Word Knowledge Learning Center

What it looks like…
What students may be doing…
Organize a small area of the
Sample Phonological Awareness
room or provide a tub for word
activities
 Playing a rhyming game
knowledge activities.
 Syllable awareness games
 Develop separate centers that
 Concept of Word activities:
address specific skills within
cutting up sentences and
phonological awareness, phonics,
arranging words from familiar
and sight word identification
texts
appropriate to the readers in
 Push & Say It (blending &
your classroom.
segmenting sounds in words –
at 1st with sounds only, later
 Sample Phonological awareness:

o Rhyming pictures
o Elkonin boxes & counters
o Blending & segmenting
activities

Sample phonics materials:
Letter tiles
Magnetic letters
Wipe-off boards/markers
Erasable highlighters for
word hunts
o Phonics games
o
o
o
o

Sample sight word materials:
o Word walls
o Baskets w/blank word
cards, highlighter tape,
pointers, etc.
o Sight word games & stories
Resources:
Words Their Way, 3rd Ed by D. Bear, S.
Templeton, M. Invernizzi, and F. Johnston.
Word Journeys by Kathy Ganske
Phonics They Use by P. Cunningham.
paired with letter tiles)
Sample Phonics activities
 Alphabet games for letter
recognition (matching
upper/lower case, tracking
ABC’s, sequencing letters, etc)
 Picture or word sorts for
specific phonics feature
 Writing sorts
 Speed sorts
 Build words with magnetic
letters
 Word hunts
Sample Sight Word Activities
 Practice reading words on
word wall w/pointer
 Play Sight Word Bingo
 Word hunt for designated high
frequency words
 Play Flip-It
 Practice writing sight words
from the wall.
Word Knowledge Learning Center
Sample Blending & Segmenting Strategies
[Activities taken from: Fitzpatrick, Jo, Phonemic Awareness, 1997; Blevins,
W. Phonemic Awareness Activities, 1997; Adams, Foorman, Lundberg, &
Beeler, Phonemic Awareness in Young Children 1998.
*Adapt the difficulty level by using onset-rime(easier) OR phoneme level
units (more difficult)*
Rubber bands
Large rubber bands are an easy way to
illustrate how to stretch out the sounds in
words. Use a dry erase board & demonstrate
with a rubber band: Stretch out the rubber
band as you segment each sound. Then, let it
snap back into shape as you “say it fast”.
Example:
cat
/c/---/a/---/t/
Puppets
Puppets who say words in “special” ways can
be used to teach segmenting & blending.
Choose a puppet that has a visible, movable
mouth.
Example: I have a special friend here
today. [show puppet] My puppet is from a
faraway land where the people talk in a
special way. See if you can figure out
what my friend says:
cat
/d/--/og/ [dog]
Mystery Bag
Keep a bag filled with common objects. Have
students guess what you are holding by giving
them a clue, i.e., segmenting the sounds of
the word. Eventually let students who guess
correctly choose the next object and say the
“special” clue.
Sample objects: sock, can, leaf, top, soap,
pen, boat, gum,
key, dime, etc.
?
M
M
Y
T
E
R
Y
MY
YSSST
TE
ER
RY
Y
?
/w/---/ig/ [wig]
Where is the Sound?
Have the students write down simple words
for this activity, e.g., weekly word study
words. Give everyone an erasable
highlighter. Teacher says the word, then
says a sound in the word. Highlight the
letter making the sound.
Note: Discuss whether it is in the
beginning, middle, or end of the word.
Have students segment & blend the sounds
in each word.
Big. Find /ig/.
big
Wig. Find /w/.
wig
Word
Knowledge
Phonological awareness, phonics, and sight words
Sample Tasks for Alphabet Center:
Learning Names
Magnetic letters:
Find the bag with your picture.
 Take out cardboard pieces with
letters.
 Make your name in upper & lower
case and say each letter.
 Write your name.
 Do a friend’s name.


Match upper & lowercase A a

Make your name. Find it.

Make 3 words. Write it.
Alphabet puzzles
Match upper & lower case.
 Put in order A-Z.
 Find the letters that make your
name.
 Practice writing some of the
letters.
Font sorts

M
P
Match the letters, e.g., M, A, S
 Match upper & lower case

A
m
a
p
Choose an ABC book to read.
 Read “My Letter Book” (choose
the specific letter from word study)
 Use a letter finder to hunt
letters.
A
a
Read Alphabet Books

a
a
Ideas for
Initial Sound Sorts
Sort 2-3 initial sounds by objects
 Sort 2-3 initial sounds using
pictures.
 Glue & label pictures (writing sort)
 Say what’s the same about each
object or picture. Name the letter &
sound it makes.

Sample Tasks for Sight Word Center:
Word Wall Work:
Sight Word Suns
Get a sun sheet
 Fill it in with word wall words
 Practice reading your “sun” words 3
times.
 Switch and read your buddy’s
words.

Read your words with a pointer
 Put tape on hard words
 Use 5 words in a sentence.

Sight Word Story
Pick a sight word story.
 Read it to yourself.
 Read it aloud.
 Read it to a buddy.

Word Hunts:
Use a word
finder to…
Find 3 color words
 Find 3 number words
 Find 3 animal words
 Find 3 action words
 Find 3 interesting words
 Find was, there, here, saw
 Make a silly sentence with your
words.
 Write words on cards & sort by
categories.

Sight Word Game
Flip-IT





Get a flip-it sheet.
Write down this week’s words.
Read them fast and flip-it.
Do 2 more times.
How many could you flip?
BINGO
the
is
at
on
his
with
they
for
Play sight word Bingo
 Take turns calling out the winning
words and write on wipe-off boards.

Copyright 2005-2007 by the Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia.