Spelling Patterns "Go Fish" Card Game

Overview

From Theory to Practice

OVERVIEW

Using a chart with 52 words grouped by spelling patterns, students make a card game designed to help them recognize several common English spelling patterns. Students work in small groups to create the cards, including words and definitions, and then play a game similar to "Go Fish." The object of the game is to collect sets of words that share the same spelling pattern. Class discussion about spelling and a quiz at the end of the lesson help motivate students to learn the words and patterns.

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FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE

Wheatley, J.P. (2005). Pattern activities. In Strategic spelling: Moving beyond word memorization in the middle grades (pp. 17–44). Newark, DE: International Reading Association.

• Accurate spelling occurs because our brains recognize familiar sounds, important letter combinations, and other predictable patterns.
  
  
• Teaching related words together helps students make connections between spelling and meaning.
  
  
• By the middle grades, students are ready to learn to spell strategically.

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