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Language Games for First Grade

Language learning is vital in the early grades, and first grade offers a time for youngsters to develop on what they learned in preschool and kindergarten. Controversies abound as to the best way to teach youngsters effective communication, but no matter the education strategy, first graders need to be engaged in their language acquisition. Games and interactive activities provide an effective way to involve students in language and learning.
  1. Sing the Word

    • Divide your class into small groups according to the letters in a word. So, for a word like "cat," you need three groups. Each group gets one letter from the word that they sing in turn to create the finished word. Once each group has sung their letter, have all the groups sing out the word in unison. This activity will reinforce the notion that letters represent sounds and how those sounds work together to form whole words.

    Language Baseball

    • Here, you the teacher act as the "pitcher" to a classroom divided into two teams. Students come to "bat" and you give them words, omitting letters so they have to guess what the word is. You might say, "I'm thinking of a farm animal; it's a (C) ... ow." When the student guesses correctly, she advances to a base. Allow each student to miss a word or two before being called "out."

    Computer Games

    • If your classroom has computers, there are many online games available for additional enrichment. Compile a list of links to provide to parents who can offer their children the opportunity for language enrichment at home as well. A site such as Project ROLL offers links to games that test consonant use, alphabet skills, and sentence structure.

    Phonics Basketball

    • Use a foam or other soft ball and a trash can to set up the basketball court for your classroom. Divide the class into two teams and flip a coin to determine which team will shoot first. Line up the teams, and ask the child at the head of the line to spell a phonetic word, which is a word that sounds like it's spelled, such as "torch." When students spell words correctly, their team gets a point and the student can elect to shoot a basket from one of two spots marked with masking tape on the floor. The mark farthest from the trash can is worth three points, and the closer one is worth two. If a student does not spell the word correctly, the other team can "steal" and attempt to spell the word.

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