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Rafe Esquith: Five Tips to Help Children Develop Their Natural Gifts

#228. Variation on Making Words

Reading/Writing, level: all
Posted Sat Jun 5 03:17:41 PDT 1999 by Jen (jfsoo@yahoo.com).
Clover Elementary, Los Angeles
Materials Required: pencils, strips of construction paper about 2" wide, chart paper, envelopes
Activity Time: depends on student level
Concepts Taught: Phonics, phonemic awareness, spelling

This is a variation on Cunningham's Making Words Model. Instead of using the reproducible letters and having to keep them organized, I have the students copy down the needed letters each time. Then they can take them home with a list of the words they made that day and practice at home with a parent. I use the lists in the back of the Making Words book. I'll use an example to illustrate the lesson in quotes:

First, post the letters to be used on the board. "ABEDREF"
Have the students copy the letters onto their strip of paper and cut the letters out.

Give clues for each word and have the children attempt to construct the word on their own.
"The first word has 3 letters. It starts like Boy and ends like rED and it's a piece of furniture in your house...you sleep in it..."
Ask a volunteer for the word and how to spell it. Write it down on chart paper

Continue in this manner, posting each word on the chart as it is constructed, discussing any spelling patterns or rules that come up as you go along. At the end of the lesson, the students copy the list onto an envelope, put their letters inside and take them home to work with mom or dad. Optional: make another chart with headings of each spelling pattern and have the students sort the words by spelling pattern.