You are not going to believe the fun news I have to share with you today. I am teaming with with the wonderful Marsha from A Differentiated Kindergarten to give away our most popular bundled products. After you read this post, you HAVE to stop by Marsha's blog for a chance to win my best-selling Bundle of Books.
But don't go yet, because I have to tell you about my new favorite classroom resource… Marsha's Word Families Galore Bundle. I also have to fill you in on the details of this fabulous giveaway.
Word Families Galore
I started teaching word families in my kindergarten classroom in November. We do a different word family each week and I am slowly making my way through each vowel sound. I knew I wanted to go more in-depth with my word family instruction and activities this year, but I wasn't quite sure where to begin. That's when I discovered Marsha's collection of Word Family Galore units. They were the answer to my prayers!
Thanks to Marsha, my class has a little bit of a word family obsession. This is what they choose to do in their free time.
And this.
And this again.
I'm telling you, my students are OBSESSED with word families!
But I'm getting ahead of myself. Allow me to back up and tell you about these fabulous units. As her blog name suggestions, Marsha's specialty is creating differentiated activities and resources to meet the diverse needs of all kindergarten students. True to her reputation, the activities in her Word Families Galore units vary from the super-simple, to an average challenge, to activities that could easily apply in a first grade classroom. Each word family unit is approximately 50 pages long and includes worksheets, center activities, and full-color suggestions for implementing the resources in your classroom. She sells each word family individually, in smaller bundles grouped according to short vowel sound, and of course in a huge Word Families Galore bundle.
Each individual word family set also contains the exact same TYPE of activity. I particularly love this because I only have to introduce a new activity one time, then my students can do the same activity each week for the new word family we are focusing on. In a half day classroom, I am always strapped for time and I greatly value the fact that I don't have to spend too much time explaining instructions.
These units are packed with so many resources, I have only done a few different activities in my classroom. I love that there are still many different ways to use the skill that my students can grow into throughout the year. Work with word families can always stay fresh and exciting to them.
Now that you know a little bit about the Word Family Galore Units, let me give you a peek into how I use these resources in my own classroom…
Every Monday I begin with an introduction to our new word family. I print a 8.5x11" poster of the word family and cards that display all words in the family with coordinating graphics (these are included in the set). I introduce each word and display the corresponding card on the whiteboard. We talk about the onset letter and the rime that follows. As each word is introduced, students record it on their personal whiteboards and draw a quick sketch to illustrate the word.
I print, laminate, and attach magnets to these cards. They are placed on my classroom whiteboard for students to use, explore, and manipulate all week long. They LOVE touching, matching, and rearranging the cards.
Day 2 of our Word Family study is a chance for my students to participate in interactive writing. I print a copy of the numbered picture cards (also included in the set) and glue them onto chart paper. I always write something like "Meet the -in Family" at the top of the chart. Students take turns labeling each picture on the chart. I ALWAYS use two different color markers to help my struggling students see that each word in the family has a different onset letter but the same rime.
My students love writing the words on our class chart!
Once our Word Family anchor chart is complete, we play a game!
The word family units include pieces to play a fun game. The rules are very simple: students pass around a container with word family words inside. They need to read the word in order to keep it. As the game continues, the children begin to form a collection of word family cards.
My kindergarteners think just reading the words is fun but Marsha also includes a few cards with a fun twist requiring students to put one card back, draw an extra card, or put ALL their cards back. (Strangely, this is the card my students always want to draw. They think it's so funny!) The game ends when someone draws the lucky card that makes them the winner. I like that the top reader may not be the winner of the game. It is literally luck-of-the draw.
Different fun cards are included for each short vowel sound. These are the short a cards.
How clever are these cards?
It's no wonder my students play this game constantly when their work is finished. They love playing the game and I love that they are becoming better readers.
As much as I love hands-on activities for my little learners, I still use worksheets in the classroom as well. The papers help me to see who is struggling with our new words and which students have mastered the words. It's also an excellent way for my kindergarteners to practice reading and writing the words in a different way.
If you're a Kinder-Craze fan, you know how much I love FUN and UNUSUAL worksheets. I like to keep my students engaged while they work on the necessary paper skills. Marsha does not disappoint! She has included the most fun and engaging activities in her Word Family sets. I have literally only used a few of the options in my classroom. These are my favorite activities so far.
Students use a bingo dotter to find a path of all words in the -at word family. It is a challenge because the whole page is filled with short a words, but after all the interactive practice we have in whole group, my students are experts at this activity.
Math and literacy meet come together for this activity. LOVE!
By the end of the week, my students are ready to write the room! Technically, in my classroom, it's "write the lockers." I attach copies of the same picture cards we use on the word family anchor chart to the lockers outside my classroom. A few students at a time get to go into the hallway, locate each picture, and record the words on their paper.
Of course, because Marsha is the QUEEN of differentiating instruction in Kindergarten, she includes a few different worksheet options for this activity.
Students that do the most difficult version of this activity read the sentences to a partner after they completed each missing word.
These two boys skipped all of the numbered picture cards and went right to the anchor chart. They used the sentences as CLUES to figure out what word was missing and used the anchor chart as a giant word bank so they knew which words to include on the page. They made their teacher so proud by giving themselves an extra challenge.
I have just begun to explore all of the resources in Marsha's Word Family Galore sets. There are still SO many more great activities yet to be discovered. I can't wait to use the rest of the packet activities in my classroom later this winer!
Now that you know all about Marsha's wonderful Word Family Galore activities, you are ready to hear about the giveaway.
Marsha will be giving a copy of her Word Families Galore bundle to one lucky Kinder-Craze fan. This mega bundle has over 800 PAGES of classroom resources and sells for $58 on TpT. This is the first time Marsha has EVER given her bundle away. Aren't you excited!
Now that you entered to win Marsha's fabulous Word Families Galore bundle, it's time for another chance to win a best-selling mega bundle! (This is a Double Bundle Giveaway, after all.)
Just like Marsha, I have NEVER given away a copy of my own mega bundle, but there's a first time for everything! Stop by A Differentiated Kindergarten for your chance to win the Bundle of Books!
PS- have you heard that a new bundle of Interactive Sight Word Readers is in the works?
It's true! Read all the details so you will be prepared to get it at a great price!