Phonics: Word Families and Nursery Rhymes (Printable)

Title: Word Families and Nursery Rhymes
Level: Pre-schoolers to kindergarten
Publisher: www.enchantedlearning.com/rhymes/wordfamilies/
Compiled by: O'Mama
Pages: 78
Size: 5.18 Mb
Format: PDF
Quality: High, printable
Language: English

Word families are groups of words that have a common feature or pattern - they have some of the same combinations of letters in them and a similar sound. The 37 most common word families in English (according to Wylie and Durrell) are: ack, ain, ake, ale, all, ame, an, ank, ap, ash, at, ate, aw ay, eat, ell, est, ice, ick, ide, ight, ill, in, ine, ing, ink, ip, it, ock, oke, op, ore, ot, uck ,ug, ump, unk. [+/-]

Many of the nursery rhymes contain common word families. You can use these rhymes to teach these letter combinations (and how they are spelled and spoken), having the students sound them out after memorizing the rhyme.

Reference: Richard E. Wylie and Donald D. Durrell, 1970. "Teaching Vowels Through Phonograms." Elementary English 47, 787-791.

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