Puzzle Words

Materials:

• Cards on which sight words are written/printed (ex.: cough, by, have, I, etc.)

• Small envelopes, boxes, or containers

Purposes: To help the child read and write irregularly written words

Age: 4 and up

Preparation: The child has been working with the phonetic exercises

Parallel: The child is working with Phonograms

Presentation: 

Presentation 1: Memorization of Puzzle Words

• Invite the child for a lesson on Puzzle Words and have them take envelope #1 to the table.

• Explain that puzzle words can’t be sounded out, we have to remember them.

• Turn one card in front of the child and give three sentences using the word.

• Slide the card to the left.

• Repeat for two more.  Make a horizontal line of the cards.

• Three-period lesson.

• Do three more as above if the child is up for it.

• When finished you can turn over all six, let the child select one, turn it, and say the word.

Control of Error: None

Note:  Always review the words the child was offered in the previous lesson.  Any not remembered, should be included in the present lesson. 

Presentation 2: Building the Puzzle Words

• Invite the child to get a rug, a moveable alphabet (smaller cursive or print), and a pack of Puzzle Words they have been working on.

• Show the child each of the cards, have them read each, and lay them in a column down the left edge of the rug face up.

• Point to the first word, have the child read it, turn the card over, and model building the word.

• Turn the card back and check the spelling.

• Invite the child to continue. 

• Fade and observe.

Control of Error:

• Checking with the Puzzle Word card.

Following Exercises:

• Distance Game:  Lay the cards on a table. The child will look at a card and build it with a Moveable Alphabet across the room on a rug. They use the cards to check their work at the end.

• Finding Puzzle Words in a Book or Poem: Invite the child to find a specific puzzle word in a book or poem of their choice. 

• Group Game: In a small group, turn the cards of an envelope upside-down. Each child takes a turn to flip a card and say the word.  They keep the card if they are correct, if not, the card goes back to the pile.

Pedagogical Notes:

• The Dolch & Fry sight word lists (Dolch words are categorized by the age of the reader and those words they would most frequently encounter, and Fry words are the most commonly used English words ranked in order).  Do not make Puzzle Words cards for the words that are phonetic or phonetic with phonograms. 

• Make a few envelopes/packets and group them in order of frequency and difficulty.  You will be building more envelopes as the year progresses to include other words you see the children need. 

• ‘a’ and ‘the’ should be in the first envelope.

• When the child is working independently and comes across a word they have forgotten, encourage them to ask a friend. This way you build community, the confidence to ask for help and independence without the adult, the leadership of providing help, and review for both children.

• Older children can easily offer three-period lessons to younger children with this material.