Hacks, Games & Spelling Activities

HACKS FOR LEARNING STYLES

Learners can have one or more modes of learning that work most effectively to help them learn. Each of these learning styles can be used in learning to spell. It might not be practical to separate out students into groups by learning styles, but it is helpful to deliver information and practice activities in a variety of learning styles in the hope that the variation will captivate continuous interest in all kinds of students.

VISUAL LEARNERS

• Use a highlighter to highlight the phoneme or morpheme in every word in a text. Use a difference color for each spelling of that phoneme or for prefixes, roots and suffixes.
• Read books! The more a word passes in front of your eyes, the stronger your synapsis for that spelling will become.

AUDITORY LEARNERS

• Say each word out loud, adding a pause between each morpheme.
• Make up songs to spell your word list or to express a spelling pattern.

KINESTHETIC LEARNERS

• Create a physical motion for each spelling of a phoneme (jump, twirl, bow, etc.) Spell the words out loud using the movement when you get to the phoneme.

INTERPERSONAL LEARNERS

• Compete in spelling competitions or work in teams on an activity.
• Make up mnemonic devices with a friend to try to remember how to spell easily confused towards (the sillier the better).
• See Group Games below…

analytical LEARNERS

• Don’t look at the word list and spelling patterns for each lesson until you have read the introductory text and identified the spelling concept, the words pertaining to it and the different spellings for each phoneme. Try to identify the spelling patterns yourself.

independant LEARNERS

• Go through this book yourself and find your favorite way to approach each lesson, using what works for you to internalize spellings.
• Read books!

PHONEME GAMES

COLORABLE WORD FLASH CARDS

• Print the word list in a large outline font that can be colored.
  (Type in a bold Arial font, highlight word, under the color menu select “Gradient” and then “More Gradients.” Under “Text Outline” select “Solid Line” and select a color.) Alternatively, have students write the words in different colors according to phonemes.
• Cut into individual cards.
  As a group, sort cards into groups, discuss what differentiates groups, recognize patterns. Students color to differentiate between spellings.
• Use as flash cards. Read on sight (reinforcing visual recognition & synapses)

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Surround puzzle with colorable images of spelling word concepts.

SPELLIGORIES

Learn a spelling pattern or pattern. Write as many words as you can think of for that pattern.

BONZA

Cut out sections of crossword puzzle structure and fit them together to make words.

CIPHER GAME

Cut out sections of crossword puzzle structure and fit them together to make words.

FILL IN THE BLANK

Fill in the blank with the correct spelling of the phonetic sound. For example, write the correct spelling of [k] to complete the words…

Bri___                  Mimi___              Stri__e                   

• Underline short vowel syllables in red.
  • Underline long syllables in blue.
    • Circle the stressed syllables in green.
    • Circle the unstressed syllables in yellow.

rebus puzzle

Picture clues for spelling words from the lesson.

BROKEN PATTERN GAME

Circle each word in the text that breaks a spelling pattern (an exception word) and identify the pattern being broken.

MAD LIBS

Mad libs. Add words from the spelling list to blanks in a hilarious story.

WRITE A STORY, POEM OR ARTICLE

Write a text with 10 of these words. Remember that writing assignments are most effective when they are authentic (for a real purpose) or that involve fun and humor.

I SPY SPELLING

Look around the room and write down as many words for things in the room as possible which include the phoneme being learned. 

COLORING

Busy coloring page with hidden objects. Find the hidden objects that are spelling words. Color, identify the spelling word, spell the word.

REVIEW GAME

Write any word that spells the ___ phoneme with ____.

VENN PUZZLE

What phoneme can be spelled with all the following ways?

CAPITALIZATION & PUNCTUATION

CAPITALIZATION GAME

Make up a holiday and pick a date on the calendar.  _________ Day is on ______ (month)  ______ (date).  This year, _________Day is on a ___________(day of the week).  It happens in the ________ (season). Draw a symbol of your special day.

PUNCTUATION GAME

When I grow up I am going to be a/an ____________________. My name will be ___  ____________  ______. I will live on ___________   ______.

IN & OUT GAME

From a large collection of IN- words (both negation ad “in”) and EX-/OUT-/UT- words, have students place the words in the correct morpheme category.

SYLLABLE STRESS GAMES

GUESS THE STRESS!

Decode a message by identifying the stressed syllable in each word.

STRESSED OUT!

Toss a coin. Heads: Make up a sentence with the word placing stress on the first syllable. Tails: Make up a sentence with the word placing stress on the second syllable.

HOMONYMS GAMES

HOMONYM GAME

Matching homonyms to correct meanings: (click, clique) (earn, urn) …

PUN GAME

See who can make the funniest pun choosing from a list of homonym sets.

MORPHEME GAMES

PREFIX GAME

Guess which prefix with similar meaning to use for each root:

morpheme division GAME

Divide the word into its separate morphemes:

guess the meaning

Using 3-5 words that share a morpheme, guess the meaning from a few options. Use a dictionary to write out an explanation of how the morpheme plays into the meaning of the word.

synomorph

Find the correct word from wrong words made from synonyms of morphemes.

suffix game

Choose the correct suffix meaning from context (5 kinds of -EN suffix) or (which form of AD- or IN- goes with these root words: locate, join, knowledge, etc…)

shared morpheme game

What morpheme do _______ (word) and _________ (word) have in common?  Maximum / Climax, Handle / Handsome

missing morphemes

Take part of _________ and part of __________ and make a new word that means ____________.  For example, take part of REMOVE ad part of BICYCLE and make RECYCLE.

guess the MORPHEME meaning

What does the morpheme meaning from a list of five words?

NEGATION GAME

have them choose between negation on same root. “amoral” vs. “immoral” vs. “demoralize”. Which prefix accomplishes _____ kind of negation?

ADD EXTRA MORPHEMES

Practice adding morphemes you already know to the new words in your list. Add -MENT to “encourage”, etc.

MORPHOLOGY TEST

After learning a substantial number of morphemes, test students on the meaning of a new word that has several familiar morphemes in it. “Microbiological” Have them identify the morpheme boundaries and describe operations like dropping silent E or double consonants.

WORD INVENTION

Have students make up a new word drawing from all the morphemes they know. Have them draw a picture or create a visual aid to present their new word, or physically demonstrate it if it is an action. Have them report on the morphemes and divisions. Make it a fun competition for a prize.    

GROUP GAMES

SORT & DECIPHER

On half of a large whiteboard have students come up and write as many words as they can think of for a spelling parameter (begins with [k], words with long E, etc]. Then ask them to think of differences and categories and use the other half of the board to form column headings and divide the list into logical parts. Ask them what patterns they see (K at the beginning of a word only comes before E or I, etc).

SPIN THE WHEEL

Spin a wheel with all the phonetic vowel sounds represented around the wheal. Each student spins the wheal. They must spell a word with that vowel sound. For older students, increase the challenge with additional parameters like: must be a 3-syllable word or has to start with the next consonant in the alphabet after the last student’s word. Download printable phoneme wheel at spellingwithunderstanding.com.

JUMP & SHAKE

Interactive, kinesthetic and auditory learners: Each student is assigned a different spelling of a phonetic sound (Long A: E, AI, A-E, etc). They can hold a sign with this spelling on their lap or pin it on their shirts. Sit in a circle. Teacher says a word. The kid with that spelling jumps up and spells the word out loud. Add a distinct noise maker (bell, shaker, etc) to each student to add an auditory element so that each spelling is associated with an auditory stimulus.

HOT POTATO

Hot Potato: When given a spelling parameter like the [i] sound. Each person in a circle has to say and correctly spell a word with [i] before passing the hot potato on. Time limit.

ESCAPE ROOM

Set up a series of rooms that students have to enter by solving spelling puzzles as a team.

FORTUNE SPELLER