Sort Words with Same Sounds

To help children build decoding skills, encourage them to sort words that contain the same sounds, represented either by the same or different letter combinations. In order to sort words they need to segment target sounds within words and identify their associated spellings. This taps into and strengthens their phonemic awareness and their knowledge of sound/symbol correspondences. (See Collect Words with Same Sounds for a precursor to this sorting activity.)

Procedure

1. Select one target sound and collect two sets of words containing the target sound. Be careful not to confuse spelling and sounds. For example, if the target sound is /s/ then "his" cannot be selected because the final sound is /z/ even though it is spelled with an "s".

Note: Sets of words can be differentiated by:

• the location of the target sound in the word (e.g., /s/ in "sail" and "bus")
• the spelling/letters used to represent the sound (e.g., long o in "coat" and "bone")
• both location and spelling (e.g., /k/ in "cat" and "back")

2. Provide students with a list that contains the two sets of words mixed up.

• Go to the Read area and find words that represent the two sets of words.
• AND/OR go to the Write area and type desired words into the text field, open the My Words list, select each word in the text field, and click the "+" button to enter the word into the list.
• OR have the students themselves collect the words in the My Words list. (See Collect Words with Same Sounds.)

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3. Tell students the target sound and ask them to separate the words in the My Words list into two groups.

• Go to the Magnet Board area and open the My Words list.
• Select the first word in the My Words list and click in the top left of the Magnet Board grid to identify where you want to put the word. A small triangle marker will appear.
• Click the "+" button to place the word on the Magnet Board.
• Select the second word in the My Words list and click on the line below the first word if it fits in the first group or click in the top middle of the Magnet Board to begin the second group.
• Continue selecting words in the My Words list and placing them in the appropriate groups on the Magnet Board.

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4. Encourage students to check their work by filling the target sound/spelling with black and make changes if needed.

• Click the "Fill" (A) button and click on a letter in a target sound/spelling to make it black.
• Repeat until all target sound/spellings are filled.
• Check the words in each group to make sure they all have the same target sound/spelling.
• If not, move words. Click the "Frame" button and drag the "frame" cursor across the word to join the letter tiles into one group. Then hold the mouse down on the word and drag the whole word to the desired location.

5. For a record of their work, ask children to print a copy of their words sorted on the Magnet Board and save their work when they leave the book or quit the program.

• Move the cursor up to the top of the screen and the menu bar will appear.
• Under the "File" menu select "Print Magnet Board..."

Customize this Activity

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For children who need more focus (e.g., because of developmental level, auditory or visual processing difficulties, visual impairment), make all the letter tiles on the magnet board a uniform color.

• Select "Custom Colors" under the "Settings" menu.
• Select a "Text" and a "Background" color (not black on white because that's the color of the fill).

WiggleWorks Areas Used

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Related WiggleWorks Basics

• Adding Words from the My Words List
• Grouping Words
• Customizing for Low Vision