Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Tic Tac Toe: A Sounding Out Accuracy Game

For Teachers K - 1st
A small group game to practice word and sound recognition and accuracy. Students play tic tac toe with partners, but before they can take a turn they must pick a work from a pile on their desk and sound it out. Their partner gives them a...
Activity
Free Reading

Free Reading: Word Potato: A Sounding Out Accuracy Game

For Students Pre-K - 1st
A small group game to practice word and sound recognition and accuracy. A word version of "Hot Potato" in which the students pass around a basket of words. The last student to hold the basket must pick a word and sound it out. If they...
Unit Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Beginning Sound Spin Letter Sound Accuracy Activity

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
Builds students' abilities to identify the sound of a letter and say if a word begins with that sound. The student spins a wheel and says what letter/sound it stops on. Then they find a picture that begins with that sound. This site...
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Sound Toss Game; Letter Sound Accuracy

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A letter sounds game that students will love! They toss a bean bag onto a poster board with pictures on it, and tell what the first letter and sound is of the picture that the bean bag lands on. This site includes a link to printable...
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Egg Carton Game; Letter Sound Accuracy Activity

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A small group game to build students' abilities to identify letters and their sounds. A student shakes an egg carton, opens it to see where a chip landed, and says the letter and its sound.
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Tic Tac Toe; Letter Sound Accuracy Activity

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A letter sound version of Tic Tac Toe that learners play with partners. Before they can take their turn, they must draw a letter and give three words that begin with that letter. Their partner must give them a thumbs up before they can...
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: "You're a Liar!" a Letter Sound Accuracy Game

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A small group game using cards with letters of the alphabet on them. The object is to place cards face down in a pile in alphabetical order. Based on an old card game called "I doubt it." This site has a link to a Letter card site for...
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Mix, Mix, Match: A Sounding Out Accuracy Game.

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A small group game to practice word and sound recognition and accuracy. Students receive a card with a word part on it. The instructor plays music and when the music stops, the students "mix" and put their cards with another student.
Activity
Free Reading

Free Reading: Word Baseball: A Sounding Out Accuracy Game

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
A small group game to practice word and sound recognition and accuracy. Students are divided into two teams and when "up to bat" sound out a word on a card accurately, and then pick a card from the baseball plays in a bucket.
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Catch a Sound: Letter Sound Accuracy Activity

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A quick alphabet game for the whole class. Young scholars stand in a circle and throw a beanbag to each other. When they catch it, they must say a word that begins with the letter given. Continue this in alphabetical order.
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Sound Spaghetti; Letter Sound Accuracy Game

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A great game to teach students how to sound out words. Each student picks a piece of long paper out of the teacher's basket and pronounces the letters on it.
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Musical Chairs Game; Letter Sound Accuracy

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A letter sound accuracy game based on Musical Chairs. But to keep the chair that they sit in the student must pick a letter from the teacher's bucket and give a word that starts with that letter. A link to Letter Cards is included on...
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Long Vowel Choice Game; Letter Sound Accuracy

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
An entertaining, whole class game to build the accuracy of the learners' abilities to identify the sounds of different vowels. This site includes a link to a Word List Generator.
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Letter Ring Game: Letter Sound Accuracy Activity

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A fun, unique version of the game "Ring Around the Rosie" that builds the students' accuracy in identifying letters, sounds, and words that begin with that letter. A link to printable letter cards is provided on this site as well.
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Give Me Five; Letter Sound Accuracy Activity

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
An exciting game to build students' understanding and accuracy of producing words that begin with the same letter. Students sit in a circle and the teacher says the sound of the letter. One student must pass a bean bag around the circle...
Lesson Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down? Letter Sound Accuracy Game

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
An exciting activity for the whole class to practice listening for a specific letter sound. When they hear a word with the sound they are listening for they give it a thumbs up; if it doesn't have the sound, they give it a thumbs down....
Activity
Free Reading

Free Reading: Beginning Sounds; Poem

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
An activity that can be adapted for the whole class, small group, or large group. The instructor first reviews a letter and its sound, then presents the group with a poem with that letter that the students will then identify.
Unit Plan
Free Reading

Free Reading: "I Spy" Letter Sound Accuracy

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
Use this game of "I Spy" to help students build their accuracy of letter identification! Can be student- or teacher-led.
Article
PBS

Pbs: Multiple Methods of Reading Instruction

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
This article surveys three strategies to incorporate into classroom repertoire. They include guided reading, choral reading, and readers' theater.
Article
Other

Papa Jan: Five Essential Components of Reading

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
Can you name the five essential components of reading? Check out this informative site from Papa Jan.com to learn more about phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary development and reading comprehension.
Professional Doc
LD Online

Ld Online: Beginning Reading and Phonological Awareness

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
This site from the LD OnLine focuses on beginning reading and phonological awareness for students with learning disabilities. Check out the information presented in this informative article.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Collaborative Prewriting and Drafting

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A very useful lesson that incorporates the process of collaboration to elementary students. Students brainstorm and use prewriting strategies to write a group story.
Primary
Other

Education Commission of the States: Pre K Grade 3 Reading and Literacy Practices

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
A brief report of findings and policy recommendations of five different research studies on the effects of literacy instructions with Pre-K through 3rd grade students.
Interactive
ABCya

Ab Cya: Alphabet Bubble

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Alphabet Bubble is a fun educational game that helps develop phonemic awareness. Children pop bubbles to match letters with words that start with the correct letter sound. Once a match is completed children are shown a picture of the word.