WORD FAMILIES

Children can only manipulate two "chunks" at a time, so focusing on word families is a powerful strategy for beginning readers.“Onset” refers to the initial letter or blend. “Rime” is the vowel and letters following it.

Rime Time (Tune: "The Addams Family")
Chorus:
Rime time, (Snap! Snap!)
Rime time, (Snap! Snap!)
Rime time, rime time, rime time. (Snap! Snap!)

There’s can and there’s pan. (Touch hands to alternate knees to the beat.)
There’s fan and there’s ran.
There’s man and there’s tan.
The “an” family.
Chorus

Pet-jet-vet-net-let-set…
Like-hike-bike-mike-trike-pike…
Pot-dot-hot-not-lot-got…
Ball-call-hall-fall-tall-mall…
Sit-lit-hit-kit-fit-pit…
Book-look-cook-hook-took-nook… 

It would be meaningful to take one word family and sing it every day for a week in this song. If you made a “house” similar to the one shown the children could contribute additional words throughout the week.


Word Family Song (Tune: “BINGO”)
There is word family you should know
And at is it’s name-o.
M-a-t, mat
H-a-t, hat
C-a-t, cat
They end in at you know.

*Write the words on a chart and point to them as you sing.

Block Rimes
Cut paper the size of square and rectangular unit blocks. Write onsets on the squares and rimes on the rectangles. Children put blocks together and read words.

                          

Rime Eggs
Using plastic eggs, write onsets with a permanent marker on one half of the egg. Write a rime on the other. Children twist the egg and read the words.

                                                    

Flower Rimes
Cut 4” circles out of construction paper. Cut paper petals similar to the ones shown. Children write the “rime” on the circle and then write words on the petals.

                    


Unifix Cubes

Put stickers on unifix cubes and write letters on them. (I’ve tried writing directly on the cubes with permanent markers, but they always rub off.) Children make a rime and then use additional letters to make new words.

*Let children play this game with a partner. One person makes a
word and then the other friend must read it.

Letter Tins

Put magnetic letters in an empty tin of mints. How many words can the children make with the letters? Ask them to write a list of all the words.