CVC Word Work Activities

Hello all!  HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

There's been a bit of radio silence here since our family arrived last week.  We only get to see them 3 times a year, so when they come to visit I lock up the laptop so I won't be tempted to work and I can give all my undivided attention to my favorite people : )  Since they left, we've been trying to clean up from the mess the contractors left when the FINISHED...yes, FINISHED...our bathroom!  Praise Jesus, halleluia!!!  5 long months later and we have a bathroom again!!  

In the last couple of weeks, I've received about 4-5 different emails asking me about introducing CVC words and how I help my kids blend and segment those sounds.  I've directed them to the post below in hopes that it might help!  Just in case you guys are reviewing or introducing CVC words, I thought today would be a good time to share while I'm still trying to get back into the swing of things here at the house.  I originally posted about this a couple of years ago.  Hope this helps some of you, too!  And please feel free to comment with any additional ideas or suggestions!!!  

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Blending and segmenting is such a tricky concept for some kids to grasp, so I try to integrate this skill as often as I can so that my kids are constantly being slammed with practice…even when they don’t realize it.  One of the first things I like to do is help the kids build a visual image of what CVC words look like so that they can distinguish an easily decodable word from a sight word.  We practiced sorting CVC/not CVC words whole group and discussed each word as the kids brought theirs up to the easel.

This was a great little assessment to see which of my kids were still having trouble distinguishing between consonants and vowels, too.

I finally had a chance to sit down and revamp some of the CVC activities I’ve been using with my kids since I started teaching 13 years ago.  What that basically means is that I swapped out Comic Sans and updated the clipart :)  I have a CVC station in the classroom where the kids can choose from any of these activities and practice making, reading, & writing CVC words.

Spin it & blend it is always a class favorite.  I like to introduce this during small group so that the kids understand the concept and then I’ll place different word family/sound spinners in dry erase sleeves and set them out in the CVC station.  My kids LOVE this one.  I also love using the cover it up cards for visual & sound discrimination.  It’s a great tool to use to quickly assess their knowledge & understanding, too.

 

Of course, who doesn’t have these handy dandy CVC word building mats.  I had mine FOR.EV.ER and they were in sad, SAD shape.  I found the perfect clipart and was able to update the pictures and add more work mats to my collection.  Halleluia. Amen.  My kids always seem to go back to this activity, too.  I’m glad they love it so much!! And what kid doesn’t love a good puzzle?!  The CVC word/picture puzzles are visited quite often in 206.

   

These CVC phoneme puzzles are great for introducing beginning/middle/ending sounds.  I love to use these for my intervention groups.  They help the kids build a visual image of the word as well as build their basic vocabulary.

 

Kathleen from Growing Kinders has an EXCELLENT post packed full of CVC activities and ideas.  DEFINITELY worth the read.  Her ideas have definitely helped me reinforce this skill in my own classroom!!!

Here’s an idea via From Kindergarten with Love that I absolutely ADORE!  Shake, Rattle, & Read – real & nonsense words!  I have a gobzillion of these little containers and this is surely the perfect use!!

One of my favorite whole group games to play with the kids {sorry, no pictures!!!!} is a little game called Monkey in the Middle.  For this game, the kids are all monkeys.  I give each of my kids a letter printed on a banana template.  I typically use all 5 vowels {which means only 5 kids get these letters}, but you can use only a couple if you want.  I pull out a picture card to show the class and then set it on the floor.  I tell my monkeys that I need the first sound & the last sound to sandwich the picture {the beginning sound stands to the left of the picture and the ending sound stands to the right}.  This also helps us to reinforce how words are built & read….left to right.  Then we all chant, “where’s the monkey in the middle?!”  The monkey with the matching medial vowel comes up and stands on the picture {in the middle} and all three hold up their letter bananas.  Then we practice blending & segmenting the sounds that make the word.  They absolutely go BANANAS over this game!!  Hahahaha :)

Do you have any great CVC ideas you want to share?!  I’d LOVE to hear them!!!  I’m always looking for fun new ways to practice this skill!!!  Leave me a comment and let me know how you make CVC practice fun & exciting for your kids!! 

In the meantime, I compiled all my CVC activities and bundled them into a little packet…chocked full of hands-on practice, printables, & emergent readers, too. You can click on the pictures to read more about it if you’re interested.

 

Have a GREAT week!