1-2-3 Come Do A Flurry Of Word Family Activities With Me

It's snowing right now and I'm so in the mood for more! My Y5's loved our January snow-themed activities, so I decided to incorporate some word family work with a snowflake theme.  I hope you enjoy today's FREEBIE, which fits in nicely with Daily 5 word work.  Completed projects make an awesome winter bulletin board too.

There are 4 large snowflake patterns. Run them off and give your students a choice. 

There are also 70 word family snowflake cards, with 9 on a page for quick printing.

Choose the word family cards you want your students to practice, toss them in a container and have each student pick one. 

They write that word family in the center of their snowflake.  One of the facts that my kiddos learn about snowflakes is that although each one is unique, they all have six sides. 

For this reason, you can choose to keep things simple and have your students think of just six words for their word family, or challenge older students to think of more.

I've included a variety of samples you can share with your students.

If you want them to practice alphabetizing, have children write their words on a sheet of scratch paper, alphabetize the words and then write them in alphabetical order on their snowflake, starting at the top and writing clockwise. 

I've included a list of 70 word families, which has an alphabetical list of example words for each one. (This is a pretty comprehensive list, as I've included 987 words appropriate for school. ) 

You can share this list with your students if they become stuck, or if you want them to write more than six words on their snowflake.  To build vocabulary, have children look up any words that they are unfamiliar with. 

For more word work, there's a word family bookmark template.  Students fill in the word family you want them to work on. 

After they jot down as many words as they can think of, brainstorm as a whole group and write the words on the board. 

Afterwards, students return to their seats and update their list.  Have students save their word family bookmarks. 

When you're done with word families, have students organize the bookmark pages in alphabetical order then add the cover and staple.

There's also a worksheet where you fill in the amount of words and sentences you want your students to write that incorporate the word family words. 

Click on the link to view/download the Snowflake Word Families packet.

That's it for today.  I'm off to go play in the snow!  My poodle pup, Chloe, LOVES scampering through the sparkles.  Wishing you a fun-filled and relaxing day.  

"Advice is like snow - the softer it falls, the longer it dwells upon, and the deeper in [it] sinks into the mind." -Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Word Power!

I know the year is at an end, but I just dreamed up Bird Words and am so excited.  Hopefully you will be too, and can implement this program for next year. 

I just had to blog about it today, because this 93-page packet, makes teaching word families simple and easy for you,  and lots of fun for your kiddo's!

The Toucan will help make your students Can-Do Word Wizard Kids. These lessons plug in perfectly with your Word Work for Daily 5 activities too.

Students stay organized and keep everything in a neat folder for easy access!

The packet includes:

• A toucan Poster
• 34 word family header cards.
• 283 traceable word cards derived from the word family root prefixes.
• 5 Word Family apple word art "We're Studying Word Famiies!": posters/anchor charts.
• These can also be used as a cover for students' folders.
• (See the photo above for how these 1st 4 things are set up on your word family wall.)
• A blank set of cards for you to program with other word families.
• 34 "Trace and Write" worksheets that cover the 283 word family words.
• Covers to make the traceable word cards into Itty Bitty booklets
• A list of other things you can do with the cards including how to play the game Kaboom
• Kaboom bomb cards
• A self recording checklist of word families covered +
• 2 certificates of praise.

 Click on the link to view/download Word Family Word Bird Packet

 A perfect compliment to this packet is the Word Family Letter Wands!

Your students will have fun making "magic wands" out of 5 Popsicle sticks by simply putting a consonant on the front and back of each tip.

Words will "pop" out as they place the point in front of the words on their paper.

• Students write any words that appear on their recording sheet.
• The student with the most words when the timer rings receives a sticker on their sheet.
• As an alternative, have students think up silly nonsense words and then define them.
• For example, Zad, a friendly alien from the planet Zador.
• Students can keep this practice sheet and their "magic letter wands" in the above folders.

Click on the link to view/download Magic Word Family Wands 

Be sure and pop in tomorrow for more teaching tips.

Do you have a word family activity you'd like to share? I'd enjoy hearing from you. diane@teachwithme.com or feel free to post a comment here, especially if you use one of my ideas. 

PIN away if you find something you feel would be helpful to others.  I think sharing is so important. 

May all your days be magical!