Enjoy these FREE Phonics Word Chains, which have been pulled and shared as a sample from our Word Chains resource pack.
Included in this freebie is a list of word chains plus a recording page for learners.
Find all our free phonics and spelling printables here.
*Grab the free download by scrolling down to the bottom of this post and clicking on the teal download button.
**I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Click on the images of the books or the links below each one to find it on Amazon.
In this free pack, you’ll find two lists of chains for each of these phonics skills:
- CVC words
- Blends & Digraphs
- CVCe Words
- Bossy R Words
- Long Vowel Team Words
- Diphthongs {and Other Vowels}
What are Word Chains?
Word Chains are strings of words that change by only one sound from word to word.
For example, when a learner hears “cat,” he/she must listen for the three sounds /k/-/a/-/t/ and understand that cat is also represented by these three letters: c, a, t. (orthography/spelling}
When they move to the next word (let’s say it’s mat), they must listen for the one sound that has changed (phonemic awareness) and know which letter or letters represent the sound that has changed: m. Words in a chain can change by the first sound (cat->mat), ending sound (cat->cap), or middle sound (cat->cot). Words can also change by adding a letter (fat-> flat) or omitting a letter (clap->cap).
Note: While words change by one SOUND, the spelling of more than one letter may be changed from to word word. For example, if you change cat to kite, only one sound changed (the middle vowel sound), but more than one letter spelling changed: c->k, and the silent e was added.
This can provide the perfect platform to talk about why the letters changed or why the letters were added!
{Keep scrolling for the freebie.}
Why Use Word Chains?
Word chains are a great way for learners practice listening for sounds in words (phonemic awareness) AND relate those sounds to the letter(s) that represent the sounds (also known as orthography or spelling.)
They also kind of “force” learners to pay attention to the ENTIRE word, beginning, middle, and end. This is great for struggling readers who will often guess words simply based on the first letter of the word or completely drop the endings to words.
How Do You Use Them?
Word chains can be done one-on-one, with a small group, or even with an entire classroom of learners.
You, as the teacher/parent, hold the list of words. One at a time, read the words on the list. You can stretch out the words like this /k/ – /a-a-a/ – /t/ or over enunciate parts of the words however you’d like to so your learners will hear the sounds in the word.
Your learners should write the first word down on line one of the recording page. The second word will be written down on the second line and so on.
Personally, I prefer to have learners use letter tiles {use our free printable “tiles” by clicking on the images above} or magnetic letters to spell the words before writing them down. This way, I can check their spelling before it goes down on the paper.
Another idea would be to have them write down the words on a mini dry erase board instead of or before they write the words down on the paper. This way, they can easily erase and fix before writing on the paper.
Ready to snag the freebie? Click below:
Enjoy teaching!
~Becky
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