Putting the “Fun” in
Fundations
Spelling and Phonics Activities to reinforce your
FUNdations and/or spelling lessons.
Presented by:
Marie Kiley and Sarah Sansom
Joshua Eaton School
Reading, MA O1867
Wikispace: https://eatonfundations.wikispaces.com
FUN Activities to Reinforce Your FUNdations
Lesson
The Activities listed on the following pages are excellent extension activities to utilize during:

Literacy/Phonics centers

Early Morning Work

During a phonics lesson if time allows.
 Word Cubes
Use the template found at the end of this packet (page 7) to write letters, digraphs, welded sounds or syllables on all six
sides. Have students roll the dice to see if they can make a word. This is a great activity in that students get the
opportunity to practice applying their learned phonics skills. They practice these skills by reading non-sense words when
the dice they roll do not form a real word. (This template is best used when stuffed with tissues or paper and then
sealed with packing tape)
word
cube
 Mini White Boards
Staples carries white board tiles that are made out of foam. These can be easily cut with a sharp knife into 9 rectangles.
The students love using these to practice writing each syllable of a given word. Any excuse to use a white board and
colorful markers and my students are always happy!!
rib
bon
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 Cheer Words
Each letter corresponds to either a plane line (b,d,f,h,I,k,l, or t), grass line (a,c,e,m,n,o,r,s,u,v,w,x,z), or worm line
(g,j,p,q,y). Students start with their hands on their hips, and will raise their arms in the air for a plane line letter, out to
the side for a grass line letter, and down by their sides for a worm line letter. Give the students key trick words or
spelling words to practice cheering with the correct hand movements. They could use pom poms and give their cheer
during a special time in the gym or out on the playground.
Variation: Try having the kids do silent cheers with unit trick words and allowing the other students to guess which
word they are cheering based on the pattern of plane, grass or worm line letters.
Give me a C! Give me
an A! Give me a T!
What does it spell?
 Popsicles
Students may spell out their unit words with popsicle sticks.
 Secret Codes
Using the alphabet code below, have students write simple sentences with their spelling words and then convert these
to a secret code that a friend or classmate will try to solve.
Example: 2 12 21 5
A B C D E
1
2
3
4
18 9 2 2 15 14 = Blue Ribbon
F
G H I
5 6 7
8
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
 Etch-A-Word
Have students use an Etch-A-Sketch to “etch” out their spelling words.
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 3-D Words
3-D Movies seem to be very popular now with Toy Story 3 and Mega Mind. Along this theme, have students create
some 3-D words of their own using wiki sticks, modeling clay or pipe cleaners. Students could also use 2-3 colored
crayons together to write their word on a piece of paper. The effect is similar to 3-D.
 Memory
When students are practicing reading and spelling multi-syllabic words, write the words out – each separate syllable on
a different card, and have students place these cards upside down on the table. Each student then takes turns turning
over two cards to see if they have a match.
 Spelling Puzzles
Using larger index cards, write out multi-syllabic words on these cards. Be sure to leave a small space between each
syllable so that you may cut the card. Cut a zig-zag line down between each syllable. Have students match these
spelling words together to form the correct word. They can self-check their work by being sure that the puzzle pieces
match.
 Go Fish
Using the same word cards as above, have students play a game of Go Fish. A list of the words utilized in the game
should be provided for reference. Students will take turns asking “Sarah, do you have ab- as in absent?”. If that child
does not have the word, they would say Go Fish. The winner is the one who has the most word matches at the end of
the game.
Poison Star
Using a “fat stack” of word cards (review words from the current and past Fundations Units) written on index cards,
draw a star on the back of every 4-6 cards. In groups of 2 or more, students place this pile of cards face up in front of
them and take turns reading aloud each card. After reading the card aloud, they turn it over to see if there is a star on
the back. If there is a star on the back of their card, they must hand that card, and all the other cards in their pile to the
player to their left. The player with the most cards at the end of the game wins.
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Sparkle (Great for morning meeting times!)
Using the words from the current and/or past spelling units, have the students stand in a large circle. Give a word aloud
and students will go one-by-one around the circle to spell each letter of the word. Once the last letter is given, the next
student says “Sparkle” and has to sit down.
 Bingo
Utilize the Bingo template attached (page 8) to create games according to the current spelling rule being taught. This
game is great for prefixes and suffixes, blends and digraphs, and given spelling patterns.
 Pick-A-Card
Utilizing Sound-Alike words, vocabulary terms, or other words found within your particular spelling unit, write each word
out on different colored index cards. Fan the cards out on the table, face down. Students take turns choosing cards and
reading the words aloud. After reading each word aloud, they must come up with a sentence to show the meaning of
the given word.
**Extension – Write non-sense words following your current spelling rule on each word card. Have students create
sentences that would help us try to determine what that non-sense word could mean. Example: “Galnip” – Last night
I went to the store and bought a great galnip to wear. Students could determine that the word meant sweater, hat,
etc…
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Scrabble Slam, Banana Grams, Appletters, and Pairs in Pears may be purchased as additional extension activities.
These games have become some of the favorites played during indoor recess!!
**Bananagrams for Kids, by The Folks at Puzzability & The Creators of Banagrams, provides additional games and
activities that can be used with the Bananagrams tiles.
**Please note activity pages attached. These pages have been great supplemental activity pages that have been given
for homework, utilized during center activities or during other reinforcement opportunities.
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Template for Word Cube
7
B
I
N
G
O
8
Name: ____________________________ Date: _______________
Write your current unit words in alphabetical order. Please remember to write
neatly, and to spell the words carefully!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
1. ---------------------------------------- 2. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. --------------------------------------- 4. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. --------------------------------------- 6. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. --------------------------------------- 8. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
9. --------------------------------------- 10. --------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
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Name: _______________________ Date: _______________
Please choose 10 words from your word list. Write the words in backwards
alphabetical order (from z to a, rather than a to z). Please remember to write
neatly, and to spell the words carefully!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
1. ---------------------------------------- 2. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. --------------------------------------- 4. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. --------------------------------------- 6. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. --------------------------------------- 8. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
9. --------------------------------------- 10. --------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
zyxwvutsrqponmlkjihgfedcba
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Name: ____________________________ Date: _______________
Please use the words from your word list. Choose one color to write each
consonant, and a different color to write each vowel. For example, vowels could
be purple and consonants could be green.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
1. ---------------------------------------- 2. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. --------------------------------------- 4. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. --------------------------------------- 6. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. --------------------------------------- 8. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
9. ---------------------------------------- 10. -------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Name: ____________________________ Date: _______________
Cursive Practice
Please remember to write neatly and carefully spell each word!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
1. ---------------------------------------- 2. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
3. --------------------------------------- 4. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
5. --------------------------------------- 6. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
7. --------------------------------------- 8. ---------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
9. --------------------------------------- 10. --------------------------------____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Name: _____________________ Date: ________________
Please write a friendly letter using the words from your homework
outline. You may choose trick words, or current unit words. Remember
to include a heading, a greeting, a body, a closing, and a signature in
your letter.
____________________,
____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
_______________________________
___________________,
___________________
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Name___________________________________Date ____________
Phonics Figuring
Use the words from your HW Outline. Write each word in the first blank column, checking your spelling
carefully. Fill in the rest of the boxes going across the row. Be sure to do your figuring carefully!
Write the word.
1.
Hopes
# of
X
vowels
(multiply
2
x
by)
# of
consonants
3
=
=
(product/ answer
goes here)
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Ex:
2.
x
=
3.
x
=
4.
x
=
5.
x
=
6.
x
=
7.
x
=
8.
x
=
9.
x
=
10.
x
=
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Name________________________ Date __________
Study Buddy
Fold this paper into three columns, so you can only see one at a time. Use the lines to help you.
Find a buddy who will dictate words to you, using your word list.
Listen to the word, echo it, and write it down in the first column.
Have your buddy check your work, and write words you misspelled again in the second column. In the
third column, try one more time to correct any mistakes.
First attempt
Second attempt
Third attempt
_______________ _______________ _______________
______________
_______________ ______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
_______________ _______________ _______________
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Name: _____________________ Date: ___________
Vowel Hide and Seek
Use the words from your word list. Begin writing a word by putting one letter on each dashed line until
the whole word is spelled. Leave out each vowel by not writing them on the lines. Check over your work
to see that only the consonants are written, and a blank dash holds the place of each vowel! It’s okay to
have dashed lines left over.
For example, the word school would be written sch_ _ l.
1. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
2. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
3. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
4. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
5. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
6. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
7. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
8. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
9. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
10. ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___
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