1.  Singing songs. Having children learn and sing songs that rhyme and put movement to them will create a fun learning environment. This activity helps children understand sounds, their meaning to a word, and how they can follow a pattern. This fun, engaging activity will get children moving their bodies while learning the sounds of words from our English language.

The activity can be differentiated for students who have difficulties with physical movement by staying still/sitting down. Students who have difficulty talking, are still able to listen to the rhythms, move to the rhythm, and engage with the class.

2.  “I spy the Sound”. The teacher comes up with a letter sound and the students must use the same sound while finding an object/person in the room that begins with that sound. To help students who may struggle with phonemic awareness, these students can “vote a friend” to help them. For students who are nonverbal, have them point to two objects and ask them what would best fit the sound.

1.  Worksheets with objects on them for the students to color the beginning sound of a given letter. This will help students identify and recognize the sound of a letter and what object it goes to. While practicing their coloring skills.

This activity can be differentiated by the students not coloring, but rather pointing to the object.

2.  Puzzle pieces with half a word on it. The student will find the missing piece to complete the word.

1.  Pop! This game will help students learn new words and their definitions. Have a bag full of cards with words on them. As well as a few cards with the word Pop! Each student will pull a card out of the bag and have to say the word and the definition. If the student gets it right, they keep the card. If they don’t, they place the card back into the bag. If the student gets a Pop! card, they have to put all the cards they won back inside the bag. This is a fun, engaging game to get student's minds working.

2.  Word maps. Students will come up with a word and how it can relate to other words and concepts.

Both activities can be differentiated by the teacher helping the student, students working as a team, or having a file folder of words and a picture of that word for the student to match.  

1.  Read-Aloud story time. The teacher reads a section of a story and then asks for volunteers to try their best to be as fluent in reading as the teacher was.

2.  "Beat the clock". In small groups, have students use a timer to see which group has the best time and fluency in reading the section in the story.

1.  Story retelling worksheet with a “string up retelling story rope”. Have the students fill out each section of the worksheet (setting, characters, problem, happenings, and solution). Then with a string and cut-out pictures, have the students (without looking at the worksheet) remember the order of the story by placing the pictures on the string.

2.  Students become the teacher and the teacher becomes the student. The students think up questions from the story and the teacher will answer the questions. The students will have to decide if the teacher is right or wrong by what the students have comprehended by reading the story.

Students who have a harder time comprehending materials, can have extra assistance and do file folders or the rope activity.

At home: phoneme picture cards. Cards with pictures of words that have two sounds for the child to place together to form a word.

Website: ABCmouse.com

At home:

Website: Twinkl. This website gives parents access to print and use worksheets to help children gain more experience with phonics. It is a great website for teachers as well.

At home: Parents/guardians and child read together. Pick a story and take turns reading. Adults should point out words and explain the definition if the child does not know. Then ask the child to pick out a word and explain the definition of that word.

Website: Reading Rockets

At home: Easy-read books. Have the child read the text and have fun with it! Use a timer/video to record how fast the child can read, without mistakes and being silly. A fun way to spend time with your child and to teach them to become better reader!  

Website: We Are Teachers

At home: Family Book Club! Everyone in the family reads the same story and finds time to talk and discuss what happens in the story! This will help children with comprehension by showing them the people they love care about learning and reading. It will also be a fun way to learn together! Shows children the importance of reading and comprehension.

Website: Readability