Phonics Friends

One thing I absolutely love to teach (besides math) is Phonics. I don’t know about y’all, but when I was in 1st grade we didn’t have different spelling rules and fancy names like digraphs, diphthongs, etc. Vowels were vowels and consonants were consonants, and spelling was memorized. That’s how it was in my neck of the woods anyways. Needless to say I was lost when I first started teaching 1st grade! I was trying to remember the names, the rules and all the other fancy stuff that goes along with phonics.  This past year, I started using LOTS of phonics friends to help us with our weekly spelling sound. I wanted something that STUCK with my kiddos! Something catchy that would get them excited, engage them, and get them up and moving. 

We met LOOkie the Explorer and went on a quest with her to find short oo words.

We also met Dr. BOOwie and became doctors that diagnosed long OO with Long-double-o-itis. 

We also set sail with Captain SmARty to find his AR treasure. You can read all about our week here. 

You can find all of these phonic packs by clicking here. 

One of my goals this summer was to create Phonics Friends for vowels. We review those at the beginning of 1st grade each year. So far, I have completed my Short A pack and hope to get the others completed soon. 

It includes Scaredy Cat A who gets very scared when he is between two consonants and says aaaaaaa as in the short a sound. 

It also includes a sort for identifying short a words. This can be done in either whole group, small group or independently. 

Trap the Rat is another friend included in this pack. He is just like his friend Scaredy Cat A. He gets scared when he is “trapped” between two consonants. This is a fun activity for building short a words. It also includes a few different ideas for follow up activities. 

And, if you know me then you know I am a sucker for a cute meaningful hat….

It also includes a Cat Walk activity. This is done just like Write the Room or Read the Room activities. The kiddos walk around to all the cards and answer the question or complete the task on each card. My kiddos LOVE these. They are perfect for stations!

There are also a few interactive notebook printables for the kiddos. 

I love using Phonics Friends in my classroom! The kiddos remember the stories and ask when they get to meet the next one all the time.  

I also have a few Phonics Friend FREEBIES in my store! You can download the ones below here.