Making Words Lesson Plan and Variations

a e e o H l

w n

2 letter words:
1. on - Find the 2 letters which spell on. Josie left the lights on last night.
(Opposite of off)
2. an - Change the beginning letter to make a new word starting with a. An
alligator lives in the swamp.
(An is used as a replacement of a when talking about one object, which starts with a
vowel.)
3 & 4 letter words:
5. one Add one letter to spell van. A van is larger than a car.
6. hone Change one letter to spell can. Vegetables and soups come in a can. Can
also means able to do something. I can ride a bike.
7. hole Change one letter to spell tan. Lots of people like to lie in the sun to get a
tan. Or Tan is a light brown color.
8. now Change one letter to spell tin. Tin is a metal from which cans are made.
9. how - Change one letter and rearrange to spell not. You may not run with
scissors.
10. howl - Change one letter to spell cot. In preschool, children take naps on a cot.
Or Some people sleep on a cot when they go camping.
11. Take one letter away and add in a new letter to spell oat. Oat is a grain
that is in many cereals. Oatmeal just oats.
Now were going to spell some bigger words. I might give you the word or a clue or
definition instead of the word.
12. whole Spell the contraction for the word cannot. Use a scrap to make an
apostrophe. Check with a partner at your table if you need help.
13. whale Spell what you would call a collection of pennies, nickels, dimes, and
quarters.
14. wheel Spell the word vain. Vain is another word for conceited. A vain, or
conceited, person thinks too much of himself. Some people might think he or
she is stuck-up.
15. wheal
13. aloe Challenge or Secret Word:
Use all the letters to spell the secret or challenge word. (Halloween)
See variation and sorting activity on next page.

Traditional Making Words Cut-Apart Letter Strip:

a o e e H l

w n

Variation:
Spellers write their word in these boxes rather than use the cut-apart letter slips.

Spellers can cut these apart so they each have a personal word sort. If not, the
teacher makes the word sorting cards. Spellers should sort the words a variety of
ways. Here are some ideas for this sort:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Sort words that belong in the an family and those that dont.
Sort words that have one syllable, two syllables, and three or more syllables.
Sort words that end in n and those that dont.
Sort word that have words within them (ant in vacant) and those that dont.

Words can also be sorted for concepts:

Words that name things (nouns) and words that dont.
Other transfer activities:
Since you can spell coin, how would you spell coil?
Since you can spell vacation, how would you spell nation?
Since you can spell an words, what new words could you spell with and?
ELL Support Pictures: