

Long i: dice, plastic knife, dime, plasticnumber 9, piece of striped fabric, whitecrayon, plastic number 5, picture of an eye

Store each set of objects in a separate bag.Place the clue cards and sets of objects inthe shoe box. Glue the label to one end ofthe box and the student directions to theinside of the lid.

To vary the game, mix up the objects to create sets

with combinations of vowelsounds. Rearrange the clue cardsaccordingly. Make new sets of clue cardsand objects to reinforce other phonograms.

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Recognizing and Writing Words With Phonograms

Words With PhonogramsRecognizing and Writing

Race for the Rhyme

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Race for the Rhyme

52

I rhyme with brick.

You can find me near

a tree.

(short i)

I rhyme with sing.

You can wear me on

a finger.

I rhyme with sit.

You can catch a ball

with me.

[art: face with arrow

hin]

I rhyme with win.

You can find me

on a face.

I rhyme with link.

You can make me by

mixing red and white.

I rhyme with swish.

You can find me

swimming in a school.

I rhyme with win.

You can use me to

fasten something.

I rhyme with tip.

You can use me to

hold papers together.

We rhyme with mice.

You can roll us in

a game.

I rhyme with life.

You can use me to

cut a sandwich.

I rhyme with lime.

You can use me to

buy something.

nine]

I rhyme with mine.

You can find me

before 10.

I rhyme with ripe.

You can see me on

the American flag.

I rhyme with bite.

You can mix me with

red to make pink.

I rhyme with bye.

You can find me

on a face.

(short i) (short i)(short i)

(short i) (short i) (short i)(short i)

(long i) (long i) (long i)(long i)

(long i) (long i) (long i)(long i)

I rhyme with hive.

You can use me to

count quickly.

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Directions(for 2 to 4 players)

Place the cubes in the cup.

Take turns shaking the cup and tossing the cubes on the table.

Make as many words as you can withthe word beginnings and endings youtossed. If you have a cube with ablank side, you can choose your ownbeginning or ending. Record thewords on paper.

Shake It Up!In this game, children learn to recognizespelling patterns as they build words incommon families.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• cube patterns (page 54)• plastic or paper cup • paper• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the cube patterns onto sturdypaper and cut them out. Follow the

directions for folding and gluing. Placethe cubes, cup, paper, and pencils in theshoe box. Glue the label to one end ofthe box and the student directions to theinside of the lid.

U se the blank cube templateto reinforce different

spelling patterns. Make fourcopies. Write phonograms on two of thecubes and initial consonants, clusters, ordigraphs on the other two cubes.

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Using Spelling Patterns to Spell Wordsto Spell Words

Using Spelling Patterns

Shake It Up!

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GLUE

GLU

E

GLUEGLUE

GLU

E

GLUE

GLUE

orey

awas

hik

eal

e

GLU

E

GLUE

GLU

EG

LUE

GLUE

GLU

E

GLU

E

ame

unk

aditeaten

GLU

E

GLUE

GLU

EG

LUE

GLUE

GLU

E

GLU

E

b

p

strchl

GLU

E

GLUE

GLU

EG

LUE

GLUE

GLU

E

GLU

E

GLU

E

GLUE

GLU

EG

LUE

GLUE

GLU

E

GLU

E

g

f l

sthbm

Cube Patterns

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55

DirectionsRead the word endings on yourrecord sheet. How many words inthese families can you f ind?

Look through the newspapers andmagazines. Each time you find a word,cut it out and paste it in the box.

Fill each box with as many words asyou can.

Cut apart the boxes. Display yourwork in the Word Family Print Parade.

Word Family Print ParadeChildren learn to recognize spellingpatterns in environmental print as theygo on a scavenger hunt throughnewspapers and magazines.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• newspapers, magazines, and flyers

Shoe Box Setup

G ather newspapers, magazines, flyers,and advertisements. Large-print

periodicals (such as those geared towardchildren or seniors) work especially well.Create a record sheet by dividing a sheetof paper into several columns andlabeling each with a word family. Makemultiple copies. Set aside an eye-levelwall space for a “Word Family PrintParade” on which children can displaytheir completed work. Label a separatesection on the wall for each word family.Place print materials, record sheets,scissors, and glue in the shoe box. Gluethe label to one end of the box and thestudent directions to the inside of the lid.

Extend the activity by havingchildren hunt for different

phonograms. Simply white outthe phonograms on the sheet and writenew ones in the boxes.

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RecognizingSpelling Patterns

Recognizing Spelling Patterns

Word FamilyPrint Paradesale best yum

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DirectionsSort the word family magnets into piles. Make one pile for each word family.

Choose a word family pile and place the magnets on the board.

Add the sentence-builder magnets to the board. Move the magnetsaround to make a silly sentence.Read the sentence to a friend.

Repeat, using new word family magnets.

Silly Sentence MagnetsIn this variation on the popular“magnetic poetry” pastime, children sortwords into families and use them tocreate silly sentences.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• word magnet cards (page 57)• self-stick magnetic tape• small magnetic boards• resealable plastic bags

Shoe Box Setup

C opy the word magnet cards onto cardstock. You may wish to make several

copies of the sentence-builder cards, asthese words will probably be usedmultiple times. Laminate the cards fordurability. To create the magnets, cut outeach strip of words and attach a piece ofmagnetic tape to the back. Cut apart thewords in each strip. Place the word familymagnets in a bag and label it. Place thesentence-builder magnets in a bag andlabel it. Place the magnets and magneticboards in the shoe box. Glue the label toone end of the box and the studentdirections to the inside of the lid.

T o reinforce sentence format,make magnets for words

such as The, I, A, and An,using initial capital letters. Expand thiscenter by making additional word familyand sentence-builder word magnets.

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Building SentencesWith Rhyming Words

56

Building Sentences With Rhyming Words

Silly SentenceMagnets

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Silly Sentence Magnets

Word Family Magnets

Sentence-Builder Magnets

57

hat fat lake pig

mat rat shake jig

sat snake fake wig

cat cake bake dig

big

twig

bug

snug

hug mug nice mice rug

they had . ! ?

the have I is

was went did saw

on in that a

to or with were

and

are

of

it

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DirectionsLook at the street map. Read thestreet signs. The street names areword beginnings.

Look at the cars. The letters on thecars are word endings.

Choose a car. Put your car on Start.Now drive! For each street you cometo, try to make a word. If the streetsign letter and your car letters makea word, write it on a sheet of paper.Drive to as many streets as you can.Make as many words as you can.

Choose a new car. Make new words.

Zoom!Children build words and learn aboutlong-vowel sounds and spelling patternsas they zoom cars around city streets.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• street map (page 59)• removable stickers• small toy cars• paper• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

Enlarge the street map on card stock.You may wish to laminate it for

durability. Use removable stickers to labelthe cars with the following phonograms: -ate, -ake, -eat, -old, -eep, -ine, -eet, -ice.Place the map, cars, paper, and pencils inthe shoe box. Glue the label to one endof the box and the student directions tothe inside of the lid.

For a new game, change thestickers to focus on short-

vowel phonograms such as -in,-ed, -up, -ot, -at, -ack, and -ick. Ifnecessary, white out the letters on thestreet signs to add new letters that willeasily form words when added to thebeginning of the new phonograms.

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Practicing Long-Vowel Sounds and Spelling Patterns

Sounds and Spelling PatternsPracticing Long-Vowel

Zoom!

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Zoom!

59

M Street

DStreet

BStreet

LStreet

RStreet

N Street

F Street

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DirectionsChoose a train car.

Open the doors and draw or glueinside pictures of things with namesthat go in your word family. Write theword for each picture.

Add your car to the Word FamilyTrain. Open the doors on each carto see what’s inside!

Word Family TrainChildren create special cars for differentword families to make a collaborativetrain banner for the classroom.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• train car patterns (page 61)• construction paper • pictures from magazines• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

Enlarge and copy the engine patternand display in an eye-level spot on a

wall or bulletin board. Enlarge and copythe train car pattern for each phonogramyou want to include. Label each train carwith a different phonogram. Cut along thedashed lines on the train cars to make doorflaps. Place glue on the back of each traincar around the edges only. Glue each traincar to a sheet of construction paper andtrim to size. Place the train car patterns,pictures, pencils, scissors, and glue in theshoe box. Glue the label to one end of thebox and the student directions to theinside of the lid.

A s a variation, glue thetrain cars to construction

paper that has been laminated.Use removable wall adhesive to placepictures (cut from magazines) randomlyon the train cars. Have children rearrangethe pictures, placing them on the correcttrain cars.

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Building WordFamily Lists

60

Building Word Family Lists

Word FamilyTrain

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Word Family Train

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All Aboard the Word Family Train!

Car

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DirectionsChoose one of the three little pigs’houses. Take a matching bag ofbuilding materials.

Build the pigs’ house by matching wordbeginnings with word endings. To makea word, place one of each in spacesthat are side by side. (You will havesome word beginnings left over.)

Build words until your house is complete.

Three Little Pigs WordFamily HousesIn this fun fairy tale game, children buildword-family houses for the three littlepigs to keep out the big, bad wolf!

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• house patterns (pages 63–65)• 10 craft sticks, cut in half• 20 stones (each about an inch long)• yellow tagboard (20 1/2- by 2-inch

pieces)• 3 resealable plastic bags

Shoe Box Setup

C opy and laminate the houses. Write ick on eight craft stick halves (near the

left edge). On the remaining halves, writest, br, ch, k, cl, p, t, tr, and the distractors z,g, v, and c (near the right edge). Write oneon eight stones. On the remaining stones,write st, b, c, ph, t, z, sh, thr, and thedistractors tr, f, j, and r. Write aw on eightpieces of tagboard straw. On the remainingpieces, write str, cl, j, fl, p, r, s, dr, and thedistractors b, d, t, and tr. Place each set ofmaterials (sticks, stones, and straw) in abag. Place the houses and bags in theshoe box. Glue the label to one end ofthe box and the student directions to theinside of the lid.

T o reinforce more spellingpatterns, write new

phonograms and initialconsonants on sticks, stones, and straw.

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Using Spelling Patterns to Build Words

Patterns to Build WordsUsing Spelling

Three Little

Pigs Word

Family Houses

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Three Little Pigs Stick House

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Three Little Pigs Stone House

64

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Three Little Pigs Straw House

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Directions(for 2 or more players)

Each player takes a soup bowl. Liftthe cover off the soup pot. Taketurns using the ladle to place ascoop of noodles in your bowl.

Move the noodlesaround to make asmany words as youcan without reusingany noodles. Record the words youmake on a soup bowl record sheet.

When you have made all the wordsyou can, compare bowls. How manydifferent words did you maketogether? How many of those wordsare three letters? Four? Five?

Return your noodles to the pot. Give the noodles a stir, then play again.

Word Family SoupChildren stir up a bowl of alphabet soupwith this recipe for word-building fun.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• soup bowl patterns (page 67)• short rigatoni noodles• permanent marker• small covered pot• ladle • pencils

Shoe Box Setup

M ake copies of the soup bowl patternpage. Cut apart the soup bowls.

Laminate several. Use the others for recordsheets. On pasta, write the followingphonograms, initial consonants, consonantclusters, and consonant digraphs (one pernoodle): ank, ook, oat, ose, all, un, ish, own,op, ar, ack, eat, ing, aw, ape, unk, ay, ed, ink,ate, ad, ice, it, id, b, c, n, t, d, f, s, r, l, p, k, m,w, g, h, j, cr, ch, st, fl, sh, dr, tr, pl. Place allnoodles in the pot and cover. Place thesoup bowls, record sheets, noodle pot,ladle, and pencils in the shoe box. Gluethe label to one end of the box and thestudent directions to the inside of the lid.

To expand the center, writenew phonograms on noodles

and make duplicate sets of theword-beginning noodles. Add the newnoodles to the pot.

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66

Building Words With Recognizable Chunks

With Recognizable ChunksBuilding Words

Word FamilySoup

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Word Family SoupName Date

Word Family SoupName Date

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DirectionsChoose a monster body. Say thesound the letters make. Glue the monster body to a sheet of paper.

Find heads, arms, legs, and tails that make words with those letters.Glue each part to the body to builda monster.

Monster Word BuildersChildren build words with the samephonogram to make a monster.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• monster patterns (page 69)• paper• markers or crayons

Shoe Box Setup

M ake multiple copies of the monsterpatterns. Cut out each shape along

the dashed lines. Place the monstershapes, glue, and markers or crayons inthe shoe box. Glue the label to one endof the box and the student directions tothe inside of the lid.

To expand the activity, usecorrection fluid to change

the letters on a copy of themonster patterns. Add copies of the newpatterns to the shoe box. For a livelydisplay, invite children to combine theircreatures on a word-builders bulletinboard, adding details to create amonstrous scene.

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Forming WordsWith Phonograms

68

Forming Words With Phonograms

Monster Word Builders

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Monster Word Builders

69

ug

ell

op

ace

b

f

t

p

ch

sp sp

plpl

chth th

in

ump

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DirectionsThread the “Beginning” letter stripthrough the slits on the f irst circle as shown. Thread the other stripsthrough the slits as shown.

Pull the f irst two strips until you make a word. Pull the third strip until you f ind a rhyme.

Repeat, making different combinations of words and rhymes.

Centipede SlideChildren practice building words andfinding rhymes with a slide-throughgame they create themselves.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• centipede pattern and word strips

(page 71)

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the centipede pattern and wordstrips onto card stock. Cut slits on the

centipede along the dashed lines. Cut thestrips apart along the dashed lines. Placethe strips and the centipede patterninside the shoe box. Glue the label to oneend of the box and the student directionsto the inside of the lid.

U se multiple copies of theblank strip to teach

different word beginnings andendings. Write initial consonants,consonant clusters, or consonant digraphson one strip, phonograms on the next,and an additional rhyming word fromeach family on the last.

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BuildingRhyming Words

70

Building Rhyming Words

Centipede Slide

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Centipede Slide

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twin

e

Rhym

e

zip

tras

h

flag

plug vest

smel

l

fed

stay

clap

n

Begi

nnin

g

r h s m l t w b d

+ rhymeswith

ash

Endi

ng

ine

ed ug ell

ay ap ip est

ed

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Directions(for 2 players)

Place your markers on Start. The f irstplayer tosses a penny. If it landsheads up, move 1 space. If it landstails up, move 2 spaces.

Look at the picture and the word onthe space. Then point to something inthe classroom that rhymes. Say “I spya [rhyming word].”

Continue taking turns and spyingrhymes. The first player to reachFinish wins the game.

I Spy a RhymeIn this version of I Spy, children findrhyming objects around the classroom.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• game board (page 73)• game markers (such as different-

colored math cubes or tiles)• penny

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the game board onto card stockand laminate if you wish. Place the

game board, markers, and penny in theshoe box. Glue the label to one end ofthe box and the student directions to theinside of the lid.

M ake additional versions of this game by using

correction fluid or tape tochange the words. To incorporate writing,provide paper and pencils so children cankeep a record of rhyming word pairs.

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RecognizingWord Patterns

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Recognizing Word Patterns

I Spy a Rhyme

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I Spy a Rhyme

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Directions(for 2 players)

Player 1: Choose a cup and read theword. Place it right side up.

Player 2: Find the cup that rhymeswith the f irst cup. Read both words.Stack the cup upside down on thefirst cup.

Continue stacking rhyming words.Play until the tower of rhymes topplesor all rhymes have been used.

Play again. This time the other player goes f irst.

Tower of RhymesChildren match phonograms with shortand long vowels to build a tower ofrhyming words.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• small paper cups• marker• paper• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

G enerate a list of rhyming word pairs,with each pair belonging to the same

word family. (See page 7 for samplewords.) Write each word two times on asmall cup—once right side up, then againupside down (so that whether the cup isplaced right side up or upside down onthe tower, the word will be readable).Make at least 20 sets of rhyming wordcups. Mix up the cups and place them,along with paper and pencils, in the shoebox. Glue the label to one end of the boxand the student directions to the insideof the lid.

To incorporate writing, havechildren keep a list of words

as they go. Challenge childrento try to beat their record the next timethey play.

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RecognizingSpelling Patterns

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Tower of Rhymes

Recognizing Spelling Patterns

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DirectionsChoose a grab bag. Without looking,take four cards from the bag.

Use the words to tell a silly story.

Draw a picture of your story.

Grab Bag Story StartersWith these surprise sets of words,children use their creativity as they learn word families.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• grab bag word cards (page 76)• tagboard• brightly-colored paper bags• paper• pencils• crayons

Shoe Box Setup

Copy the grab bag cards. Cut them out(use scissors with a decorative edge

for a playful touch), and frame each on aslightly larger sheet of colorful tagboard.Place each set of cards in a bag labeled“Grab Bag Story Starters.” Place the bags,paper, pencils, and crayons in the shoebox. Glue the label to one end of the boxand the student directions to the inside ofthe lid.

You may want to set aside abulletin board or wall space

in your classroom to displaychildren’s stories and pictures. You canfollow the format to create new sets ofgrab bag cards. (See page 7 for word lists.)Use a different-colored marker for eachset of words to assist students in returningthe words to the correct bags whenthey’re finished.

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Writing Words WithRecognizable Chunks

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Grab Bag Story Starters

Writing Words With Recognizable Chunks

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Grab Bag Story Starters

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Set 1

Stan

can

fan

man

Jan

pan

plan

ran

Set 2

fat

cat

mat

rat

hat

bat

splat

f lat

Set 3

frog

jog

log

bog

fog

hog

smog

dog

Set 4

bug

jug

rug

hug

slug

tug

snug

dug

Set 5

trip

slip

zip

tip

f lip

rip

skip

blip

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DirectionsWrite your name on the cover of the book. Read each page.

Find the pictures that will make each poem rhyme. Paste them in theboxes where they make sense.

On the last page, draw pictures in the boxes to go with the words.Write a word that will complete the rhyme.

Read your book to a friend.

Rebus Rhyme Mini-BooksIn this interactive mini-book, children use pictures and words to create rebus rhymes.

Materials• shoe box• box label• student directions• scissors• glue• mini-book pages and rebus cards

(page 78)• stapler• resealable plastic bags• crayons• pencils

Shoe Box Setup

Enlarge and copy the mini-book pagesand rebus cards. Cut apart the book

pages, add a cover, and staple themtogether in order. Cut out the rebuscards. Store each book and set of cards ina separate resealable bag to make a kit.Place the book kits, crayons, pencils, andglue in the shoe box. Glue the label toone end of the box and the studentdirections to the inside of the lid.

A s a variation, write eachline of the rebus rhymes on

a sentence strip. Enlarge thepictures, glue to sentence strips, and trimto size. Write the words for those pictureson sentence strips and trim to size.Provide students with sentence strips,picture cards, and word cards. Let themmatch up pictures and words to completeeach rhyme.

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Recognizing Spelling Patterns in Connected Text

Patterns in Connected TextRecognizing Spelling

Rebus RhymeMini-Books

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jeep cake

Rebus Rhyme Mini-BooksTh

ere

once

was

a

who

ate

lots

of.

Whe

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was

done

,

hesw

amin

the

lake

.

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Ther

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asa

cat

who

was

frie

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with

ara

t.

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topl

ayga

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with

a

ba

llan

da

.

4

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eon

cew

asa

who

rode

ina

.

Whe

nsh

ego

ttir

ed,

she

wen

tto

sleep

.

1

Ther

eon

cew

ere

some

who

liked

toea

t.

They

liked

itso

muc

h,

they

did

ittw

ice.

3

sheep micerice snake

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More Easy-to-MakeShoe BoxLearningCenters

Add to your supply of shoe boxlearning centers periodically by

creating fresh activities to keep studentinterest strong. Following are moreideas for making shoe box centers thatreinforce counting skills. For each, usethe reproducible templates (right) tomake a label and write studentdirections. Glue the label to the outsideof the box and the student directions tothe inside of the lid.

Word Family ForestIn this twist on a “family tree,” childrensort words to see how they are related.

M ake and laminate at least four treepatterns. Make and cut out a

dozen or so leaf shapes for each tree.Write a word on each leaf to create setsof words that have a phonogram incommon. Place all the leaves in aresealable plastic bag. Place the treesand leaves in the shoe box. Havechildren sortthe words ontothe trees byword families,reading eachset of wordswhen they arefinished.

Directions

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Penny Word TossChildren build words in a game that combinesskill, chance, and knowledge of spelling patterns.

M ake a game board by drawing a 4 by 4 grid ona sheet of paper. Write a combination of

phonograms, consonants, consonant clusters, andconsonant digraphs on the squares (one persquare). Choose a combination that will allowchildren to buildwords. Place thegame board,along with twopennies, in theshoe box. Toplay, havechildren followthese steps:

• The first player flicks a penny onto the board.This child then looks for another square that willmake a word when the letters of both squares areput together. The child flicks a second penny,aiming for that square. If the penny lands on thatspace, the player reads the word and scores twopoints. If the penny lands on a different squarethat makes a word, the score is one point.

• Players take turns flicking the pennies and makingwords. Play until one player reaches ten points (or any other chosen number). Or play until eachplayer has taken five or another number of turns.Players can then add up their points and try to beattheir own scores on a second round.

Tic-Tac-Rhyme!In this version of tic-tac-toe, players use wordfamilies as their X’s and O’s!

M ake word cards for phonograms you want toreinforce. Include at least five cards for each

phonogram. Place each set of cards in a resealableplastic bag and label by phonogram. Make andlaminate a tic-tac-toe board with spaces sized to fitthe word cards. Place the word cards and game boardin the shoe box. To play, have children take turns

putting cards on spaces. Each player tries to make aline of rhymes—across, down, or diagonally. Eachplayer also tries to block the other from making aline. If a player makes a line of rhymes, he or shecalls “Tic-Tac-Rhyme!” and wins the game. Childrencan choose different word families and play again.

Rhyme TimeIn this game, children race to build words fromdifferent families and then look for rhyming words.

M ake a set of game cards by writingphonograms on six cards and initial

consonants, consonant clusters, and consonantdigraphs on 12 cards. Make a duplicate set of thecards. Place each set of cards in a resealable plasticbag. Place the cards, paper, pencils, and a sandtimer in the shoe box. To play, have each childtake a set of cards. Have children turn over thetimer and move the cards around to build as manywords as they can. They may reuse letters and wordendings. When the time runs out, children checktheir lists for rhyming words. Players score onepoint for each word that has no rhymes on the list.They score two points for each word that has atleast one rhyme on the list. Children can playagain and try to beat their own scores.

We’re Going on a Word Hunt!Children practice ending sounds and spellingpatterns as they hunt for objects in the classroom.

S tock a shoe box with small notepads,“detective” props (such as magnifying glasses),

and pencils. Place a label on each notepad coverand write a phonogram group on it (such as “short a phonograms”). Label sets of pages in eachnotepad with specific phonograms, such as -ab, -ack,-act, -aft, -ag, and -am. Have children select anotepad and, in a designated area of the classroom,search for examples of items with names that containthe word families and use words or pictures to recordthem. For example, a child with a short a notepadmight notice and record hat (in a cubby), mat (on thefloor), and cat (in a picture book) for the -at family.

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