Your game may or may not coincide with your lesson plan by name but your game should definitely reinforce what it is that you are teaching.
EXTRA GAMES AND ACTIVITIES
Read over all the games first. Then decide which ones you want to play. Your game may or may not coincide with your lesson plan by name but your game should definitely reinforce what it is that you are teaching. The games are for you to have choices. Take any game you wish and make it apply to the concepts of your lesson. In other words, if the game is for Digraphs but you are teaching R controlled Vowels then just play the game to suit your lesson.
Read over all the games or print them out on paper so you can see them all at one time. Become familiar with them before you play them and know how many choices you have. Be aware of all that is presented here and don't hesitate to play the games several times in many different ways.
If you can get other people to participate when you are playing the games they will be more interesting for your student. Your student will have more fun with other participants. However, the games may all be modified to be played with just you and your student.
For these activities a supervisor is needed and other other individuals who are willing to participate, in order to make it more fun for the student. The supervisor needs to make sure that all the sounds are said correctly!
DIGRAPHS, BLENDS, SILENT E, END PARTS OF WORDS, S SOUNDING LIKE Z, DIPHTHONGS, HARD AND SOFT G AND C, OR ANY OTHER FORMS OF ALPHABETIC LETTER COMBINATIONS MAY BE USED TO PLAY THE FOLLOWING GAMES:
Digraphs and/or blends are written on matchbox lids and the participants are divided into two teams. The leader of each team gets a matchbox lid and places it on his nose. When the supervisor says, "Go!" there can not be any hands touching the lid. Each participant moves the lid to other members of his team nose to nose. When all the digraphs have been collected then the student must say their sounds. If he misses any, the supervisor can toss the lid into the air and whoever grabs it can say the sound. If said correctly, that individual may keep the matchbox lid. The student gets to keep the ones that he says correctly, but then he may decide to give a few of the matchbox lids away to his friends.
The participants are given balloons on which Digraphs and/or Blends written with marker. They divide up into two teams making double lines.. They pass the balloons over their heads as quickly as they can. The supervisor keeps tally marks of which team is the fastest. At the end the student takes the balloons and informs his friends what the sounds of the Digraphs and/or Balloons are.
Digraphs and/or blends are written with marker on balloons and the game is the same as above with one exception: The balloons are passed between the participant's legs instead of over their heads.
Digraphs and/or blends are written or copied and cut out. They are placed, one combination at a time, on a spoon. Participants race with the spoons in their mouths from one point to another. Tally marks are kept to determine which team is quickest. At the end of the game the student should inform the others what each combination says, according to its sound.
Digraphs and blends are called out by sound in mixed up order. The student repeats the sound heard and identifies the letters by spelling the sound. He or she stands or sits according to the command of the person in charge which will be according to the order of the classification of digraphs (sit) or blends (stand).
Silent e, end parts of words, s sounding like z, diphthongs, hard and soft g and c, plus blends and digraphs, or any combination of the above, are copied, cut out and put into a box. One at a time the participants remove a letter, or letters, and carry it across the room on their heads as they walk only on newspapers, placing one sheet in front of the other while trying not to lose their "heads"! At the end of the game the student has to spell, classify, and sound each alphabetic item collected.
Flash cards with silent e, end parts of words, s sounding like z, diphthongs, hard and soft g and c, plus blends and digraphs, or any combination of the above, are set up, facing the players in the front of the room. Two chairs are set in the middle of the floor. A rabbit, or other animal, has been cut out of hard cardboard paper. The cardboard has a hole in the middle of it for a string to be pulled through. Two long strings are attached to the chairs and pulled through the cardboard holes. The participants are given the end of the string and the animal which is ready for the race. When the supervisor says, "GO!" the individuals must get their animal to the chair assigned without touching it in any way. The animals move only by the jerking of the thread. The winner gets to pick a flashcard and say its sound and classify it.
Flash cards with silent e, end parts of words, s sounding like z, diphthongs, hard and soft g and c, plus blends and digraphs, or any combination of the above, are picked up by the players as they walk back to back and sideways to their goal. Upon depositing the cards they go back to get more, and so on until there are no more left. Each team then takes turns telling the sounds and classifying the flashcards.
The flash cards with silent e, end parts of words, s sounding like z, diphthongs, hard and soft g and c, plus blends and digraphs, or any combination of the above, are copied and cut out from paper into the shape of fish. Each team then takes a fish and fans it with a piece of newspaper until he moves it across the room to a given point. He then hurries back to get another. The team with the most fish wins. Each team player then takes turns telling what the flash cards he collected has to say.
Grandmas, neighbors, friends and other children often enjoy playing this game with the student who is taking the course. Flash cards are copied and cut out from paper into the shape of fish. Each team then takes a fish and fans it with a piece of newspaper until the fanning moves the fish across the room to a given point. The players then hurry back to get another fish. The team with the most fish wins. Each team player then takes turns telling what the flash cards he or she collected has to say.
A box is put on a table and it is referred to as the wagon. Digraphs, blends, and vowel combinations are copied and cut out. The student hears the person in charge say, "Fill the wagon with____!" The student responds by repeating the sound and finding the letter combination which spells the sound heard. He or she then places the combination in the wagon. When all the letters are in the wagon the process is repeated with one exception. This time the letter combinations heard, and repeated, are taken out of the wagon and placed upon the chart which has the matching letters.
Letter combinations are cut out and pasted upon construction paper shaped flowers. When the sounds are heard, (for the person in charge says them) and repeated (by the student who hears the voiced sound), the flowers are placed around a large paper vase. When all the flowers are arranged, they are glued in place.
Digraphs, blends, and vowel combinations are copied. They are then placed on green paper that has been cut out in the shape of leaves and glued. Occasionally, genuine leaves may be preferred. The person in charge says the sounds in mixed up order and the student picks the proper leaf and puts it on a tree that has been cut out earlier. When all the leaves are arranged in correct order, they are glued to the tree.
Letter combinations including digraphs and blends, are cut out and pasted on cardboard. The student is blindfolded and the the letter combinations are in mixed order. The student reaches for a set, feels all around the cut outs, and guesses the sound and classification.
The person in charge shouts out, "Give me_______!" (Digraph, blend, or vowel combination!) The student shouts out, "I got it! It's spelled______ and sounds like ____!" At the same time, the student writes the combination. When all is called out, the student reviews his paper orally.
Digraphs, blends or other letter combinations are copied, cut out, and glued to a strip of paper referred to as a tail. A dog secured to the wall has no tail. The dog can be made from the following outline: Trace around a plate for its head and make two pointed ears. A rectangle can be its body with four lines drawn out from it for the legs. The student looks over the tails and calls out the sound for each.
The student is blindfolded and a tail marked with letter combinations is given to him or her for the purpose of pinning it on the dog. The combinations are reviewed once the dog has received his many tails. Variation: Cat ears have letter combinations glued on them and the cat can be outlined in the same way as the dog. Just make some whiskers!
The student may wish to make a list of digraphs, blends, and letter combinations as found in words located in the newspaper, phone book, catalogues, etc. The purpose for this activity is to familiarize the student with the number of words that are formed with these combinations. He or she should not attempt to pronounce these words as some combinations will be an exception to the norm. The student may enjoy locating these letters on signs and billboards, or menus, and he or she may want to listen for them in conversations..
Letter combinations are mixed up and spread around the floor. Music is played and the student tip toes from set to set. Suddenly the music stops! The student pretends to be a tree with arms extended like branches. He or she says the sound, of the letters at his feet, in a high pitched voice mimicking a myna bird.
The music begins again and the student tip toes around the letters once more. When the music stops he or she pretends to be a flower and puts his arms high above his head with his hands together. This time he or she says the sound of the letters at his feet in a soft, melodious, voice. After all, he or she is a beautiful flower. The process is repeated several times. When the music stops the student may want to be a dog (hands forming two ears, sounding a growl) or a cat (fingers make like whiskers, sounding like a purr). He or she may wish to emulate a fox (howl), baby (cry), mouse (munching cheese), etc.
Letter combinations, vowel diphthongs, and r controlled vowels are listed on a paper for the student to view. Certain ones are designated to be noisy or quiet. (No more than five sets at a time!) The person in charge spells out the digraph, etc. The student finds it listed, says its sound, and crosses it off the list. However, when the combination sounded happens to be a noisy one, the student screams and shouts, making all the noise he or she can make for thirty seconds only. If the combination happens to be a quiet one, the student must freeze, making like a statue for sixty seconds. When all the combinations have been sounded and no classifications are left, the game is over.
Vowel diphthongs and r controlled vowels are copied and cut out. When the student hears the sound, he or she picks out the combination and repeats the sound seven times quickly!
Balloons are blown up and tied at the neck with string. Digraphs, blends, vowel combinations, vowel diphthongs, r controlled vowels and ing are printed on the balloons with a marker. The student is given a balloon and asked to classify the combination (digraph, etc.) and say its sound. If the student is correct, he sits on the balloon to burst it. If incorrect, the balloon is put into a corner. When all the balloons have burst, except for the ones not known, the student reviews the remaining balloons. When it appears as if the student recognizes them, the supervisor sits on the balloons.
The student may wish to make cookies (a supervisor is advised!). Form the dough in the shape of vowel diphthongs and r controlled vowels. (or other...)
The student may enjoy making sponge diphthongs, etc. and soaking them in food coloring. When the letters are dry, use glue and sprinkle glitter.
Flash cards (homemade) are wrapped up in a package resembling a Christmas present. The person in charge and the student take turns hiding the package. When the package is found, the person discovering it says as many combinations as he or she can recall while spelling, sounding, and classifying each. At the end of the game, the student is given the present to open and orally review once again.
Manipulatives (Alphabetic cut outs) are placed on a table and the student takes the letters and makes words. The supervisor makes howling and yowling sounds until a word is put together. If the completed word is not correct, then the howling does not stop. The supervisor may have to help form a word in order to stop yowling. Next, the student makes the sounds as the supervisor appears to struggle with forming a word. Occasionally the supervisor should make an error and allow the student to correct it. Variation: Howling and yowling may be replaced with moaning and groaning!
Copyright © 1997 by Bill and Janae Cooksey, All rights reserved. No part of this material may be published in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.
