Classroom Games
and Activities
Index
A Reading Games for Phonics
1. Snowball
2. Slam
3. What’s Missing
4. Four in a Row
5. Battle RPS
6. Make Four
4
5
6
7
8
9
B Writing Games for Phonics
1. Run to the Board
2. Bingo
10
11
C Integrated Games for Phonics
1. Write and Draw
2. Running Dictation
12
13
D Other Activities
1. Mini-flashcards
14
E Teacher Resources and References
1. Online Resources
2. References
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15
A
Reading Games for Phonics
A2 Slam
A1 Snowball
Type : Reading Game
Level : All levels
Materials : Flashcards
Type : Reading Game
Level : Lower levels
Materials : Flashcards
Instructions
Instructions
1
Select target flashcards and spread them on the table with the letter sides face up.
2
Put students into two groups.
1
Select target flashcards and spread them on the table with the letter sides face up.
3
Ask a student from each group to put their hands on their heads.
2
Students take turns reading the cards cumulatively.
4
Read one of the letter cards. The student who first slams on the correct card wins
a point for his/her team.
5
Repeat steps 3 and 4 .
6
When students feel confident, have them take your role reading the cards.
· Student 1: ham
· Student 2: ham, map
· Student 3: ham, map, jam
Adapting the Activity
Adapting the Activity
· Add a rhythm or chanting element.
· Conduct activity on the board.
· Give students flyswatters to slam the correct answer.
· For more advanced classes, add new words with the target sound(s).
· For large classes, conduct chorally and increase the speed each turn.
· For large classes, post the flashcards on the board.
· For more advanced classes, introduce new words with the target sound(s).
4
Classroom Games and Activities
Reading Games for Phonics
5
A3 What’s Missing
A4 Four in a Row
Type : Reading Game
Type : Reading Game
Level : All levels
Level : All levels
Materials : Flashcards
Materials : Flashcards, checkers or go game pieces (these could substituted with
coins, colored tokens, or colored sticky notes)
Instructions
1
Select target flashcards and spread them on the table with the letter sides face up.
2
Put students into two groups.
3
Group 1 hides a card while group 2 keeps their eyes closed.
4
Group 2 looks at the flashcards and says what the missing card is. If correct, they
win a point.
5
The two groups switch their roles and repeat steps 3 and 4 .
Instructions
1
Select 16 target flashcards and arrange them on a large table or on the floor in a
4 x 4 grid.
2
Put students into two groups and give each group a set of game pieces.
3
Groups take turns reading a card. When reading correctly, they can put their team's
game piece marker on the card.
4
When the game pieces are placed on all the cards, calculate the points each group
earned: 2 points for the game pieces that are placed two in a row, 3 points for the
markers that are placed three in a row and 4 points for the game pieces that are
placed four in a row.
5
The winner is the group with more points.
Adapting the Activity
· For larger classes, break the class into smaller groups.
· For more advanced classes, add new words with the target sound(s).
Adapting the Activity
· For larger classes, break the class into, smaller groups.
· For more advanced classes, create cards with sentences that have the target words.
For example: Target words - nine; bike
It is nine.
6
Classroom Games and Activities
Tom has a bike.
Reading Games for Phonics
7
A6 Make Four!
A5 Battle RPS
Type : Reading Game
Type : Reading Game
Level : All levels
Level : All levels
Materials : Flashcards
Materials : Flashcards, group headings for sorting
Instructions
1
Instructions
Select target flashcards and line them up on the table with the letter sides face up.
Place the target flashcards in a pile.
2
Students take turns selecting a card from the pile and placing it on the table under
the correct heading. Help students arrange the cards as shown below:
mat
hat
pan
ram
cap
bat
can
dam
map
1
~am
~ap
~an
~at
ram
map
fan
cat
pan
hat
2
Put students into two groups. Each group lines up at either end of the table.
3
Students from each group move up one card at a time while reading the card. When
they meet in the middle, they play Rock-Paper-Scissors. The winner stays. The loser
goes back to the starting point and another student from the group takes over.
4
Repeat step 3 .
bat
5
The winner is the group to first reach the other end.
mat
Adapting the Activity
3
The student who places the fourth card in a column can take the all four cards.
4
Continue the game until all the cards are played. The winner is the student with the
most cards.
· For more advanced classes, add new words with the target sound(s).
Adapting the Activity
· For more advanced classes, add new words with the target sound(s) or have
students think of new words to place under the headings.
8
Classroom Games and Activities
Reading Games for Phonics
9
B
Writing Games for Phonics
B2 Bingo
B1 Run to the Board
Type : Writing Game
Level : All levels
Materials : Flashcards, a bingo board (5 x 5)
Type : Writing Game
Level : All levels
Materials : Flashcards
Instructions
Instructions
1
Split the class into two teams. Have the two teams line up at the back of the
classroom.
2
When ready, show a flashcard with the picture side facing the students.
3
The first students in each line run to the board and write the word for the picture.
4
The first student who writes the word neatly and correctly gets a point for his/her
team.
5
Repeat steps 3 and 4 . The winner is the team with the most points.
1
Give each student a bingo board.
2
Select 25 target flashcards. Read each card as students write the word on their
bingo board. Make sure students understand that they can write the word anywhere
on the grid as they like. (Instead of reading the card, you can show each card with
the picture side.)
3
Play Bingo: Call out the target word. Students mark the square with a check, dot or
other symbol.
4
Repeat step 3 . The winner is the student who creates a line. This line can be
straight or diagonal.
Adapting the Activity
Adapting the Activity
· For less advanced classes, post the target flashcards on the board. Read out the
target word and have students touch the correct flashcard.
· For more advanced classes, add new words with the target sound(s).
· For less advanced classes, show both sides of the flashcard.
· To make the game longer, have students make a square, a cross, an X, or another shape
to win.
· To make the game shorter, use a smaller bingo board (3 x 3 or 4 x 4).
· For more advanced classes, read the target word with a short sentence. Have the
students write the sentence.
10
Classroom Games and Activities
Writing Games for Phonics
11
C
Integrated Games for Phonics
C2 Running Dictation
C1 Draw and Write
Type : Integrated Game
Level : Higher levels
Materials : Pre-prepared target sentences on paper
Type : Integrated Activity
Level : Higher levels
Materials : Worksheet with four boxes with lines
Instructions
Instructions
1
Create a worksheet with four boxes and lines to write below the boxes.
2
Use the target words from the unit and create simple sentences.
3
Write the sentences on the board. Have students write the sentences on the lines.
Have them illustrate the sentences in the boxes.
1
Create a list of target words or sentences and print on cards.
2
Go to an open area or move the desks to one side of the room. Post the cards on
one side of the classroom. Separate the class into pairs. One student will be the
runner. The other student will be the writer.
writers at desks
Sample
Classroom
Layout
cards posted on wall
Runners going back and forth
I bake cakes.
I bake cakes.
The rake is in the lake.
The rake is in the lake.
3
The runners go to the card, read it, and run back to the writer. The runner tells
(dictates) the writer what was on the card. The runner goes back to the card as
many times as necessary.
4
The team to finish the dictation first wins.
Adapting the Activity
Adapting the Activity
· For less advanced classes, print the target sentences on the worksheet and have
them only draw the pictures. Have students read the target sentences.
· For less advanced classes, create a list of words instead of sentences.
· For more advanced classes, create longer sentences or introduce new words with the
target sound(s).
· For more advanced classes, have students label the different target words in their
pictures.
· For more advanced classes, create sentences with new words with the target sound(s).
12
Classroom Games and Activities
Integrated Games for Phonics
13
D
Other Activities
D1 Student Flashcards
Type : Other Activity
Level : All levels
Materials : Photocopies of the target pictures, scissors, pencil, hole punch, ring
Instructions
1
Photocopy the page of the unit that has the target words.
2
Cut the pictures out and paste them to a grid of rectangles. They should be the
size of small cue cards (8 cm x 4 cm).
3
Make enough copies for your class.
4
Have students cut out the mini-flashcards.
5
Have students write the target letters or word on the back of the mini-flashcards.
6
Punch a hole in the top left-hand corner of the mini-flashcards.
7 Use the ring to keep the flashcards together.
E
Teacher Resources and References
E1 Online Resources
Activity sheets and other resources
http://www.funfonix.com/
Free downloadable activity sheets
http://www.sparklebox.co.uk/
Printable resources for letters and sounds
http://www.letters-and-sounds.com/
Collection of links for teachers of young learners
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/kplus_phonics.htm
E2 References
· Bear, D.R. & Templeton, S. (1998). Explorations in developmental spelling: Foundations
for learning and teaching phonics, spelling and vocabulary. The Reading Teacher 52(3),
222-242.
· Cunningham, P.M. & Cunningham, J.W. (2002). In Farstrup & Samuels (Eds.), What
Research Has to Say About Reading Instruction (3rd ed.), 87-109.
Adapting the Activity
· Stahl, S. (1992). “Saying the “p” word: Nine guidelines for exemplary phonics instruction.”
The Reading Teacher, 45(8), 618-625.
· To make the activity longer in duration, have students draw their own pictures.
· For more advanced classes, have students write a sentence under the target word.
· For less advanced classes, have students write the target letter/word on the front of the
flashcard.
14
Other Activities
· Stahl, Duffy-Hester, & Stahl. (1998). Everything you want to know about phonics
(but were afraid to ask). Reading Research Quarterly, 33(3), 338-355.
· Trachtenburg, P. (1990). "Using children's literature to enhance phonics instruction"
The Reading Teacher. May. 648-654.
Teacher Resources and References
15
Also Available with EFL Phonics
Digital EFL Phonics
Phonics Game Cards
Flashcards
Phonics Builders
Game Boards
Phonics Fun Readers
www.e-future.co.kr