Working with word families will help students see patterns in reading and build fluency. Word families are groups of words that rhyme. For example, the "-ag" word family would include words such as tag, bag, rag and wag. To provide practice, invite students to "deliver the mail" to word family houses. Write targeted word families on several house cut-outs. Use a variety of vowels to challenge students. Attach each house onto the front of a bag or box. Create pieces of "mail" by writing words that fit into the word families on index cards, note paper, postcards and envelopes. Make several pieces of mail for each house. Allow students to deliver the mail by reading the word and finding the matching word family. This game works well as a whole group activity or at an independent practice center.
Whether students are reading or listening to a book, discussing elements of the story helps build comprehension skills. Keep students involved in meaningful literature discussion by creating a story can. This activity is particularly useful during small-group reading instruction. Gather an empty clean can and several large craft sticks. On each craft stick, write a story element or a discussion question. For example, story-element sticks might include setting, characters, genre, problem and solution. Discussion questions could include "What was your favorite part of the story?" "What words did the author use to describe the main character?" or "If you re-wrote the ending to this story, what would happen?" Place all the sticks in the can. After reading a book with a small group, select students to pick a stick from the can and read the prompt. After the student answers, select another student. The story can can also be used after whole-group reading to promote reflection and discussion.
Kindergarten students need repetitious practice with sight words. Keep this practice engaging with this fun independent-practice game. Gather a pot, large spoon, small set of letters, index cards and a recipe box. Write targeted sight words on the index cards and store inside the recipe box. Place the letters in the pot with the spoon. A student then chooses a recipe card and scoops out the required letters from the pot. She places the letters on top of the recipe card to ensure correct spelling. After she reads the word, she dumps the letters back into the pot and selects another recipe card. Students will love this twist on reading and spelling sight words.
Kindergartners will enjoy the pizza theme of this small-group or partner reading game. Decorate triangles of card stock to look like slices of pizza. On each slice, write a simple sentence using familiar sight words and decodable words. Draw pepperonis on each slice depending on the difficulty of the sentence. On the simplest sentences, draw only one or two pepperonis. For more advanced sentences, draw several pepperonis. Laminate the slices for durability and place in an empty, clean pizza box. To play, the first student picks a slice of pizza from the box. He then reads the sentences and keeps the slice in his pile. He passes the box to the next student. Play continues until all the slices are gone. The player with the most pepperonis wins the game.