Word Families*

In a document, type a column of an ending of a word family you want students to learn, preceded by various initial letters. Separate the initial letter from the ending with three or four spaces. For example:

Place the document on each students' computer. For instructions how to do this, click here.

If students don't know how to open a document, you may want to do that for them in advance on their computers.

• Show students how to place and insert the cursor as well as how the backspace and delete key functions.
• Review the sound of the word family you are focusing on.
• Students look at the first initial letter and make the sound of that letter.
• They then look at the word ending and make that sound.
• Ask the students to insert the cursor after the first letter of the first word and press delete to erase the extra spaces until the word is formed. When the word is formed, have them pronounce it.
• On the next word, ask the students to insert the cursor in front of the first letter of the word ending and press backspace until the word is joined.
  

• Have students join compound words, or roots and prefixes or suffixes.
• Use the Recording function (In Word, click Insert, then Object. Click the Create New tab, and click Wav Sound.) Make a sound recording of the initial letter and the endings for students to listen to and repeat.
• Students record themselves reading the words they formed.
• The teacher records sounds, but does not type the spellings. Students listen to the recordings and type the spellings.

YOUR ideas!

E-mail us YOUR ideas or submit a form and we will add them as a Variation.

*We would like to thank Antonia Stone, author of Keystrokes to Literacy, for inspiring the above activity.