If you’re looking for some fun ideas to teach compound words, keep reading! And you’ll also find a free resource that your students will enjoy.
Teaching this topic can really be fun because there are so many different types of activities that you can do. It’s easy to incorporate different learning styles and modalities, too. Many of these activities can also be used throughout the day, like at morning work or literacy stations.
Tips for teaching compound words
Try Read-Alouds
Read alouds are already a great learning tool. They reach our auditory learners and help build background knowledge. They also are fun to do when you’re teaching compound words. As you read to your class, have your students listen specifically for these words. When they hear one, they can raise their hands. Call on students to say the word that they heard – that will help prevent them from just raising their hands because the others did!
A book that’s really fun to use to introduce this topic is If You Were A Compound Word. Most any other book that’s good for a read-aloud would be good to use for students to specifically listen for them.
Play Hands-On Games
Kinesthetic learners will really benefit from this strategy.
Even most young students are familiar with the card game of Concentration or Memory. Once students know how to play this game, you can use it during morning work or at stations during the day.
- First, make picture or word cards for each word. You’ll need three cards per word … one for each separate word and then one with the word written as compound.
- Next, turn the cards face down. Students will pick 3 cards. If there are two words that make a compound, along with its compound, that student gets a point.
Do Category Sorting
Sorting is a higher-level thinking skill.
Use pictures and/word cards of different compound words. Students can sort them into categories based on whether or not they are compound. There are many variations in how you use this strategy. For example, you can have students work independently or in pairs or at stations. They could come up to a “Parking Lot” area and stick the words under the right heading. (Sticky notes work great for this!) Or you could make paper pockets and have students sort the words into the right pocket.
Try This Free Resource
If you’d like a print and go activity, this Compound Words Match Up free resource allows you to review these words with your students. There are 16 sets of cards to remind students of the component parts of a compound word.
For each word there are 2 cards. One card with images of the two parts of the word and then a matching card with the word and image.
Place the cards in a literacy center for matching, write the room, or play a game like Scoot.
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