Letters and Sounds:
Writing Words
Introduction:
This strategy helps students see how a word-family approach can be used to write new
words by changing the consonants in words they have written.
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Strategy: Word Family Approach
Materials Needed:
TTS-LS-WWords-WordFamily.pdf
Say: I’m going to show you how to write many new words by changing letters in words
you can already write.
Write the word bug, underlining the first consonant.
Say: This is the word bug. It starts with the letter b, which makes the /b/ sound; it ends
with the letters u and g, which say –ug. Write the word bug on your paper. (Allow
the student to write.)
Directly under the word bug, write rug, and underline the first letter.
Say: This is the word rug. See how I made this word by changing the first letter? What
letter does rug start with? (Allow the student to respond.) What sound does that letter
make? (Allow the student to respond.) Write the word rug on your paper.
After the student writes “rug,”
Say: Now let’s write the word mug. You write it first this time. What sound do you hear
at the beginning of mug? What letter will you write for that sound?
What do you hear at the end of mug? What letters will you use for that?
Can you write some more words that rhyme with bug and rug and mug?
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If the student cannot think of any words, suggest hug, jug, tug, and dug. |
Write the word bag.
Say: Look at this word. Can you read it? Copy the word bag onto your paper.
After the student writes “bag,”
Say: Now I want you to write the word tag. What letter will you change?
After the student writes “tag,”
Say: Now write wag. (Allow the student to write.) Now write rag.
On the Student Record Form, note any letters the student has problems with.
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If the student is having difficulty, continue the above procedure with other word families (e.g.,
ball, call, fall, mall, tall). |
If the student seems comfortable with initial consonant substitution, write the word rat and
underline the final consonant.
Say: Now let’s write some words by changing the ends of other words. Here is the word
rat. What sound do you hear at the end of the word? (Allow the student to respond.)
What letter makes that sound? (Allow the student to respond.) Write the word rat on
your paper. (Allow the student to write.)
Directly under rat write rag, underlining the final consonant.
Say: This is the word rag. See how I made this word by changing the final letter? What
letter does rag end with? (Allow the student to respond.) What sound does the letter
make? (Allow the student to respond.) Write the word rag on your paper.
After student writes “rag,”
Say: Now let’s write the word ran. You write it first this time. What sound does ran end
with? What letter makes that sound?
Let’s try a few more words.
- Can you write fan?
- Can you write fat?
- Can you write cat?
On the Student Record Form, note any letters the student has problems with.
Interpreting and Using TTS Results:
If the student has difficulty with forming new words by substituting consonants, refer to the TTS for Phonological Awareness: Auditory Blending. Once the student understands how to form new
words by consonant substitution, provide practice in writing phrases and sentences (e.g., fat cat,
sat on the mat, The fat cat sat on the mat).
