Word Catchers for Reading and Spelling
Teachers' Resources
About these books
These practical hands-on books for teachers and parents use word catchers (aka fortune tellers or cootie catchers) to teach reading and spelling. In addition to learning about various spelling games, readers can photocopy word catchers that feature 144 of the trickiest words that children ages 5 to 9 will encounter. Once children have made a word catcher (instructions included), they can use them to play with a partner. There are 8 words on each word catcher, which the partner is required to spell. When the flap is lifted, he or she must read a sentence with a missing word. The missing word is one of the 8 words that have been practiced. Reading these sentences requires a child to use context clues to figure out what makes sense.
The majority of the books deal with reading, however. Studies have shown that in order to become a proficient reader, children must be able to recognize word patterns. Many educators call these patterns “word families” or “rimes”. I call them “chunks”. “Chunks” are the parts of words that allow words to rhyme. For example, knowing the chunk “ack” enables a student to read and spell the words black, stack, crack, back, pack, track, etc. Word catchers for 75 chunks are available for students and teachers to copy and use. Each chunk is introduced by a rhythmic chant that can also be used to reinforce the chunk as well as develop sight vocabulary.
There are also word catchers for synonyms, antonyms, curriculum themes, and narrative writing.
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