Teaching Consonant Blends & FREEBIE

Do you like the song "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes"?  It is a good way to get your students up and moving.  Introduce your students to consonant blends using the motion from the song. Say a word with a blend.  

• If your students hear the word in the first syllable, they will touch their head.  
• If they hear the word in the middle syllable, they will touch their hips.
• If they hear the word in the last syllable, they will touch their toes.
• Students will touch either their head or toes if there are only 2 syllables.

Heads, hips, and tips of toes can be used as a warm up activity, brain break or for inside recess.

You can do a similar type of activity with your small group.  Dry erase tape on plastic folders works great for this.

• Students write the word on the top strip if the blend is in beginning syllable.  
• Students write the word on the bottom strip if the blend is in last syllable.

Incorporate as many of the 5 senses as possible.  You can add flavoring to make playdough smell.  It will also make your room smell good.  Kool-aid playdough is colorful and smells great.  You can ask your parents to make it using this free recipe.

Looking for new ideas to use with your small group?  Metallic markers on black construction paper can be used a variety of ways.  

• Level 1: Ask volunteers to say words with the blend you are focusing on. Students write the word and underline the blend.  Words can be real or nonsense.
• Level 2: Ask volunteers for words with blends in the first, middle, or last syllable.  Write the words on the paper and underline the blend.
• Level 3:  Give your group a set amount of time to write as many words with blends as possible.
• Level 4:  Give your group a set amount of time to write as many words with blends as possible.  Give 1 point if the blend is at the beginning of the word, 2 points if the blend is in the middle or last syllable.  

Students love codes and real world connections. The stoplight code printables includes both of these. Student will:

• Color in the red light if they hear in the blend in the first syllable of the word.
• Color in the yellow light if they hear in the blend in the middle syllable of the word. 
• Color in the green light if they hear in the blend in the end syllable of the word.

Would you like to try some of these activities?  

I have a free sample for you.