#516. Popcorn Spelling

Language, level: Elementary
Posted Thu Jul 16 07:35:27 PDT 1998 by Jill Wood (ajhawk@hotmail.com).
Valley Heights Elementary, Blue Rapids, KS
Materials Required: 2 sets of alphabet cards
Activity Time: Can be for however long you want it

This activity is great for right before a test or as a time-filler!

Objective: The students will be able to spell all the words given to them at an 80% accuracy rate.

Procedure: First, you must pass out the alphabet cards to the students until all are passed out. (The alphabet cards are simply an index card or a piece of 8" X 11" piece of construction paper with one letter on each card.) The students will also have a piece of paper and a pencil. Once the letters have been passed out, the
student should look over what he/she has been given. Then, when everyone is ready, the game begins. It starts by the teacher saying a spelling word out loud. First, the student writes it down on paper. Then, the students with the letter cards to make that word go up to the front of the room and arrange themselves
so that the word is spelled. After they have done this, the teacher says, "Sound off!" and, starting with the first person, they say the letter they are holding in order to orally spell the word. I then ask the students still at their seats if this is the correct spelling of the word. If it is right, then everyone
goes back to their seats, if not, it must be corrected. Play continues with a new word.

Notes: This game is high excitement and uses different learning styles, which makes it an all-around great activity for the whole class. I laminated my cards for long-term use and labled the vowels. You might have to make more of certain letters that appear often or multiple times in words. :-)