
Introducing Word Families
- 1 Write 5-6 words in a word family on your whiteboard. ...
- 2 Ask your students to spot the similarities between the words in the family. ...
- 3 Ask students to add new words to the family by moving through the alphabet. ...
- 4 Introduce students to other simple word families. ...
- 5 Encourage students to expand word families based on rhyming sounds. ...
How to teach word families to students?
How to Teach Word Families. 1. Write 5-6 words in a word family on your whiteboard. Start with a simple word family that contains 3-letter words and simple vowel sounds. So, you ... 2. Ask your students to spot the similarities between the words in the family. This will motivate your students to ...
What are word families in kindergarten?
Word families are groups of words that have the same ending sound. Common kindergarten word families are -at, -am, -ad, ag, it, ig, -im, -eg, -op, -ug, -ab, -an, -ut, -id, -ip, and -in. I'm sure there are more, but these are some of the most common word families when kindergartners are just starting to read.
How do you introduce the word family to a child?
Introduction – On the first day, begin by introducing the word family. Give the “chunk” and have kids repeat the sound. Then, ask kids to close their eyes and visualize words that rhyme with that sound.
How many words should I write in a word family?
Write 5-6 words in a word family on your whiteboard. Start with a simple word family that contains 3-letter words and simple vowel sounds. So, you could begin by introducing students to the "-at" word family. [1] Students should already know these words’ meanings and pronunciations.

How do you explain word families to Kindergarten?
One of the easiest ways to introduce word families is with pictures. This is a great place to start when introducing a new set of words. Pictures help students make the connection between the sounds of words and the meaning of the sounds.
How do you teach the word family?
How can I Teach Children about Word Families?Start with one-syllable words.Create a word family anchor chart for your classroom or home.Make new words with the pattern.Engage your children with hands-on learning fun.
What order do you teach words families in Kindergarten?
There is no particular order to the word families that one chooses; however, short a families make a good starting point because they are so common in the reading materials of young children, and studies of children's invented spellings show that this is the short vowel least likely to be confused (Henderson, 1985).
How do you explain word families to students?
Word families are groups of words that have a common feature, pattern or meaning. They usually share a common base or root word, to which different prefixes and suffixes are added.
What word families should be taught first?
Start with Simple Word Families One of the first families to teach is -at. Once students can identify the letters and their sounds, it is as simple as changing the first letter of the word to make several other words. Examples of words in the -at family are bat, cat, hat, fat, mat, sat, etc.
Why do we teach word families?
Knowledge of word families helps children build vocabulary. Instead of memorizing spellings and meanings of all words, they learn how to spot patterns, identify root words, and understand their common meanings or sounds. This helps in word recognition leading to the development of their reading fluency.
What is a word family example?
Word families are groups of words that have a common pattern or groups of letters with the same sound. For example, the “ain” word family includes brain, chain, gain, pain, rain, and so on.
Are word families considered phonics?
Phonics word families are groups of words that have similar letter patterns. By learning just one pattern your child can learn many words at the same time. When two vowels are placed side-by-side, in most cases the first vowel says its name and the other is silent.
What order should I teach phonics skills?
In first grade, phonics lessons start with the most common single-letter graphemes and digraphs (ch, sh, th, wh, and ck). Continue to practice words with short vowels and teach trigraphs (tch, dge). When students are proficient with earlier skills, teach consonant blends (such as tr, cl, and sp).
Do you teach word families or blends first?
Word families are some of the first words a child learns to read. What order do you teach words families in kindergarten? Begin with the at family. Model changing the beginning sound from cat to bat.
What word class is family?
noun. plural families. Britannica Dictionary definition of FAMILY. 1. a : a group of people who are related to each other.
What is a word family cycle?
the series of stages that occur in the life history of any given family, with such stages typically including marriage (or coupling), raising children to independent young adulthood, and retirement.
What is the root word for family?
The word family came into English in the fifteenth century. Its root lies in the Latin word famulus, “servant”. The first meaning in English was close to our modern word “household” — a group of individuals living under one roof that included blood relations and servants.
Do you teach word families or blends first?
Word families are some of the first words a child learns to read. What order do you teach words families in kindergarten? Begin with the at family. Model changing the beginning sound from cat to bat.
What is a family for Class 1?
A family is a social group of people who stay together under the same roof in a society. It comprises two or more adults like parents and grandparents and young children who are bound in a relationship by birth or blood. They are collectively known as family members.
What is a word family example?
Word families are groups of words that have a common pattern or groups of letters with the same sound. For example, the “ain” word family includes brain, chain, gain, pain, rain, and so on.
What are the kindergarten word families?
Word families aregroups of words that have the same ending sound. Common kindergarten word families are -at, -am, -ad, ag, it, ig, -im, -eg, -op, -ug, -ab, -an, -ut, -id, -ip, and -in. I'm sure there are more, but these are some of the most common word families when kindergartners are just starting to read. To create words, consonants are added ...
What is the best way to mater word families?
Sorting word family cards into rhyming lists is a great way to mater word families.
Why are word families important?
Word families are a great place to start for beginning readers because once they know how the ending goes, they canread lots of new words simply by changing the beginning letter sound. I love that look on my daughter's face when she realizes that she can read so many words!
What is a word shape box?
Word shape boxes are a fun activity that makes children feel like they are cracking a code. Students figure outwhat word goes into which box based on the shapes (how high or how low the letters go) of the letters in each word. You can grab some free word shape box worksheetshere, along with other great CVC activity sheets.
How many word families are there?
There are 12 word families included: -at, - in, -it, -an, -id, -ip, -ap, -ug, -ad, -ig, -ut, and -ag. Here is a peek of what the posters look like.
Can you play the free word family cards in CVC?
This is another CVC word activity you can play with thefree word family cards in my Homeschooling Resource Library. Simply print two copies of the cards, turn them face down, and take turns finding cards that rhyme! It's a fun twist on regular memory match.
What happened? What did I learn about word patterns?
By combining the best strategy components and getting rid of the ones we really didn’t need…
Can teachers teach word families?
Yes, teachers , there is a certain way that you teach word families. Above all, it is soooo much easier and simpler than you thought.
How to teach a word in kindergarten?
In Kindergarten, start with simple word families. Begin with one-sy llable words, specifically those containing a short a. One of the first families to teach is -at. Once students can identify the letters and their sounds, it is as simple as changing the first letter of the word to make several other words. Examples of words in the -at family are ...
What are some examples of a word in the AT family?
Examples of words in the -at family are bat, cat, hat, fat, mat, sat, etc. Other one syllable, short -a word families, include: -an, -ap, -all.
How effective is phonics in word study?
Teaching Phonics Through Word Study is Effective Practice . The joy of teaching word families is that by teaching students a mere 37 words, they will decode 500 words! That will be a great benefit as you work towards improving reading fluency.
How to introduce family to kids?
Introduction – On the first day, begin by introducing the word family. Give the “chunk” and have kids repeat the sound. Then, ask kids to close their eyes and visualize words that rhyme with that sound.
What are some activities that kids can do independently?
Puzzles – Practice matching pictures with words, and build words one letter at a time with puzzle activities. These are great for kids to do independently during small groups!
What is a word family?
Word families, also called phonograms or “chunks,” provide us with groups of words that have a predictable pattern or “chunk.”. We teach these patterns as word families- groups of words that have a similar pattern, making them appear to be part of a “family.”. By grouping words in this way, students can learn to read groups ...
How to incorporate literature into your week?
Read books – Don’t forget, as you go through the activities during the week, to incorporate literature as much as possible. Find books that have words from the word family you are working on that week.
Why do we teach word families?
Since we learn word families each week, I wanted to create a set of activities that students find fun and engaging, yet help them to become fluent in reading the words within a word family .
What is a word family?
Word families, also called phonograms or “chunks,” provide us with groups of words that have a predictable pattern or “chunk.”. These words have the same ending, and they all rhyme. This makes learning a set of words (a word family) easier on our beginning readers.
What do we use to spell out words?
We use our letter magnets or whiteboard markers to spell out our words. This activity makes a great literacy center!
Can students read independently?
After learning our word families for the week, my students can read and spell a group of words independently. They feel incredibly successful at their accomplishment. They now have a larger bank of words they can read in the books they are encountering.
Why do we use word family words?
I love using word family words because the students can focus on decoding the part of the word that changes, instead of decoding every sound. This strategy is also effective because it serves dual purpose, teaching decoding skills and rhyming skills at the same time. Children have fun with word family words because they rhyme.
Why do children have fun with word families?
Children have fun with word family words because they rhyme. Whether you use real or nonsense words, your students will enjoy coming up with rhyming words. Here are a few ideas to make teaching word families effective and enjoyable for you and your students!
How to help students develop confidence in reading?
One of my favorite strategies to help students develop their confidence in reading is through teaching word family words. This strategy is effective because children pick up on the repetition. They also understand the basic sounds, in turn, becoming more confident in their decoding skills.
Can you use magnetic letters in kindergarten?
Your students will have no problem coming up with words for this word family! Additionally, you can have your students practice building these words using magnetic letters or the Magnetic ABC app (one of my favorite, FREE apps for Kindergarten.)
