Is it vowle, vowal, or vowel? Are your students struggling to know which spelling pattern to choose when spelling words with the schwa sound in final or initial syllables? You're in luck! With these syllable games and independent activities for Unaccented Syllables your students will become more accurate and confident spellers in the Syllables and Affixes stage! This schwa sound activities bundle focuses on teaching students to identify unaccented syllables in words and learn the spelling patterns that represent the schwa sound. Because the same sound is often spelled in several different ways and therefore is not a reliable clue to spellers, it is important for them to have lot of opportunities to practice the spellings of these initial and final unaccented syllables.

The download for each sort includes a partner game and an independent game (that can also be modified to play with a partner). The partner games found in Unit 6 include follow-the-path board games and a card game called "I'm Out". The independent activities found in Unit 6 include a word building game called "Layer On" and a "Four In A Row" 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 6: Sort 31-Sort 40)

→ → Save 33% with this bundle for the Unaccented Syllables Games and Activities Bundle Unit 6!

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 Unaccented Syllables 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 6 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 6 Bundle:

31: Unaccented Final Syllable -LE

32: Unaccented Final Syllables -LE, -EL, -IL, -AL

33: Unaccented Final Syllables -ER, -OR, -AR

34: Unaccented Final Syllables -ER, -AR, -OR Agents and Comparatives

35: Unaccented Final Syllables -CHER, -TURE, -SURE

36: Unaccented Final Syllables -EN, -ON, -AIN, -IN, -AN

37: Unaccented Final Syllables -ET, -IT, -ATE

38: Final -Y, -EY, -IE in Unaccented Syllable

39: Y + Inflected Endings -ING, -ED, -S in Unaccented Syllable

40: Unaccented Initial Syllables A-, DE-, BE-

★ Partner Games ★

In the board games (sorts 31-33 and 35-40), students match the syllable patterns they draw from the card pile to words on the game board, adding the appropriate final syllable in order to make their move along the game board path.

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ Board Game

✔ Game Cards

✔ Student-Friendly Directions

✔ Recording Sheet

✔ Answer Key

In the I'm Out card game (sort 34), students play a shredding game with word and picture cards. Their goal is to match as many word or picture cards with a draw card (featuring final unaccented syllables, comparative adjectives and agents, and assorted wild cards) in order to get rid of all their cards and win the game.

✔ Teacher Directions

✔ Word and Picture Playing 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 Layer On (played much like a popular letter tile game) (sorts 31-33 and 35-40), students spin an unaccented final syllable or inflectional ending and match it with a corresponding word or base 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

In Four In A Row (sort 34), students spin a spinner and find a word or image depicting a word on the game board that follows the final syllable pattern they spun. They must cover the word or image, 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

* 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 middle of the Syllables and Affixes stage. These students often make spelling errors in the final unaccented syllables, showing that they are solely relying on sound instead of learning the patterns that represent those schwa sounds. For example, they may spell BATTEL for "battle", DOLLER for "dollar", or HUMIN for "human".

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!