Word Families

WORD FAMILIES

Skilled readers recognize patterns in words rather than sound words out, letter by letter. Word families, also known as phonograms, rimes, or chunks, are letter patterns that are more stable than individual vowel sounds. Readers can use word families to decode by analogy-use what they know about one word to decode another. If a reader knows the word, tack, for example, it's likely that he/she will be able to read other -ack words, such as snack and jacket. Recognizing word families helps students build large reading vocabularies. The most common word families are below. Please click on the word family to see the words that can be made by adding initial consonants or blends to these sounds. I will be starting with the short vowel word families, such as -at and -ap, then progress to the long vowel families, such as -ice and -eep. Please scroll down to see Home-School Connection activivites.

**WORD FAMILIES**
ab	ack	ad	ag	ail	ain	ake
ale	all	am	ame	an	and	ank
ap	ar	ash	at	ate	aw	ay
eat	ed	ell	en	est	et	ice
ick	ide	ig	ight	ill	in	ine
ing	ink	ip	it	ock	og	oke
old	op	ore	ot	uck	ug	um
ump	unk

HOME-SCHOOL CONNECTION ACTIVITIES

How can you help increase your youngster's word family skills? Try one or more of these ideas listed below!

1. An Envelope of Words: To encourage your child to practice letter patterns, write the words on paper and cut each letter apart. Place the letters in an envelope, and label it with the word family. Then ask your child to build words. Your child could also write the words he/she makes on paper, chalkboard, markerboard, etc. This activity can be extended to making sentences and cutting them apart to rebuild.

2. Scrabble Pieces: Use letter tiles from your Scrabble game to build words. When your child makes a word, math facts could also be practiced.

3. Nursury Rhymes/Dr. Seuss books: Place small sticky notes over words in the story that contain word chunks. Let your child play a guessing game and guess what spelling patterns/words belong it the space. Lift the stick note to check your answer.

4. Magnetic Letters: Invite your child to use magnetic letters to build words on the refrigerator.

5. Texture Writing: Ask to child to make words by using a variety of textures: Play-Doh, shaving cream, sand, markers, chalk, crayons, finger paint, waterpaint, etc.

Any games that are used to practice these words such as: BINGO, Word Search, etc. would be a great way to practice. Most importantly, READ! Share books with your child every day. After reading a story for enjoyment, challenge your child to search in the text for word families he or she knows.

-ab

cab dab gab jab tab crab drab

-ack

back hack Jack lack pack quack rack sack tack black clack
crack knack shack slack smack snack stack track whack

-ad

bad tad glad fad clad dad brad had lad mad pad sad

-ag

bag gag hag jag lag nag sag tag rag wag brag drag snag flag

-ail

bail fail frail Gail hail jail mail nail quail rail sail snail tail trail wail

-ain

brain chain drain gain grain lain main pain plain rain Spain sprain
stain strain train vain

-ake

bake brake cake drake fake flake Jake lake make rake shake snake
stake take wake

-ale

bale Dale female gale inhale male pale sale scale stale
tale whale

-all

ball call fall gall hall mall small stall tall wall

-am

am ham jam Pam Sam yam

-ame

became blame came dame fame flame frame game
lame name nickname same shame tame

-an

ban bran can clan Dan fan flan Fran man pan plan ran
span tan than van

-and

and band bland brand grand hand land sand

-ank

bank blank clank crank dank drank flank Frank Hank lank prank
plank rank sank shrank spank tank thank yank

-ap

apple cap chap clap flap gap happy lap map nap pap rap
sap slap scrap snap strap trap wrap tap yap

-ar

are bar car far jar star

-ash

ash bash cash clash crash dash eyelash flash gash hash mash
rash smash splash trash

-at

acrobat at bat brat cat chat doormat fat flat hat mat pat rat
sat splat that

-ate

crate date gate grate hate Kate late locate Nate plate rate skate slate state

-aw

awful claw crawl draw drawing flaw gnaw jaw law paw raw saw
straw strawberry thaw

-ay

bay clay day gray hay pay play say spray stay stray sway today tray way

-eat

beat cheat eating heat heater meat meatball neat repeat seat
treat wheat

-ed

bed Ed fed Fred led Ned red shed sled Ted wed

-ell

bell cell fell seashell sell shell smell spell tell well yell yellow

-en

Ben den hen Jen men pen ten then when yen

-est

best chest contest crest forest jest nest pest rest test vest west

-et

bet get jet let met net pet set wet yet

-ice

dice ice mice nice price rice slice spice twice
-ick

brick chick click kick lick pick sick slick stick trick

-ide

bride glide hide pride ride side slide stride tide wide

-ig

big dig fig gig jig pig rig twig wig

-ight

bright fight flight fright knight might night light right sight
tight tonight

-ill

bill chill dill drill fill grill hill Jill mill pill quill shrill sill spill
still thrill will

-in

bin chin fin grin in into kin pin shin skin spin thin tin twin

-ine

dine fine line mine nine pine vine shine spine whine

-ing

bing bring cling ding king ping ring sing spring sting swing
thing wing zing

-ink

blink drink ink kink link rink sink stink think wink

-ip

chip clip dip drip flip grip hip lip nip rip ship sip skip snip
strip tip trip whip zip

-it

bit fit hit it kit knit lit pit quit sit slit

-ock

block clock dock flock hock knock lock mock rock shock
sock smock stock

-oke

broke Coke joke poke smoke spoke stroke woke yoke

-og

bog clog dog fog frog hog jog log smog

-old

bold cold fold gold hold mold sold told

-op

chop crop drop flop gumdrop hop mop pop shop stop top

-ore

bore chore core lore more pore score shore snore tore wore

-ot

cot dot got hot knot lot not pot shot spot

-uck

buck Chuck cluck duck luck pluck stuck struck truck

-ug

bug chug dug hug mug rug slug snug tug

-um

chum drum glum gum hum plum strum sum swum yum

-ump

bump clump dump grump jump lump mump pump stump thump

-unk

bunk chunk dunk junk skunk stunk sunk trunk