Hands-On Activities for Colored Tiles That Go Beyond Free Play

Using colored tiles in the classroom doesn’t have to mean “put out a bin of tiles and see what happens.” These colorful squares are often overlooked, but they’re full of potential when paired with intentional, hands-on tasks. 

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How to Teach Word Families in a Few EASY Steps

Originally published August 2017; substantially updated September 2026 by Christina Hermer, an experienced primary teacher.

Looking for a fresh way to teach word families that actually sticks with your students?

You’re not alone.

Word families have always been a go-to for building early reading skills, but how we teach them matters. When word-family instruction includes explicit sound work, word building, reading and spelling, students can use a familiar pattern to decode words instead of simply memorizing a list.

As more classrooms shift toward Science of Reading-informed practices, we can keep the interactive parts of word-family instruction while making the sound-to-print connection much clearer. Here’s how I teach word families using a hands-on routine that gets students involved at every step.

What Are Word Families and Why Do They Matter?

In early phonics instruction, a word family is a group of words that shares the same rime and spelling pattern. The rime begins with the vowel and includes the sounds that follow it. In map, for example, m is the onset and ap is the rime.

One pattern, three different words

map, cap, tap
Each word has a different beginning sound, but all three share the -ap rime and spelling pattern.

When students know the sounds represented by the letters, they can blend each word and then notice what stays the same. That shared pattern can make it easier to read and spell another word in the family.

The goal is not to have students memorize map, cap and tap as three unanalyzed whole words. We want them to look through the word, connect the letters to sounds and use the familiar pattern to support decoding.

You may also hear the term word family used for words that share a meaningful base, such as help, helper and helpful. That is a morphological word family. In this post, I am using word family to describe the phonics patterns we teach to beginning readers.

What Should Students Know Before Learning Word Families?

Before beginning a word-family lesson, take a quick look at the words you plan to use. Students will have more success if they already have some familiarity with:

• The letter–sound correspondences used in the words
• The target short-vowel sound
• Hearing and blending individual phonemes
• Segmenting a simple word into its sounds
• Reading or building simple CVC words

What I do in my classroom

If I am introducing the -at family, I want students to be familiar with short a and the beginning consonants in the words we will build. We can then segment and blend cat as /c/ /a/ /t/ before comparing it with mat and sat.

Students do not need to have mastered every one of these skills before they begin, but they should not be meeting all of them for the first time in the same lesson. If blending or segmenting is still difficult, add a little more oral practice and use fewer words.

If you need help identifying those sound-based skills, this explanation of the difference between phonological and phonemic awareness is a helpful place to start.

What Order Should You Teach Word Families?

There is not one word-family list that every teacher needs to follow. The best order is the one that fits the phonics scope and sequence you already use. Word families should reinforce the letter–sound correspondences students have learned, not introduce a collection of unfamiliar spellings all at once.

1. Follow your phonics program’s scope and sequence. Use word families to practise the sound-spelling relationships being taught.
2. Choose families made from familiar correspondences. Check both the rime and the beginning sounds in the words you plan to build.
3. Begin with simple, regular patterns. Short-vowel CVC families such as -at, -in and -op are easier starting points when the necessary sounds have been introduced.
4. Add more complex patterns later. Save families containing digraphs, blends or less common spelling patterns until students have been taught those correspondences.

For example, after students have learned short a and the consonants m, s, c, p and t, you can build words such as mat, sat, cat, pat and tap. I would leave chat out until the ch digraph has been taught.

This keeps word-family work connected to systematic phonics instruction and allows students to use what they know to read each word.

Teaching Word Families: A Step-by-Step Routine

I use a simple routine that moves from sounds to print and then into reading and spelling. The steps can fit into your regular phonics block, small-group lesson or intervention time.

You do not need to teach a large list in one sitting. A few carefully chosen words give students enough practice to blend the sounds, compare the spellings and apply the pattern.

Here’s how it looks in my classroom.

Step 1: Introduce the Sound and Spelling Pattern

Begin by saying the target vowel sound and showing the spelling pattern. Have students repeat the sound and listen for it in a few words. Then draw attention to the rime you will be using, such as -at.

Keep this part brief and explicit. Students should know what sound they are listening for and which letters represent it before they begin building words.

Step 2: Map and Blend the Individual Sounds

Build the first word with letter cards or magnetic letters. Have students say each phoneme as you point to or move the letters, and then blend the sounds to read the whole word. This helps them connect the sounds they hear to the letters they see.

We sometimes add a simple movement routine to keep everyone involved:

• Hold out one fist for the beginning sound.
• Hold out the other fist for the rime.
• Push the fists together while blending and saying the whole word.

The movement adds a little novelty, and yes, they will ask to do it again. I still make sure students attend to all of the sounds in the word before they notice the larger shared pattern.

Step 3: Build and Compare Words in the Family

Change one beginning sound at a time to build several words in the family. Students segment and blend each new word before adding it to the list. This is where they begin to see that one part changes while the rime and spelling pattern stay the same.

As you compare the words, ask:

• What sound changed?
• Which letter changed?
• What part stayed the same?
• How did the change affect the word?

Instead of filling out the anchor chart on my own, I have students help create it. They come up and add a word from the family after we have segmented, built and read it together. Because they contributed to the chart, they are much more likely to use it later.

A quick word-wall note: You do not need to ditch your word wall to teach word families. Build and blend the words together before displaying them, and continue to reference them during real reading and writing. The word-family chart and word wall can support one another.

Step 4: Read and Spell the Words

Once the words have been built, mix up the order and have students read them again. Changing the order matters because it keeps the activity from becoming a memorized chant.

Next, dictate one or two words for students to spell. Have them say the word, segment the sounds and write the letters that represent each sound. You can also ask them to spell a new word from the family that was not included on the chart.

Finish by reading or writing one of the words in a simple sentence. This helps students see that the goal is not just to complete a word list; it is to use the pattern while reading and spelling.

Step 5: Apply the Pattern in Reading, Writing and Centers

Return to the pattern during reading, writing and independent practice. Ask students to find a word with the target pattern in an appropriate text, use a word in a sentence or sort words by their spelling pattern.

Throughout the week, I include more word-family practice in literacy centers. Students sort, build, read and spell words independently based on the sound-spelling patterns we have already learned. This gives them extra practice without asking them to figure out an untaught pattern on their own.

After we have completed the major families for a short or long vowel, I sometimes use a wrap-up SCOOT activity. I place blank laminated posters around the room, and students work with a partner to rotate, build and record words. It is collaborative, fast-paced and gives me another chance to see which patterns need more review.

Students are involved throughout the routine. They are not just looking at a finished display; they are saying the sounds, moving the letters, building the words, reading them and using them. That involvement is what turns the poster into a classroom tool they understand how to use.

How Word Families Support Reading and Spelling

Word-family practice is most useful when students can transfer the pattern beyond the original chart. After teaching a family, I look for several kinds of application:

• Reading the words after their order has been mixed
• Reading a newly built word from the same family
• Spelling a dictated word by segmenting its sounds
• Spelling a new word that was not on the class chart
• Reading the pattern in a sentence or appropriate connected text
• Using a word from the family in their own writing
• Returning to the pattern during later review

If students can recite a grouped list but have difficulty reading the same words in a different order or spelling a new example, the pattern has not transferred yet. That quick check tells me to return to word building, blending and sound-by-sound spelling before moving on.

Ready-to-Use Word Family Posters

If you want to use this routine without creating every chart from scratch, my Word Family Posters for Short Vowels and Long Vowels give you a consistent place to build and record the words with your students.

The bundle includes posters for short- and long-vowel word families with a simple design that keeps the focus on the words students are building. You can complete a poster together, laminate blank copies for partner practice or keep finished charts available for reading and writing.

The posters are not meant to replace your phonics curriculum. They give you a low-prep way to add the interactive building, blending and spelling practice described in this routine.

Word families still have a useful place in early phonics instruction. When students connect the shared spelling pattern to individual sounds and then apply it in reading and writing, they are doing much more than memorizing a list—they are learning how words work.

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Engaging Patterning Activities for First Grade: No Worksheets Needed

Tired of using the same old patterning worksheets year after year?

If you're looking for a more engaging way to teach patterns in your primary classroom, you're in the right place. Worksheets can get the job done, but often leave kids disengaged and don't always reflect true understanding. Let's explore more meaningful, active ways to teach patterning in first grade or even in Kindergarten.  Activities that are fun, interactive, and rooted in real-world exploration.

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Morning Tubs vs. Traditional Math Worksheets: Why Hands-On Wins!

How do you start each day in your classroom?  Morning work is a popular approach, but there are differing views of what morning work should look like.  Hands-on learning is best, especially with math morning tubs that my students beg to use each morning.

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How to Build a Christmas Writing Center That Motivates Reluctant Writers

The holidays are just around the corner, and your classroom is probably getting a little hectic. One of the easiest ways to keep kids focused and excited about writing in December is by using a Christmas writing center. Over the years, I’ve found that this simple shift not only streamlines my writing block but also boosts my students’ motivation, especially those reluctant writers who suddenly can’t wait to pick up a pencil.

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3 Tips to Ensure a Smooth Transition after a School Break

Going back to school after a break is always hard, but it is especially hard after a longer break like Christmas Break or Winter Break.  If you approach the first day back with the right attitude, you will find that you and your students are ready to get back on track.  Here are a few tips to ensure that that smooth transition happens in your classroom.

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5 Meaningful Ways to Fill 5 Minutes in the Classroom

It happens every day.  We all have 5 minutes here and there during our day in the classroom to fill, and we want to find meaningful ways to use them. We want to make the most of those minutes, so it is important to find activities that are both educational and quick.  I am here to help!

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3 Fun and Easy Thanksgiving Ideas: Disguise a Turkey Writing and Craft

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to blend gratitude, literacy, and creativity in your primary classroom. Whether you're looking for a fun turkey card, a disguise a turkey craft and writing activity, or a high-interest read-aloud, this post has you covered. These activities are low-prep, highly engaging, and ideal for Kindergarten through 2nd grade.

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Getting Started with a Word Wall in the Primary Classroom

Do you use a Word Wall?  I think that a Word Wall is an essential part of a primary classroom and WELL worth the wall space that it takes up.  There has been a lot of debate in recent years about the merits of a Word Wall.  I feel strongly that it is a necessity, but I also feel strongly that it is only beneficial if you TEACH kids how to use it.

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A Simple Strategy to Review Sight Words

Are your student's struggling to learn their sight words?   Would you like an easy to use system with those student's that targets just the words that they need?

I am blogging over at Who's Who and Who's New and sharing about how I use my free Word Wall Words flip books to do just this. You can read all about it by clicking here: 

Until next time, 

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Snowball Saver STEM Project

I am super excited to be blogging tonight.  You may have seen my posts on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and made your way here, so welcome.  Stick around to hear all about something I dreamed up to do with my students in response to our work with The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.

Introducing the Snowball Saver!  What is a snowball saver?  Well, we have spent the last two weeks working with the book The Snowy Day.  As you will know, near the end of the story Peter's snowball melts, after he leaves it in his coat pocket.  My first graders giggled and said that Peter was really silly to put it in his pocket.  This lead to a discussion about what he could have done instead.  There were lots of suggestions that he should have put it in the freezer.  

This got me thinking about how to turn this wondering from my students into a challenge we could work on. We spent some time talking about how we could keep a snowball in our classroom.  Could we make something to store it in?  My students paired up and started brainstorming what they could make or build.  Some of their ideas were crazy and far fetched, like building a refrigerator and using concrete blocks to build a cold room in the classroom.  I figured I needed to help them be slightly more realistic in their thinking.  To do this we watched a great little video about making a "keep a cube" container, which is essentially the same thing.  Here is the link to the video on Youtube:  

This got them moving in the right direction.  I sent home a note to families with a few suggestions that most of the students came up with and then they added items to the list if there were other things they needed from home.  This ensured we had a good selection of found materials to build with.  

This morning I set out the collection I brought in.  I knew some would forget and some would not have anything to contribute.  Many children did contribute the class collection and we ended up with many more materials with which to build.  

We gathered on the carpet and I went over the steps we were going to follow in order to be real scientists investing the problem or challenge:  Can you keep a snowball from melting in our classroom?   The first thing partners did was gather their materials and make a materials list.  

Once partners were done with planning out their Snowball Savers they got to work creating it.  This part was fun but very messy.  There was paper, foil and lots of other random things everywhere, but everyone was engaged and they were having a blast.  

Now that the Snowball Saver was ready it was time for the snowball.  Up until this point the snowballs were all sitting in a cooler outside staying cold.  Before they were able to put them inside their Snowball Saver,  they needed to measure the diameter of their snowball so they had something to reference at the end, if the snowball did not melt.  They loved handling the cold snowballs and were very gentle so that they did not break apart.  

As soon as students got their snowballs I put our "control" snowball in a dish in the classroom.  We needed to see how fast it melted out in the open in order to compare to our protected snowballs.  

After the snowballs were safely tucked away it was time to draw a labeled diagram of the Snowball Saver.   Next, partners wrote the steps they followed in order to build their Snowball Saver, just like a real scientist.  

This process took us all morning.  Two hours after we started we took a look at our "control" snowball and it was almost melted, so it was time to check on our Snowball Savers.  The results might surprise you!  The results certainly surprised them.  

Almost all of the snowballs were still intact and only a few had started to really melt.  We decided if there was water in the container or on the wrap that they used around it then it was melting.  They were totally blown away by the results.  Only 1 of the Snowball Savers had a fully melted snowball.  

This is the one that showed no signs of melting.  It generated a lot of conversation as did the ones where the snowball was wrapped up with multiple layers of things like waxed paper, plastic wrap, newspaper, tinfoil etc.  Why did the snowball in a styrofoam container not melt at all?  How about the ones wrapped in of layers?  Lots of great questions were asked.  

I deem this project a total success.  It incorporated so many aspects of the curriculum and generated amazing conversation with the students.  It touched on the following curriculum areas: 

~ measurement

~ 3D Shapes

~ Science - matter/materials/fasteners

~ Science - structures

~ Writing - writing How to, creating a labeled picture or diagram, sequencing. 

Another possibility to link it to Oral Communication would be to interview students and have them explain their choices and why they think that their Snowball Saver will keep the snowball from melting.  

I hope you enjoyed this peek into my room at my first STEM inquiry.  This is now available in my store.  Click on any of the pictures to be taken to my store. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on this project.  Please comment below. Thanks so much for stopping by.  

Until next time, 

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Get your Graph On!

Thanks for stopping by!  I have a lot going on in the classroom right now and I am having a hard time getting inspiration to blog.  Tonight it struck me that I should just keep it simple and talk about what we have been doing during our Graphing unit lately.  Get ready for a practical post!

Graphing is a skill that usually comes fairly quickly for students.  They work on it a lot in Kindergarten.  When teaching it I always start with concrete graphs - we make graphs with ourselves which the kids love!  We look at our clothing, our hair, our shoes etc and sort ourselves out and make a graph using the tiles on the floor as the spaces to stand on.  Next, we pull out the math manipulatives and start making concrete graphs at the tables.  I like to use a ruler as a 'starting line' so that students can clearly see where the objects go.

Collecting primary data is another skill that requires a lot of practice and I  do a lot of whole group work around that skill to prepare them for asking their own questions and conducting a survey.  I like to make the surveys applicable to our classroom lives so students see the real reason for doing this in real life.  Recently, we maxed out our champ on Go Noodle (we love that site) and needed to choose a new champ.  This was a great opportunity to conduct a survey.

After lots of whole group opportunities I introduced centers for independent practice.  During this time I work with one group of students while the others are working at their centers.  We always spend a day exploring the centers beforehand to make sure that "most" students can be independent. I try to ensure there is at least 1 "teacher" who can help those who are stuck, in each group.

Graphing boxes are one of my centers.  There is  a collection of boxes filled with small items: erasers, beads, pom poms, gems etc.  The Dollar Store is the perfect place to find things to add  your graphing boxes.  The students create the concrete graph with the objects and then translate that information into a bar graph or picture graph.  

My Grab and Graph center is another center we use to practice making a concrete graph, then a bar graph.  At the bottom there is opportunity to practice communicating about the graph to explain what the data tells. There is little reading to be done on the page so it makes it easier for your early readers and writers to complete with independence.

Grab and Graph Math Center

My Spin and Graph centers are also a big hit since they involve using dry erase markers.  Everything is more fun with markers, according to my students.  The worksheets for this center involves a bit more writing so it is perfect for those students that are ready to handle more writing.  Some of my non-writers often draw the picture on the line to communicate their thinking.  

Spin and Graph Match Center

Would you like to see what we did next?  Head to the second installment of Get Your Graph On over {HERE} 

Before you go I wanted to share with you a graphing freebie that we will be using in a few weeks on Valentine's Day.  I love, love, love it!  It really gets kids to slow down and look at their valentines.  In the past I was disappointed in the way the kids rummaged through their cards in search of treats and other special things.  Last year they contentedly looked through their cards, made judgements about what category worked best and completed their graph. It was a proud teacher moment.  Click on the photo to head over to my store to download it.  

Until next time,

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Elftastic Adventures - A Classroom Elf on the Shelf Link Up

It's back!  Last year I started this Linky and I am back with the adventures of Snowflake again!  Do you have a classroom elf?  If so, then come and link up and share all about your elf antics!  Grab this graphic to use and link back to this post.

Snowflake made his grand arrival on December 1st!  Santa and I have talked about this and I told him there was no way I could have a messy, crazy elf in my classroom.  He was kind enough to send us his most trustworthy and best behaved elf.  Phew!  I didn't think I could handle an elf who started our day off with crazy messes.  Santa even sent a letter with Snowflake to introduce him to us:

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This is how we found Snowflake on the 1st.  He was sitting in his favourite spot in the room - up high where he can see everyone and not be worried about someone touching him!

The students were super excited to meet him.  I was really hoping it was going help as we are starting to go a bit off the rails.

Wednesday we found him wrapping!

Snowflake wrapped up almost all of our Christmas books!  He brought a letter from Santa to to remind everyone to try to be better listeners!  Unfortunately it didn't really seem to help the ones  who really needed the reminder.  

This is one of my FAVOURITE Christmas in the classroom traditions.  The kids were beyond excited and wanted to open them all right then and there.  We counted to make sure that there was a present for everyone and sure enough there was. Now, when it is time to read a story, I use my random name chooser on my smartboard and the lucky student comes up to unwrap our story.

On Thursday Snowflake felt like he needed a better place to watch from and hung out in one of balls hanging from the ceiling.  He felt really safe there!  The kids are loving talking to him but he is not working his magic like he did with my class this year.  My class is super chatty and are really struggling to listen during lessons.  I might need to amp things up next week!

This was also the second day of our Elf Journal.  I love this freebie from Positively Teaching called Elf Antics!  She designed the pages to be super simple with just a little drawing spot.  I assembled the journals and each day the students find Snowflake and write about what he is doing.  They were pretty excited when I told them that they were taking the journal home when they left for Christmas #itsthelittlethings.

Today we also got started on one of my favourite craftivities which goes along with a Christmas poem I wrote that we are learning - Santa's Stuck!  We are working on it for our school Christmas concert in a few weeks.  You can find the poem by clicking {HERE} or the image below.

Our last Snowflake sighting this week found him reading with our class mascot Ellie, Santa, Hippo and some of the reading buddies.  He was enjoying the book we opened on the day before, Pete the Cat Saves Christmas.  He loves to read just as much as I do!

Today we worked on a craftivity to go with our Santa's Stuck poem.  This is such a cute story. We have a battered copy in our library and I guard it with my life as I have not seen it anywhere else and can't find a copy to buy.  I absolutely the love the ideas they come up with to free Santa from the chimney.  

Love their creativity!   

Are you ready to link up.  Click below to add your own post about your classroom elf.  I will be back next Friday night with another link up!  

Until then,

An InLinkz Link-up

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How to Engage Your Students During Guided Reading Instruction

Guided reading is an essential part of your reading time.  However, it is usually a small chunk of time each day, so you need to make the most of it and engage your students during guided reading.  So how do you do that? I will share with you 3 things you should have at your guided reading table to make your time run smoothly and help keep your students engaged during guided reading instruction.  

What is at my Guided Reading Table?

1.  Tools to teach decoding strategies

First grade readers are decoders in their purest form.  They have learned that to read, they need to sound words out. Once they have learned their letter sounds, they are good to go, or so they think.  If you ask a first grader how to solve an unknown word, they will say “sound it out” every time.  We need to teach them that there are lots of other ways to figure out tricky words.

I do this by introducing them to the decoding strategies and the stuffed animals that go with each.  I created a set of Decoding Strategies Posters with animals to teach each strategy.  They are immediately hooked when the stuffed animals come down to the reading table as I model how to use a strategy.  For instance, when I introduce Stretchy Snake, we actually take turns coiling him up and stretching him out as we stretch out words.

However, it is not practical to keep Stretchy Snake there at all times, so I created a few student tools to go with the posters on the wall behind our guided reading table.  When working on a particular strategy, I give students the decoding wand with the character on it.  Click on any of the pictures below to get a closer look at the resource.  

This acts as a reference to try that strategy when they come to an unknown word.  Later on, students can use a bookmark, which includes all the strategies, when they are more confident readers and have learned some strategies to try when decoding.

I teach the decoding strategies in approximately the same order every year ~ Eagle Eye, Stretchy Snake, Chunky Monkey, Lips the Fish, Skippy Frog, Flippy the Dolphin and lastly, Tryin' Lion.

2.  Tools to teach reading comprehension

When it comes to teaching comprehension skills, I have a confession to make.  Many times I struggled to figure out what exactly to ask my students or how to word it.  We do not use a particular reading series, so I glean resources from many places.

Identifying key comprehension questions for text was sometimes a bit difficult.  That is why I decided to make myself a go-to resource for any non-fiction text that covered all the different comprehension strategies that I teach.  Enter Comprehension Checks!  These question cards are placed on a ring, and I keep them at my guided reading table and another set at our carpet area to use during shared reading.  

The Comprehension Checks are colour-coded and organized by reading strategy.  There are multiple questions for each strategy.  On each card, you will find the question and then “look fors” – what you might expect your students to say or think to answer the question.  This extra information makes the cards more teacher-friendly.

We are about to start our unit on story elements – Character/Setting/Problem/Solution.  The Analyzing Text and Demonstrating Understanding cards will be close at hand during my guided and shared reading lessons.  Here is a closer look at a Making Connections card:

3.  Tools to teach phonemic awareness

This tool isn't necessarily aimed at teaching during guided reading, but it is an essential precursor to teaching reading. In first grade, at the beginning of the year, not all of your students will be ready for a traditional guided reading group.  Instead, they need to develop foundational phonemic awareness skills to begin to decode and read the text.  In this case, teachers do not need to provide their students with books and questions, but they need to be armed with word lists and lots of them.  

I always start the year with at least a couple of groups who need to start here, and I wanted to keep them engaged too during their instruction.  I created a set of word lists to practice whatever phonemic awareness skill I was working on.  I pull out the colour-coded sets and have several different word lists for each skill, so I wasn't trying to generate word lists on the fly.  We have all done that!  

I hope you have found some new resources to make your guided reading time more effective and help engage your students during guided reading instruction.

Take a moment to pin this post so you can come back to it.

Until next time,

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