Steps 1-5 Program
Games
Board Games
Board games are a great way to practice phonics skills and blending in an engaging way with groups.
Click a resource to open or download.
Directions:
Use one die. Students roll, land on a space, read the word, and use the word in a sentence. First student to reach the “win” star winsIf you use the blank copy, fill in each space with a word at the level of phonics you wish the students to practice.
IDEAS:
-Use in a reading center or as an activity after reviewing a learned phonics structure.
-Use with beginning letter sounds but facilitate. Students land on a letter and think of a word beginning with the sound that letter spells.
-Put a higher-level phonics chunk in each square (i.e. “ar,” “or,” “oi,” etc.). Students have to think of a word that contains that sound and use it in a sentence (or write it in a list for upper level abilities).
-Print the black and white copy with words on it to send home as a fun game for families to play and practice with kiddos.
Slip and Step can be copied, sent home, or used in centers. Educators write words on the lines based on the level of phonics being studied. The downloadable file is two sheets, which are perfect for the inside of a file folder. Print, write, cut and paste.
PRO-TIP: Laminate the board and use a dry erase marker to write words based on what is being done at the current moment.
Directions:
Use one die. Roll one die and move that many spaces. Read the word on the space and use that word in a sentence. If you land on the bottom of a ladder, you read the word in the square before going up the ladder where you read the next word. If you land on the slide, read the word at the top before sliding down. Take turns until someone reaches Bug at the end!
Set-Up
Teachers can fill in the stars with the following items:
- Letters/Spellings:
1. a singular letter (b, d, t, p, etc.)
2. a blend (st, bl, fr, sp, etc.)
3. a digraph (sh, th, ch)
4. a vowel team or vowel spelling (ai, ee, ow, ay, etc.) - Pictures that represent the sounds for practiceGENERAL DIRECTIONS
Students can either:
- Play this as a game with peers by using dice (NOTE: the game is significantly shortened with this use; A fix for this is that teachers can put dot stickers on the sides of the dice that are 4, 5, 6 and WRITE dots to show 1, 2, or 3 on the dot stickers)
- Use this to get to a goal by completing each star and moving their rocket game piece along as they go
Ways to practice/play the game based on the set up: Each set-up is given activities based on skill-level of the student(s) within the topic.
Letters/Spellings
- Emerging: Students say the sound(s) represented by the letter(s)
- Progressing: Students say the sound(s) represented by the letter(s) and orally come up with a word containing/beginning/ending with that/those sound(s)
- Advanced practice: Students say the sound(s) represented by the letter(s) and write a word containing/beginning/ending with that/those sound(s) on the “Sounds in the Stars Paper”
Pictures
- Emerging: Students say the word for the picture and isolate the sound(s) placement given by the teacher (ie. beginning, middle, end)
- Progressing #1: Students say the word for the picture and isolate the sound(s) placement given by the teacher (ie. beginning, middle, end) and orally come up with a word that also contains/begins/ends with that/those sound(s)
- Progressing #2: Students say the word for the picture and isolate the sound(s) placement given by the teacher (ie. beginning, middle, end) and write the spelling for that/those sound(s) on the “Sounds in the Stars Paper”
- Advanced practice: Students say the word for the picture and isolate each sound in the spoken word. Students write the entire word for the picture by listening to each sound in the spoken word.
