Building Meaning Picture Cards Kit
After students have chanted several words, call on a volunteer
to lead the chant each time you present a new word. You can
add another layer of fun by choosing a student to strike a
musical triangle or clap his or her hands each time the
featured word is said in a chant.
Congratulations on your purchase of this Really Good Stuff®
Building Meaning Picture Cards Kit—a collection of 40
photographic Cards to help students associate high-frequency
functional, connecting, and abstract words with something
that is meaningful. This Kit is approved by Patricia M.
Cunningham and Dorothy P. Hall to support the “Building
Meaning for High Frequency Words” strategy found in Phonics
They Use by Patricia M. Cunningham (Allyn & Bacon, 2009).
Drawing for Meaning
Next, for those students who need “to do” to learn, provide a
second layer of kinesthetic practice. Make a copy of the Building
Meanings Picture Card Reproducible, write the featured word as
large as possible on the top line of the card, the sentence from
the Building Meanings Picture Card on the bottom lines, and then
make copies for your students. Cut them apart and distribute
one to each student. Have the students trace the word with their
finger or pencil as they say each letter, say the word out loud
together, read the sentence along with you, and draw the Building
Meaning picture in the box. Have them underline the word in the
sentence with a red crayon or marker.
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• 40 Building Meaning Picture Cards, laminated
• Today’s word is: Mini Poster, laminated
• Storage Box
• This Really Good Stuff® Teaching Guide
Using the Building Meaning Picture Cards Kit
Before introducing the Building Meaning Picture Cards Kit,
make copies of this Really Good Stuff® Teaching Guide, cut
apart the reproducibles, and file the pages for future use.
Or, download another copy of it from our website at
www.reallygoodstuff.com.
Teaching Easily Confused Words
Make several copies of the Building Meaning Picture Card
Reproducible on cardstock, cut them out, and store them to
use with this activity. Once students are able to associate
meanings for the words, introduce new words that have some
of the same letters as the featured words, making them easily
confused. For example, students often confuse the word of
with the word for. Glue a picture from a magazine or draw a
picture in the box to represent the use of both words. For
example, you might attach a picture of a little girl with a
bowl of fruit. On the sentence lines, write “This is a bowl
of fruit for (use the name of a student.)” and underline the
featured words.
Introducing the Building Meaning Picture Cards Kit
Hang the Today’s word is: Mini Poster in a prominent place in your
classroom. Choose the Building Meaning Picture Card you wish to
introduce and attach it to the Mini Poster by inserting the
corners into the slits. Gather students and explain that you are
going to be featuring new words on the Mini Poster to help them
understand the meanings. Point to the Card on the Mini Poster.
Ask students to describe what they see in the picture and then
point to the word at the top as you say it out loud. For example, if
you are featuring the Picture Card for the abstract word of, tell
students that this Picture Card will help them understand the
meaning of the word of. Read the sentence at the bottom of the
Card, being sure to point out the featured word in the sentence I
drink a glass of milk. Have students think of other examples using
the word of that relate to them, such as the piece of cake they
had for dessert last night, the bowl of cereal they had for
breakfast, or the box of crayons they keep in their desks. If
desired, have additional examples of labeled pictures to display
around the Mini Poster. For example, you could cut pictures from
magazines, mount them on construction paper, and label them
with “a piece of cake,” “a box of cereal,” or “a bowl of fruit.”
Have students practice the two words by chanting the phrase
with a simple chant such as:
A bowl of fruit for Maria.
A bowl of fruit for Maria.
o-f spells of
f-o-r spells for
A bowl of fruit for Maria.
Hold up the reproducible and ask students to think of more
examples using of and for. Record their phrases on copies of the
Building Meaning Picture Card Reproducible and have the
students illustrate them. Display the reproducibles around the
Mini Poster. If the original word has another easily confused word,
label a Building Meaning Picture Card Reproducible with a
sentence including all three words, such as “This is a bowl of fruit
for Maria from Mother.” Have the students chant the new phrase
for practice.
Cheering the Word
Each time you introduce a new word, give the students lots of
auditory practice by saying and cheering the word and a
phrase from the sentence. Make a chant of it using the
examples below:
Glass of milk
Glass of milk
o-f spells of
Glass of milk
Parent Connection
Make a copy of the Parent Letter Reproducible, fill in the
desired word from the Building Meaning Picture Cards, sign the
Parent Letter, and make copies for the class. Staple a Parent
Letter to a Building Meaning Picture Card Reproducible and
send them home with students so they may share what they
have learned with their families. Have students share their
completed picture cards with the class and then display the
Look for shells.
Look for shells.
f-o-r spells for
Look for shells.
All teaching guides can be found online:
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2011 Really Good Stuff
®
1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #304933
Building Meaning Picture Card Reproducible
Parent Letter Reproducible
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2011 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #304933