satpin game Letters and Sounds phase 2

I saw the idea for this game on this website
Laminate the cards and cut out. Place in a box and children take turns to pick a card, blend and read it. If correct they keep it. BUT if a child picks a card with 'bang' written on then they shout 'bang' and put all their cards back but they keep the 'bang' card. I haven't tried it but I reckon the kids will love it. I have made the game with the letters 'satpin' but it could be used with any new grapheme and at any phase. Also could be used to learn tricky words and even graphemes. You could put all the phase 2/3/5 graphemes on cards. I have included a blank template for you to use with your own words.

Letters and Sounds - Revisit and review. Stop the bus game

Stop the bus game

Cut out and laminate the cards. Choose 4 cards. Write the category name in each box on the sheet. Give the children a target sound. Start off easy with phase 2 graphemes and work up to long vowel sounds. Children to write a word in each category which either begins with the focus sound or contains the focus sound. You decide. The first child (or pair of children) to fill in all the categories shouts 'Stop the bus' Everyone must stop. If they have all the correct words then they win. It's a nice idea to have a bell for them to ring when they shout stop the bus.

Letters and Sounds - revisit and review

I often start my phonics sessions with a little puzzle. I find the children rise to the challenge and really enjoy it. It is a good way to revisit graphemes from previous phases. This is a dead simple game but I do think the simplest games are the best. Children have a set time of 2 minutes to come up with as many words as they can think of using the graphemes written in the box. I have done a blank one so you can simply write in the graphemes you want to use and then photocopy.
I usually do a target grapheme in green and the rest in black. They have to use the green grapheme in every word. We do sometimes get nonsense words which I do accept as long as the child can read it. Again a good way of just blending sounds. We call these alien words.
After 2 minutes I ask who has got more than 10? More than 9? etc the child with the most reads down their list. Often all my group want to read their words out. All good practise :)

The grain chain

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Exciting free educational resources, including interactive CD-ROMs, are available free of charge from The Grain Chain. Just fill in details.

Win a green roof for your school

For details click here

Free packet of wildflower seeds

If you upload a photo of some wild flowers etc that you don't recognise you will be sent a packet of wildflower seeds (subject to availability)

Click here

Easter ideas

Woven Easter baskets




Easter Chick sticks



Pringle can bunny



Easter Colouring pages



Easter story

Thinkers keys - the alternate

Character studies

Boggle word game - lots of premade, printable boards

Great resource for spelling, phonics, reading and to fit into any topics you are covering.

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PDF maker

I use this free software for converting word documents to pdf files. It is very simple to use. Takes a few minutes to download the software.

Click here for cute pdf maker

Poster maker

This is good. Upload a photo and make it huge, then download the pdf files to print and stick together. The only drawback is you are limited to 1 megabyte for your original photo. Here is a poster of my cat which I experimented with. You can make it as many A4 sheets as you like. The generator gives you a rough guide to how big the finished poster will be.

Click here for the poster maker

If you don't have software that will resize your original image to below 1 megabyte then search online for a free image resizer, use websites like http://www.photobucket.com/  or use 'Paint'. Here are some instructions for resizing using paint.

Mother's day ideas

I loved this simple idea

paper blossoms

And this Chore card

Oatmeal soap

Slipper cookies

Fairy Tale Characters

Some more characters to add to these

Winter wonderland resource pack

For those who still have snow.....the Woodland trust

Winter wonderland resource pack

Writing Fairy Tales

I made these to help children write Fairy Tales. Print and laminate and put in 3 different bags. Children to choose a character or characters, a setting and a prop. Can they make up a story? Children could work in pairs or in small groups to retell their story verbally. Can they describe their character? A good character or an evil character? Can they describe the setting? Is it day or night? What does the prop do? Is it magical? How would their story begin? What would the problem be in the story? How would it all end? Encourage fairy tale language etc. Once upon a time, Once there lived, Long long ago, they lived happily ever after. Also make sure children have a definiate beginning, middle and ending to their story.

There are a lot themes you could give to help and give them a basis for their story.

An old woman who is jealous of a beautiful young girl
Something is poisonous
Rich and poor
A heroic act for which there is a reward
Something is planted
A frog that turns into something
A talking animal
A person turning into an animal
A dream that comes true
A magic spell
A magic lamp, sword, hat, chair?
Someone getting lost in the woods
An enchanted wood
Set phrases eg. Run run as fast as you can you can't catch me I'm the gingerbreadman, I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down.

See here for more characters

Fairy tales

Some lovely printables at this site

Cinderella

Hansel and Gretel

Rapunzel

Rumpelstiltskin

The Three Little Pigs

Character study

I have made this worksheet to use with any character. To get the children to think of more interesting words when describing their character. They could make up their own character or use it for example with a well known character like Cinderella or Goldilocks. Hope it is useful.

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Nature Detectives Adventure Pack from the Woodland Trust

Just ask for it to be emailed to you. Also check out the rest of the Woodland trust website. Well worth a visit.

Click here for adventure pack

Lots of Spring ideas

Counting in 2s