Do you use writing prompts to teach phonics? They are a fabulous and sometimes overlooked tool. Writing prompts are a great addition to the worksheets, activities, and phonics games that you probably already use in your phonics or literacy stations. Plus they are easy to send home with students for additional practice and skill consolidation.
Why writing prompts help kids with phonics
Phonics writing prompts aren’t usually the first activity I use with students. There are a number of games and activities that I use to help students get familiar with words, spelling patterns, and the like first. But once students are starting to grasp phonics words and patterns, phonics writing prompts provide further practice.
Writing prompts provide contextual practice of phonics words
Some phonics practice activities simply have kids engaging with a list of phonics words. They need to practice reading, segmenting, and blending sounds. They need to practice writing down the words. They may match words to pictures or descriptions. They may even write words into sentences based on context. The next step is having them use the words in context.
Phonics writing prompts ask kids to respond to a prompt using particular words. Students need to find ways to use the words they’ve learned in context as part of a sentence, part of a story or any other writing activity.
Writing prompts get kids writing
Do your kids ever get stuck staring at a blank page? Getting started can be one of the hardest parts of writing. Writing prompts give kids a starting point or a shape to what they are aiming for. Writing prompts help move past “I don’t know what to write about.” And one of the things I love about phonics writing prompts is that kids get extra writing practice while they work on mastering their phonics words.
Phonics writing prompts expand writing vocabulary
We all like the familiar, right? It’s especially true with students and their writing vocabulary. In my experience, students tend to stick with words they know in their writing. Phonics writing prompts require students to use a list of phonics words in their writing, nudging them out of their comfort zone into a larger writing vocabulary.
Do you use phonics writing prompts in your classroom? You can get started easily, right here: Phonics Writing Prompts with Word Bank Bundle. If you already use writing prompts in your classroom, you can always use some new ones!
Writing prompts in this bundle cover a variety of writing activities including designing a comic strip, creating a recipe, writing a nomination speech, drafting a poster, sending a post card and more.
They also cover words for a number of sounds including:
- Sound /ae/, spellings: a, ai, ay, a-e, and ea
- Sound /ee/, spellings: e, ea, ee, y, ey, and ie
- Sound /oe/, spellings: o, oa, ow, oe, and o-e
- Sound /er/, spellings: er, ir, or, ur, and ear
- Sound /e/, spellings: a, e, ea, ai, and ie
- Sound /ie/, spellings: i, ie, y, igh, i-e
- Sound /s/, spellings: s, ss, st, c, ce, se, sc
- Sound /ow/, spellings: ow, ou
- Sound m/oo/n, spellings: oo, ew, ue, u-e, ou, u
- Sound /u/, spellings: o, oo, ou, u
- Sound /ar/, spellings: ar, a, al, au, ear
- Sound /ue/, spellings: ue, ew, u, u-e
- Sound /air/, spellings: air, are, ear, ere, eir, ayer, ayor
Get your ready to print writing prompts with word bank today (the bundle saves you 30% over buying each pack separately!) Phonics Writing Prompts with Word Bank Bundle
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