Activities With VCCV Words
VCCV words are usually the first ones you teach in your Orton-Gillingham lesson plans. These word lists are a bit easier for students because you’ve already taught closed syllables. You may even refer to these words as Rabbit Rule words. Today, I will discuss a fun way to make learning VCCV words a bit more interactive and fun.
I refer to my syllable division posters when I teach how to divide VC/CV words. I have some that I refer to in my Reading and Spelling Rule Binder or ones from my Syllable Types and Syllable Division Bundle.
(note: This post contains affiliate links.)
Next, I usually have a collection of Mega blocks (two short blocks and one long block) and dry erase tape. You can have your students break words down by syllable by having them write one syllable on each of the short blocks and stacking them on top of one longer block as shown here. You’ll want to have them mark the vowels and consonants as you normally do when teaching syllable division.
Now comes the fun part…
I’ve been using this grass baby bottle drying rack for in my Orton-Gillingham lessons for years. I stick word cards or my decodable sentence strips in the grass. Then I have kids fish the words or sentences out to read them. Anything that can up your students’ engagement, but not detract from the meat of the lesson is a win in my book.
This video shows how I can increase engagement with reading decodable sentences and how I use the grass bottle drying rack.
- Grab a grass bottle drying rack OR you fill a sensory bin with green rice.
- Print the big mouth bunny and VCCV words templates on cardstock
- Cut out the bunny and the carrots. Be sure to cut a hole for the bunny’s mouth.
- Laminate bunny and the carrots
- Stick the carrots into the grass of the drying rack. Tip: weave the carrot cards into the spikes and they shouldn’t fall down. You want them to peek out.
- Tape the face of the bunny to the front of a baby wipes container. I used packing tape.
How to Play, “Feed Me VCCV Words”
You can really play this in a variety of ways!
Here’s one idea:
Your students can pluck out a carrot, divide it into syllables, read it and feed it to the bunny!
Pluck, Divide, Read, Feed!
Perhaps you can have serve real carrot sticks as a snack during the lesson.
I hope you and your students enjoy this fun idea for spring or anytime you teach VCCV words!
GRAB YOUR BUNNY FREEBIE HERE!
Looking for VCCV Word Lists? Here are some ideas.
- Check the Syllable Types and Syllable Division Bundle.
- Create and print your own time-saving VCCV word lists on Word List Builder! This is a great tool for targeting your instruction to the needs of the individual students or small groups.
