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Program 101-1, Week 24

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Week 24, Day 1

Word-form recognition accuracy: CCVCC: cross, stink, brick, truck,stuff, grass, stand, sniff

Activity Type: Build Accuracy
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: None for Whole Class. For Small Groups, download 3x5 index cards
Goal: Given a written regular word, say the word without sounding out ( abc -> "abc" )
Items: The words specified in the lesson titles, here

What to do

  1. Write the items on the board. (For small groups, you can also use the index card version of the words.)
  2. Let's read some words without saying the letter sounds out loud. When I touch a word, you sound out each letter to yourself, then say the whole word out loud.
  3. My turn first. Point to each letter of the first word, mouthing out the letter sounds as you touch beneath each letter. What's the word? Say the word.
  4. Your turn. As I touch each letter, sound out the word to yourself. Ready? Make sure everyone is looking at you, then touch just beneath each letter of the first word. Don't mouth out the letter sounds yourself. What's the word? Students say the word.
  5. Great. Next word. Continue with each of the words in the list.
  6. Look for students who are not saying the words or who are saying the wrong word. Call on a mix of several students—some who aren't sounding out and some who are—to silently sound out and then name the words individually. In an Activity Log, make a note of students who continue to have trouble.
  7. When students are able to mouth-sound-out a complete set of words without error, repeat the list but change the format: instead of pointing to each letter and mouthing the letter sound, tell students to sound the word out to yourself without moving your lips. Point beneath the word and pause for three seconds before asking: What's the word? For students who are still mouthing the letter sounds, ask them to try sounding out silently. Next time you do this activity, skip the mouthing out part of the instruction so that students get used to reading the words without mouthing the letter sounds.

Related activities


Irregular word fluency: was, of, the, to, you, I, is, said, that, he, his, for, are, as, they, we, were

Activity Type: Build Fluency
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2, 3
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: Irregular word index cards (print them here)
Goal: Given a printed irregular word, say its sound with automaticity ( irregword -> "irregword" )
Items: All irregular words learned so far

What to do

  1. Assemble a stack of word index cards. The cards should be a mix of all irregular words learned so far. (Optionally, once students are comfortable with irregular words, you can include some regular words in the pack too.)
  2. Now let's play a game. We're going to try to go through this stack of cards as fast as we can saying the word on each card. Let's see how fast we can go. My turn first.
  3. Next, model taking the top card of the stack, showing it to the students, and saying the word after a pause. Continue through the stack.
  4. Do you think you can go faster than I did? Call on a single student in the group, starting with a student you think may be slower. Show the first card: What's the word? If the student is incorrect, correct him, have him repeat your answer, and move to the next card. Praise correct answers.
  5. Select the next quicker student and repeat until all students in the group have worked through the stack.
  6. Okay, now let's go faster. Shuffle the stack of cards and repeat with students in the same order, but encouraging them to go faster.
  7. If time and focus allow, shuffle and repeat at an even faster pace.
  8. For students who struggle, give them help and make a note in an Activity Log.

Related activities


Reintroduce the VCe rule

Activity Type: Reintroduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 4 minutes
Materials: Optional: CVC/CVCe index cards (print them here)
Goal: Given a printed word ending vowel-consonant-e, say the word ( VCe-word -> "VCe-word" )
Items: mad, made, hat, hate, plan, plane, scrap, scrape

What to do

  1. Write the word mad on the board in letters at least a foot tall (or use these index cards).
  2. Who can sound out this word? Mmmaaad, mad. Add an e to make made. Now sound this word out with me. Remember the magic rule: the e stays silent but it makes the vowel say its name. Cover up the e. Which letter here is the vowel? Right, the a. Uncover the e. So instead of /a/, the a says its name: /ā/. So sound out the word with me: mmmāāād, made.
  3. Now you try. Erase made and write hat. Sound out this word. Students: haaat. What's the word? Students: hat. Now add the e. Now sound out the word. Students: hāāāt. What's the word? Students: hate. Right! Hate.
  4. Watch for students who don't get it. Walk them through the rule on their own, modeling for them if necessary. If a student continues to have trouble, make a note in an Activity Log and move on.
  5. Continue with plan / plane, scrap / scrape. Try to give all the less accomplished students an individual turn.

Notes

  • It's important that students sound out words when they are first learning the VCe rule, else they may just learn to recognize the words and fail to learn the rule.
  • Some teachers like to define or give example sentences for words that students may not know (eg, “If you really really don't like cabbage, you might say you hate it.”) Other teachers worry that this may overload students and prefer to focus on the VCe rule.
  • For a list of practice words—CVC words that can be changed into another word by adding e—click here.

Related activities


Week 24, Day 2

Introduce an irregular word: be

Activity Type: Introduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: Irregular word index card (print it here)
Goal: Given a printed irregular word, say its sound ( irregword -> "irregword" )
Items: The irregular word for this lesson

What to do

  1. Some words try to trick you. You can sound them out, just like you’ve been doing, but then you have to say the word a bit differently. Let’s meet a new trick word.
  2. Write the irregular word on the board in letters at least a foot high or, for a small group, show students the index card printed word. Let’s sound out this word. My turn first. Touch each letter and say the sound: wwwaaasss. But when we say this word fast, we say was. What’s the word?
  3. You try it. When I touch each letter, say its sound and keep saying it until I touch the next letter. Students: Wwwaaasss (or whatever the irregular word is you are teaching). What’s the word? Correct any student who blends the sounded-out word, e.g., says wass with a short a, instead of was. We say: was. What's the word? Ask them to sound it out and then say it again.
  4. Write 6 words on the board (arrange them randomly): 2 of the words should be the irregular word you are teaching, and they should be interspersed with 4 regular words that the students already know how to sound out.
  5. I'm going to try to trick you. When I point to the word we just learned, say the word. When I point to any other word, you have to stay quiet. My turn first. Point to a series of words and either say the word or make a performance of saying nothing, as appropriate.
  6. Your turn. Ready? Point to words randomly, holding on each one for a few seconds.
  7. If a student says one of the other words, point to the irregular word and say: You only need to make a sound for this word. When I point to any other word, stay quiet. Ready? Look for individuals who are saying nothing when you point to the irregular word. Have those students try words individually until they have it (but don’t call only on struggling students). Keep going until everyone has it.

Related activities


Introduce qu

Activity Type: Introduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials:

Goal: Given a printed letter combination, the student can say its sound ( ai -> /ay/ )
Items: qu

What to do

  1. Write the letters qu on the board; make them at least a foot tall. Alternatively, use a letter card large enough for the whole group to see easily.
  2. Some letters stick together, so they make one sound even though they are two letters. Here are two letters that stick together. The sound for these letters is /kwww/. When you say /kwww/, you say /k/ with /www/ right after it: /kwww/. It's the sound at the start of the word quick: /kwww/. What's the sound?
  3. Look for students who are not saying the sound. Ask them: What's the sound? Look for students who are making the wrong sound and model the sound for them until they have it right. Well done everyone.
  4. Erase qu. Now write a mix of 12 letters and letter combinations on the board, arranged randomly: 4 of the items should be qu and they should be interspersed with 8 other items dissimilar in appearance to qu, such as oa and th.
  5. When I point to the letters we just learned, say their sound. When I point to anything else, you have to stay quiet. My turn first. Point to a series of items and either say the sound or make a performance of saying nothing, as appropriate.
  6. Your turn. Ready? Point to items randomly, holding on each one for a few seconds.
  7. If a student says the sound for one of the other items (not qu), point to qu and say: You only need to make a sound for these letters. When I point to anything else, stay quiet. Ready? Look for individuals who are saying nothing when you point to qu. Have those students try items individually until they have it (but don’t call only on struggling students). Keep going until everyone has the new sound.

Related activities


Letter combination fluency: th .. ar

Activity Type: Build Fluency
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: Multiple copies of large letter combination cards (print them here)
Goal: Given a printed letter combination, the student can say its sound with automaticity ( ai -> /ay/ )
Items: All letter combinations learned so far

What to do

  1. Assemble a stack of letter combination cards large enough for the group to see. The cards should be a mix of all combinations learned so far. It's a good idea to include multiple copies of any cards that students struggle with.
  2. Now let's play a game. We're going to try to go through this stack of cards as fast as we can saying the correct sound. These are all letters that stick together, so say just one sound when you draw a card. Let's see how fast we can go. My turn first.
  3. Next, model taking the top card of the stack, showing it to the students, and saying its sound after a pause. Continue through the stack.
  4. Do you think you can go faster than I did? (Or, if students are still mastering the sounds, Do you think you can go through the stack without making a mistake?) Call on a single student in the group. Show the first card: What's the sound? If the student is incorrect, correct the student, have him or her repeat your answer, and move to the next card. Praise correct answers.
  5. Select the next student, shuffle the stack, and repeat until all students in the group have worked through it.
  6. Okay, now let's go faster. Shuffle the stack of cards and then repeat with students in the same order, but encouraging them to go faster.
  7. If time and focus allow, shuffle and repeat at an even faster pace.
  8. For students who struggle, give them help and make a note in an Activity Log.

Related activities


Week 24, Day 3

Word-form recognition accuracy: CCVCC: stamp, crab, flip, blink, drill,blond, snack, class, print

Activity Type: Build Accuracy
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: None for Whole Class. For Small Groups, download 3x5 index cards
Goal: Given a written regular word, say the word without sounding out ( abc -> "abc" )
Items: The words specified in the lesson titles, here

What to do

  1. Write the items on the board. (For small groups, you can also use the index card version of the words.)
  2. Let's read some words without saying the letter sounds out loud. When I touch a word, you sound out each letter to yourself, then say the whole word out loud.
  3. My turn first. Point to each letter of the first word, mouthing out the letter sounds as you touch beneath each letter. What's the word? Say the word.
  4. Your turn. As I touch each letter, sound out the word to yourself. Ready? Make sure everyone is looking at you, then touch just beneath each letter of the first word. Don't mouth out the letter sounds yourself. What's the word? Students say the word.
  5. Great. Next word. Continue with each of the words in the list.
  6. Look for students who are not saying the words or who are saying the wrong word. Call on a mix of several students—some who aren't sounding out and some who are—to silently sound out and then name the words individually. In an Activity Log, make a note of students who continue to have trouble.
  7. When students are able to mouth-sound-out a complete set of words without error, repeat the list but change the format: instead of pointing to each letter and mouthing the letter sound, tell students to sound the word out to yourself without moving your lips. Point beneath the word and pause for three seconds before asking: What's the word? For students who are still mouthing the letter sounds, ask them to try sounding out silently. Next time you do this activity, skip the mouthing out part of the instruction so that students get used to reading the words without mouthing the letter sounds.

Related activities


Reintroduce an irregular word: be

Activity Type: Reintroduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: Irregular word index card (print it here)
Goal: Given a printed irregular word, say its sound ( irregword -> "irregword" )
Items: The irregular word for this lesson

What to do

  1. Write the irregular word on the board in letters at least a foot high or, for a small group, show students the index card printed word.
  2. Let's review this word. Be careful! It's a trick word. Let's sound it out together. Touch each letter and say the sound, e.g., wwwaaasss. But when we say this word fast, what's the word? Good: was (or whatever the word is you are reviewing). Remember, some words try to trick you. You can sound them out, just like you’ve been doing, but then you have to say the word a bit differently: was.
  3. Look for students who are not saying the word or who are just blending what they sounded out, e.g., wass with a short a , instead of was. Ask them to sound out the word, then ask: What's the word?
  4. Write 6 words on the board (arrange them randomly): 2 of the words should be the irregular word you are teaching and they should be interspersed with 4 regular words that the students already know how to sound out.
  5. I'm going to try to trick you. When I point to the word we just learned, say the word. When I point to any other word, you have to stay quiet. My turn first. Point to a series of words and either say the word or make a performance of saying nothing, as appropriate.
  6. Your turn. Ready? Point to words randomly, holding on each one for a few seconds.
  7. If a student says one of the other words, point to the irregular word and say: You only need to make a sound for this word. When I point to any other word, stay quiet. Ready? Look for individuals who are saying nothing when you point to the irregular word. Have those students try words individually until they have it (but don’t call only on struggling students). Keep going until everyone has it.

Related activities


Reintroduce qu

Activity Type: Reintroduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials:

Goal: Given a printed letter combination, the student can say its sound ( ai -> /ay/ )
Items: qu

What to do

  1. Write the letters qu on the board; make them at least a foot tall. Alternatively, use a letter card large enough for the whole group to see easily.
  2. Remember these two letters that stick together? Let's review the sound for these letters. Anyone: what's the sound? Good: /kwww/. Remember, when you say /kwww/, you say /k/ with /www/ right after it: /kwww/. It's the sound at the start of the word quick: /kwww/. What's the sound?
  3. Look for students who are not saying the sound. Ask them: What's the sound? Look for students who are making the wrong sound and model the sound for them until they have it right. Well done everyone.
  4. Erase qu. Now write a mix of 12 letters and letter combinations on the board, arranged randomly: 4 of the items should be qu and they should be interspersed with 8 other items dissimilar in appearance to qu, such as er and wh.
  5. When I point to the letters we just learned, say their sound. When I point to anything else, you have to stay quiet. My turn first. Point to a series of items and either say the sound or make a performance of saying nothing, as appropriate.
  6. Your turn. Ready? Point to items randomly, holding on each one for a few seconds.
  7. If a student says the sound for one of the other items (not qu), point to qu and say: You only need to make a sound for these letters. When I point to anything else, stay quiet. Ready? Look for individuals who are saying nothing when you point to qu. Have those students try items individually until they have it (but don’t call only on struggling students). Keep going until everyone has the new sound.

Related activities


Letter combination accuracy: th .. qu

Activity Type: Build Accuracy
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 5 minutes
Materials:

  • Multiple copies of letter combination cards (print them here)
  • One container such as a hat or bag for every eight students in the group
Goal: Given printed letter combinations, the student can discriminate between them and say the sound of each ( sh -> /sh/ )
Items: All letter combinations learned so far

What to do

  1. Put a mix of letter combination cards in a hat or bag that students will pass around the classroom, draw a card from it, and say the sound for that combo. The cards should be a mix of all combinations learned so far, weighted towards the most recently learned letter combinations. You will need at least one bag for every eight or so students in the group, else students will quickly become distracted.
  2. (You can also do this activity with half the cards showing the single most recently learned letter combination, say sh, and the other half showing combinations the students have not yet learned, such as ai. In that version of the activity, you ask students to say /sh/ or not /sh/ depending on what letter combination they draw.)
  3. Now let’s play a game. We’re going to take turns to pull a card from this bag and say the sound of the letters. These are all letters that stick together, so say just one sound when you draw a card. My turn first.
  4. Draw a card, pause, show the letter combination to the students, then say its sound.
  5. Then, I put the card back in the bag and pass it to my neighbor. Pass the bag to a student who is likely to get the answer correctly. Make sure they show the card to the other students. Remind them to put the card back and shake the bag, and then pass it to the next student.
  6. As soon as it's clear that the students get the idea, you can introduce the other bags to speed things up. Each time, draw the first card yourself. Circulate around the group making sure everyone is performing the activity correctly.
  7. If students don’t know a card, say it for them, then ask them to say it. Then, have them draw another card and try again. If they continue to have trouble, make a note in an Activity Log and move on. Try to make sure the last letter combination they draw before passing the bag on is one they name correctly and praise them strongly.
  8. Keep going until everyone has had at least one turn.

Related activities


Week 24, Day 4

Irregular word fluency: was, of, the, to, you, I, is, said, that, he, his, for, are, as, they, we, were, be

Activity Type: Build Fluency
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2, 3
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: Irregular word index cards (print them here)
Goal: Given a printed irregular word, say its sound with automaticity ( irregword -> "irregword" )
Items: All irregular words learned so far

What to do

  1. Assemble a stack of word index cards. The cards should be a mix of all irregular words learned so far. (Optionally, once students are comfortable with irregular words, you can include some regular words in the pack too.)
  2. Now let's play a game. We're going to try to go through this stack of cards as fast as we can saying the word on each card. Let's see how fast we can go. My turn first.
  3. Next, model taking the top card of the stack, showing it to the students, and saying the word after a pause. Continue through the stack.
  4. Do you think you can go faster than I did? Call on a single student in the group, starting with a student you think may be slower. Show the first card: What's the word? If the student is incorrect, correct him, have him repeat your answer, and move to the next card. Praise correct answers.
  5. Select the next quicker student and repeat until all students in the group have worked through the stack.
  6. Okay, now let's go faster. Shuffle the stack of cards and repeat with students in the same order, but encouraging them to go faster.
  7. If time and focus allow, shuffle and repeat at an even faster pace.
  8. For students who struggle, give them help and make a note in an Activity Log.

Related activities


Introduce the VCe rule (long i)

Activity Type: Introduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 6 minutes
Materials: Optional: CVC/CVCe index cards (print them here)
Goal: Given a printed word ending vowel-consonant-e, say the word ( VCe-word -> "VCe-word" )
Items: made, ripe, bit, bite, dim, dime, slid, slide, pin, pine, strip, stripe

What to do

  1. Write the word made on the board in letters at least a foot tall (or use these index cards).
  2. Who can sound out this word? Remember the magic rule: the e stays silent but it makes the vowel say its name. Cover up the e. Which letter here is the vowel? Right, the a. Uncover the e. So instead of /a/, the a says what? Yes, its name: /ā/. So sound out the word with me: mmmāāād, made. Good..
  3. Now I'm going to try to trick you. Erase made and replace it with ripe. Remember the rule is that the e stays silent but it makes the vowel say its name. Cover up the e. Which letter here is the vowel? Right, the i. Uncover the e. So instead of /i/, the i says what? Its name: /ī/. So sound out the word with me: rrrīīīp, ripe. Right!
  4. Let's do another. Sound out this word. Erase ripe and write bit on the board. Biiit, bit. Now if I put an e on the end, what happens? Remember the rule: the e stays silent but it makes the vowel say its name. Cover up the e. Which letter here is the vowel? Right, the i. Uncover the e. So instead of /i/, the i says its name: /ī/. So the word is bīīīt, bite.
  5. Now you try. Erase bite and write dim. Sound out this word. Students: diiimmm. What's the word? Students: dim. Now add the e. Now sound out the word. Students: dīīīmmm. What's the word? Students: dime. Right! Dime.
  6. Watch for students who don't get it. Walk them through the rule on their own, modeling for them if necessary. If a student continues to have trouble, make a note in an Activity Log and move on.
  7. Continue with slid / slide, pin / pine, strip / stripe until everyone gets it. Try to give all the less accomplished students an individual turn.

Notes

  • It's important that students sound out words when they are first learning the VCe rule, else they may just learn to recognize the words and fail to learn the rule.
  • Some teachers like to define or give example sentences for words that students may not know (eg, “When a banana is ripe, it's ready to eat.”) Other teachers worry that this may overload students and prefer to focus on the VCe rule.
  • For a list of practice words—CVC words that can be changed into another word by adding e—click here.

Related activities


Week 24, Day 5

Word-form recognition accuracy: CCVCC: hot, skill, black, spell, man,grill, dress, twig, Fran, had

Activity Type: Build Accuracy
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: None for Whole Class. For Small Groups, download 3x5 index cards
Goal: Given a written regular word, say the word without sounding out ( abc -> "abc" )
Items: The words specified in the lesson titles, here

What to do

  1. Write the items on the board. (For small groups, you can also use the index card version of the words.)
  2. Let's read some words without saying the letter sounds out loud. When I touch a word, you sound out each letter to yourself, then say the whole word out loud.
  3. My turn first. Point to each letter of the first word, mouthing out the letter sounds as you touch beneath each letter. What's the word? Say the word.
  4. Your turn. As I touch each letter, sound out the word to yourself. Ready? Make sure everyone is looking at you, then touch just beneath each letter of the first word. Don't mouth out the letter sounds yourself. What's the word? Students say the word.
  5. Great. Next word. Continue with each of the words in the list.
  6. Look for students who are not saying the words or who are saying the wrong word. Call on a mix of several students—some who aren't sounding out and some who are—to silently sound out and then name the words individually. In an Activity Log, make a note of students who continue to have trouble.
  7. When students are able to mouth-sound-out a complete set of words without error, repeat the list but change the format: instead of pointing to each letter and mouthing the letter sound, tell students to sound the word out to yourself without moving your lips. Point beneath the word and pause for three seconds before asking: What's the word? For students who are still mouthing the letter sounds, ask them to try sounding out silently. Next time you do this activity, skip the mouthing out part of the instruction so that students get used to reading the words without mouthing the letter sounds.

Related activities


Introduce an irregular word: this

Activity Type: Introduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: Irregular word index card (print it here)
Goal: Given a printed irregular word, say its sound ( irregword -> "irregword" )
Items: The irregular word for this lesson

What to do

  1. Some words try to trick you. You can sound them out, just like you’ve been doing, but then you have to say the word a bit differently. Let’s meet a new trick word.
  2. Write the irregular word on the board in letters at least a foot high or, for a small group, show students the index card printed word. Let’s sound out this word. My turn first. Touch each letter and say the sound: wwwaaasss. But when we say this word fast, we say was. What’s the word?
  3. You try it. When I touch each letter, say its sound and keep saying it until I touch the next letter. Students: Wwwaaasss (or whatever the irregular word is you are teaching). What’s the word? Correct any student who blends the sounded-out word, e.g., says wass with a short a, instead of was. We say: was. What's the word? Ask them to sound it out and then say it again.
  4. Write 6 words on the board (arrange them randomly): 2 of the words should be the irregular word you are teaching, and they should be interspersed with 4 regular words that the students already know how to sound out.
  5. I'm going to try to trick you. When I point to the word we just learned, say the word. When I point to any other word, you have to stay quiet. My turn first. Point to a series of words and either say the word or make a performance of saying nothing, as appropriate.
  6. Your turn. Ready? Point to words randomly, holding on each one for a few seconds.
  7. If a student says one of the other words, point to the irregular word and say: You only need to make a sound for this word. When I point to any other word, stay quiet. Ready? Look for individuals who are saying nothing when you point to the irregular word. Have those students try words individually until they have it (but don’t call only on struggling students). Keep going until everyone has it.

Related activities


Introduce ee

Activity Type: Introduce
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class
Length: 10 minutes
Materials:

Goal: Given a printed letter combination, the student can say its sound ( ai -> /ay/ )
Items: ee

What to do

  1. Write the letters ee on the board; make them at least a foot tall. Alternatively, use a letter card large enough for the whole group to see easily.
  2. Some letters stick together, so they make one sound even though they are two letters. Here are two letters that stick together. The sound for these letters is /ee/. It's the sound at the end of the word tree: /ee/. What's the sound?
  3. Look for students who are not saying the sound. Ask them: What's the sound? Look for students who are making the wrong sound and model the sound for them until they have it right. Well done everyone.
  4. Erase ee. Now write a mix of 12 letters and letter combinations on the board, arranged randomly: 4 of the items should be ee and they should be interspersed with 8 other items dissimilar in appearance to ee, such as ar and sh.
  5. When I point to the letters we just learned, say their sound. When I point to anything else, you have to stay quiet. My turn first. Point to a series of items and either say the sound or make a performance of saying nothing, as appropriate.
  6. Your turn. Ready? Point to items randomly, holding on each one for a few seconds.
  7. If a student says the sound for one of the other items (not ee), point to ee and say: You only need to make a sound for these letters. When I point to anything else, stay quiet. Ready? Look for individuals who are saying nothing when you point to ee. Have those students try items individually until they have it (but don’t call only on struggling students). Keep going until everyone has the new sound.

Related activities


Letter combination fluency: th .. qu

Activity Type: Build Fluency
Activity Form: Standard
Grade: K, 1, 2
Group Size: Small Group
Length: 10 minutes
Materials: Multiple copies of large letter combination cards (print them here)
Goal: Given a printed letter combination, the student can say its sound with automaticity ( ai -> /ay/ )
Items: All letter combinations learned so far

What to do

  1. Assemble a stack of letter combination cards large enough for the group to see. The cards should be a mix of all combinations learned so far. It's a good idea to include multiple copies of any cards that students struggle with.
  2. Now let's play a game. We're going to try to go through this stack of cards as fast as we can saying the correct sound. These are all letters that stick together, so say just one sound when you draw a card. Let's see how fast we can go. My turn first.
  3. Next, model taking the top card of the stack, showing it to the students, and saying its sound after a pause. Continue through the stack.
  4. Do you think you can go faster than I did? (Or, if students are still mastering the sounds, Do you think you can go through the stack without making a mistake?) Call on a single student in the group. Show the first card: What's the sound? If the student is incorrect, correct the student, have him or her repeat your answer, and move to the next card. Praise correct answers.
  5. Select the next student, shuffle the stack, and repeat until all students in the group have worked through it.
  6. Okay, now let's go faster. Shuffle the stack of cards and then repeat with students in the same order, but encouraging them to go faster.
  7. If time and focus allow, shuffle and repeat at an even faster pace.
  8. For students who struggle, give them help and make a note in an Activity Log.

Related activities

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