In search of engaging and interactive ways to help students learn about advanced compound words, homophones, homographs, and words with ei and ie? You've come to the right place! With these games and independent activities for Miscellaneous Sorts word study can transformed into a highly anticipated time of day for students in the Syllables and Affixes stage! This bundle focuses on teaching students advanced compound words, homophones, and homographs. Students also learn the generalization "i before e except after c" to help them determine how to spell words with the ei and ie patterns.

The download for each sort includes a partner game and an independent activity (that can also be modified to play with a partner). The partner games found in Unit 9 include "Connect 6" board games, a matching card game, and a follow-the-path board game. The independent activities found in Unit 9 include a "Four In A Row" game, "Spin and Do" activity boards, and a "Layer On" word building game.

It is my hope that these activities help you increase student engagement and personal teaching joy during word study, spelling, or word work. (Aligned to Word Sorts for Syllables and Affixes Spellers Unit 9: Sort 55-Sort 58)

→ → Save 33% with this bundle for the Affixes Games and Activities Bundle Unit 9!

Whether you're looking for hands-on, engaging activities students can complete independently, partner games, centers, or ideas to spice up your small group lessons, these activities covering Miscellaneous Sorts have done the creative thinking and planning for you! Versatility and consistency (not an oxymoron!) are built right in for you with all of the activities in the Unit 9 bundle having the same format, you won’t have to teach students how to play with each new word sort!

While these games and activities are aligned to Words Their Way, they can be used to complement any word study program or focus with your students. See the preview for detailed lists of the included words!

Sort Sets Included in the Unit 9 Bundle:

55: Advanced Compound Words

56: Homophones

57: Homographs

58: I Before E Except After CC

★ Partner Games ★

In the “Memory Match!” card game (sort 55), students match words together to create compound words and then use the words to help them define the compound word created.

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ Word Cards

✔ Student-Friendly Directions

✔ Recording Sheet

✔ Answer Key

In Connect 6 (sorts 56-57), students take turns drawing cards that contain a sentence with a missing word. Students must use their knowledge of homophones and homographs to complete the sentence with the missing homophone and homograph and cover the correct space on the game board.

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ Game Board

✔ Sentence Cards

✔ Student-Friendly Directions

✔ Recording Sheet

✔ Answer Key

In the board game (Sort 58), students match the spelling pattern or hint they draw from the card pile to words on the game board in order to make their move along the game board path.

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ Board Game

✔ Game Cards

✔ Student-Friendly Directions

✔ Recording Sheet

✔ Answer Key

Each partner game involves friendly competition and a recording sheet that makes it easy to check that students understood the word study concepts being studied and to hold them accountable for staying on task.

★ Independent Activities ★

In Four In A Row (sort 55), students spin a spinner and find a word or image depicting a word on the game board that corresponds with the prompt they spun. They must cover the word or image, build the word with letter tiles or write the word on a white board (optional), and record it on their recording sheet. Their goal is to cover four words/images in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally).

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ 4 Word Boards

✔ 2 Spinners with Student Friendly Directions Versions

✔ Letter Tiles for Building Words

✔ Recording Sheet

✔ Answer Key

In Spin & Do (sorts 56-57), students draw homophone or homograph cards and spin two spinners to choose an activity to complete with the word they drew. Students then record their answers from the activity they spun on their recording sheet. Students earn points for completing a row of activities (vertically or horizontally). Their goal is to complete all rows if time allows, or earn the most points to win.

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ Homophone/homograph cards

✔ 2 Spinners with Student Friendly Directions Versions

✔ Recording Sheet

✔ Answer Key

In Layer On (played much like a popular letter tile game) (sort 58), students spin for a spelling pattern and match it with a corresponding word card to make a word. They add the word (by writing or building it) to an existing word tower. Students "layer on" as many words as possible to create a word tower with as many words as they can.

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ Word Building Mat

✔ Word Cards

✔ Spinner with Student Friendly Directions

✔ Letter Tiles for Building Words

✔ Recording Sheet

✔ Answer Key

* Everything comes in black and white and color versions!

Who are these games and activities for?

> > > These resources were developed with 3rd - 5th graders in mind, but could successfully be used in lower grades within small group lessons and with teacher guidance.

> > > These games and activities are designed for students in the late stages of the Syllables and Affixes stage. Although most students have been introduced to compound words, homophones, and homographs prior to this point, the words in this unit represent a more advanced selection of vocabulary words for students who are getting ready to enter the Derivational Relations stage, which has a heavy focus on vocabulary.

These activities provide a great way to add meaningful variety to your word study routine, keeping it fresh and interesting for students. With these activities, your word study block will be a time that students look forward to as they work to master these key spelling and word study concepts!