Making Words: Multilevel, Hands-On Developmentally Appropriate Spelling and Phonics Activities Grades 1-3

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: "Making Words" is a super and exciting way to teach students spelling and phonics. I am a special education teacher. This was finally a way that my students enjoyed learning to read and spell.

Rating:
Summary: highly useful, practical approach to primary spelling
Review: "Making Words" is an excellent book for first and second grade teachers who are looking for an effective, practical approach to teaching spelling skills. It presents a method for involving students in the process of identifying phonological units and patterns within words, and helps the student to become aware of similarities in words that can help in writing. Students physically manipulate letter cards to spell words of increasing length, then sort and classify the words they have spelled. It can be used in small group or whole class settings, and is fairly easy to manage. The book presents the sequence of steps in a typical lesson, a series of introductory lessons to teach the method to the students, and has a large number of words and word lists that can be the basis for lessons in your class. I used it the last half of the year in my first grade class, and it was very effective, providing a clearly understood framework for teaching spelling. Although I used the introductory lessons and some of the suggested word lists, I also found that it was easy to design my own lessons using the book's format. I highly recommend this book (and I've convinced the rest of my grade level to use it this next year.)

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: "Making Words" is a super and exciting way to teach students spelling and phonics. I am a special education teacher. This was finally a way that my students enjoyed learning to read and spell.

Rating:
Summary: highly useful, practical approach to primary spelling
Review: "Making Words" is an excellent book for first and second grade teachers who are looking for an effective, practical approach to teaching spelling skills. It presents a method for involving students in the process of identifying phonological units and patterns within words, and helps the student to become aware of similarities in words that can help in writing. Students physically manipulate letter cards to spell words of increasing length, then sort and classify the words they have spelled. It can be used in small group or whole class settings, and is fairly easy to manage. The book presents the sequence of steps in a typical lesson, a series of introductory lessons to teach the method to the students, and has a large number of words and word lists that can be the basis for lessons in your class. I used it the last half of the year in my first grade class, and it was very effective, providing a clearly understood framework for teaching spelling. Although I used the introductory lessons and some of the suggested word lists, I also found that it was easy to design my own lessons using the book's format. I highly recommend this book (and I've convinced the rest of my grade level to use it this next year.)

Rating:
Summary: A must for primary teachers!
Review: As a first grade teacher, I have used this book for the past 4 years. We begin using the lessons every January. My students love the activities and I see tremendous improvement in their spelling, reading, and writing after we begin using Making Words. You must try it!

Rating:
Summary: Super primary resource
Review: I use this resource with my first graders in conjunction with our phonics program. It is a super hands-on way to reach those tactile-kinesthetic learners!

Rating:
Summary: Super primary resource
Review: I use this resource with my first graders in conjunction with our phonics program. It is a super hands-on way to reach those tactile-kinesthetic learners!

Rating:
Summary: Don't Miss This Book!
Review: If you don't buy any other book as a primary teacher, I would definitely buy this one. I have used in 2nd and 3rd grade and the kids love putting the letters together to make words. They don't even see it as work because they are having so much fun. There is just so much a teacher can do with this book!

Rating:
Summary: Crazy for this series!
Review: If you teach grades K-3 and you have never used any part of this series in your classroom, you need to buy it TODAY! In one year, this has created 2-3 years growth in reading and writing for almost every special ed. student I have taught. Get it now!

Rating:
Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: In searching for finding the best resources for my 1st grade classroom, I found Patricia Cunningham's Making Words book. I originally found this book in a workshop I was attending about 3 years ago. The presenter shared it and I thought at the time.."hey! that's pretty cool!". It is so necessary for children to be able to manipulate letters to make words. It's such a joy to see their little faces light up when they've guessed the "secret word".

I highly recommend Making Words as well as the 4 blocks books written by Dr Cunningham as well. It's just too bad she can't be the teacher next door to me! I'd be in there everyday!