Updated: Jan 29
Phase Three: j, v, w, x, y, z, zz, qu, ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee
Phase 3 words: see, sheep, feet, jeep, meet, deep and keep.
Revisit and Review - Phase 3 sounds
Choose a selection of flashcards that your child has already been taught. Put them in an envelope so that the letters are hidden. Slowly, pull the flashcard out to reveal the sound so that only the top of the letters show at first and gradually reveal more and more. The first person to recognise it and shout out the correct sound wins the card. Keep playing until all of the sounds have been pulled out of the envelope. The winner is the player with the most cards.
This game is a great way to help children recognise what the sounds (phonemes) look like written down (graphemes). The more they recognise and remember what the sounds look like the quicker they will guess e.g. they might guess the 'igh' sound as soon as the dot is revealed on the left hand side.
Reading - can you see the word?
Use a cardboard box to make a large wordsearch. Ask your child to read the words down the side then circle them when they find them in the word search.
Model how to to search for the ee digraph (where two letters make one sound) in the wordsearch and then to look what letter comes before and after. Sound the letters and blend them to see if they make a word. This is a great way to encourage children to look and see if there is a digraph in words when they are trying to sound them out and blend them.
I have added a printable version below but making a giant one out of cardboard is a great way to grab your child's attention. I used a cardboard box and scored lines in it using scissors to create a grid. This made it easier to write the letters so they all lined up. You could also make one using a large roll of paper, using chalk on the floor or even a dry wipe pen on a window.
I started by writing the ee words on the grid and made a list of the words down the edge of the cardboard. Then I filled the rest of the boxes in with random letters. I tried my best to make sure that I didn't create any rude words by mistake! Hopefully, I didn't!
Download your copy below. The pdf file also contains a blank version for you to create your own wordsearch.
Writing - can you see the letters?
Staple two toilet rolls tubes together to make binoculars and invite your child to be a word detective.
Put the ee card on the table and select the following magnetic letters. This selection of letters can be used to make lots of words containing the ee digraph.
Phase 3 words: see, feel, weep, feet, jeep, seem, meet, week, deep and keep.
Say a word and ask your child to use the binoculars to see if they can spot the letters needed to make the word. Encourage them to sound out the word as they look for the letters. Your child can either place the magnetic letters on the board to spell the word or write them using the dry wipe pen.
Resources:
The magnetic letters, flashcards, dry wipe board and pen are all included in the Phonics Box Kit.