Teaching phonics to middle schoolers can sometimes be challenging since this is a skill usually taught at a younger age. Engage your middle school students with phonics activities that are both interesting and interactive!
1. Word of the Week Challenge
In this activity, students can learn about confusing language rules by dissecting individual words in the word of the week challenge. This engages students in a word study where they identify the correct sounds and meaning for a new word every week.
Learn more: Secondary Sara
2. Collaborative Paragraph Building
This hands-on activity allows students to work in groups to form a paragraph that is phonologically cohesive. This content targets phonics instruction by allowing students to determine the meaning of word sounds within context.
Learn more: The Daring English Teacher
3. Table Match
In this vocabulary game, students receive an envelope of cutouts with words and definitions. Students have to sort and match the words to the definitions. Students can demonstrate a solid understanding of the vocabulary and receive extra practice talking about the new vocabulary.
Learn more: Secondary English Cofee Shop
4. Vocabulary Jenga
Students can develop an understanding of spelling patterns and alphabetic skills in these Jenga games. Teachers can either write letters, letter pairs, or whole words on the Jenga blocks. Depending on the version of the game, students can form words or meanings from the blocks they have pulled.
Learn more: Life Between Summers
5. Article of the Week
Teachers can load vocabulary practice into their lessons with an article of the week activity. After reading an article, students record not only their comprehensive understanding but also new phonemic understanding from the non-fiction text. This is a great activity for older students.
Learn more: Musing from the Middle School
6. Wordle
This online phonics game can be brought to the classroom either still on the computer or on paper. Students with weak phonics knowledge can practice their word sounds and letter recognition by creating five-letter words. Students can practice with their friends by creating their own five-letter words and highlighting the correct/incorrect letters for each one.
Learn more: English Oh My
7. Ninja Phonics Game
For students who struggle with both initial sounds and consonant sounds, look no further than this ninja phonics game. Similar to chutes and ladders, students climb up and down a building with their ninja pieces trying to get to the top and creating words along the way. Students practice blending sounds. This is the perfect activity for pairs or for a small group.
Learn more: Teach Starter
8. Phonics Bingo
This active game will engage your students to think quickly about different letter sounds. Call out different letter sounds or make your own version where students create their boards and have to match them to different phonemic pairings. Either way, students will build letter-sound relationships!
Learn more: Education to the Core
9. Mystery Bag
In this game, teachers put a few items in a bag that all share a phonemic pattern. Students then have to not only guess what the items are but also what word patterns they all have in common. This is a great way to teach about consonant digraphs and silent letters!
Learn more: Topnotch Teaching
10. Kitty Letter
This online phonics game gives students letters to create words out of. This engaging activity allows students to quickly practice their letter sounds while still being entertained by adorable and rambunctious cats!
Learn more: Exploding Kittens, Inc.
11. Scholastic Storyworks
Teachers can create differentiated classroom lessons by using the Scholastic Storyworks program. These challenging lessons can be customized to focus on different skills for individual students. Texts range from science fiction, historical fiction, and even realistic fiction!
Learn more: Storyworks
12. Word Nerd Challenge
One favorite phonics activity is to create a challenge to see which student can build the most extensive vocabulary at the end of the unit. Challenge students with copies of complex vocabulary and prepare them with strategies to retain them. In the end, reward the students who showed the most growth.
Learn more: Secondary Sara
13. Brainstorm Worksheet
Students can go beyond basic understandings of vocabulary in this brainstorming worksheet. Here students record their thoughts about a word or topic to eventually turn into a larger paragraph. Students with weak phonics knowledge can take this time to ask a teacher or a partner for help in vocabulary retrieval.
Learn more: One Stop Teacher Shop
14. Poetry Analysis Poster
If you're looking for the perfect activity for pairs or small groups, look no further. Students can study poetry and think about the poet's word choice in this fun activity. Students spend time completing thoughtful reading to then analyze why the poet would have used certain vocabulary. This is beyond a basic phonics activity and encourages students to think about word choice.
Learn more: The Daring English Teacher
15. Interactive Word Wall
This literacy material is excellent for students who rely heavily on technology. Teachers can create QR codes with definitions and an overview of phonics of complex vocabulary words. Then students can assess their own knowledge level and truly spend time getting to know the breakdown of the word.
Learn more: Jenna Copper
16. Pictionary
One great activity for upper elementary or middle school students is Pictionary! This active game has students draw pictures to represent the mystery word. Challenge students to choose words that are as close to 26 letters as possible! Pictionary can inspire future reading sessions by choosing words that correspond to classroom library books!
Learn more: The Friendly Teacher
17. Email Etiquette
This lesson is tailored for all students, with a focus on school English Language Learners (ELLs). Email etiquette is an important life skill that will carry with students for the rest of their lives. Help students by building this routine into your daily curriculum!
Learn more: The Daring English Teacher
18. Identifying New Vocabulary Words
One of the most important skills in phonetic instruction is having students be able to identify new vocabulary words with word patterns they have been working on. Students can write the new vocabulary on worksheets or sticky notes and then hold on to their collection. As they begin to define vocabulary words, their collection will begin to grow!
Learn more: Lit in Focus
19. Guided Writing Practice
Students who struggle with basic reading skills typically struggle with writing skills as well. Help struggling students by holding a guided writing activity. This will benefit all students, especially dyslexic students who may have challenges forming complete written sentences.
Learn more: Reading and Writing Haven
20. CVC Word Practice
If you're looking to support the Spanish-dominant students in your classroom, this CVC worksheet will help them. This effective reading instruction worksheet allows ELL students to recognize patterns within words. This could also benefit dyslexic students.
Learn more: All Students Can Shine
21. Social Media Worksheets
In order to make your activities more relevant to middle schoolers, create a vocabulary worksheet that is also an art project connected to social media. One example is creating a Snapchat or Instagram post related to a new vocabulary word.
Learn more: Reading and Writing Haven
22. Memes in Lesson
Students can learn the power of punctuation and letter substitution in this funny activity. Give students a sentence and have them change the meaning just with the swap of a letter or punctuation. Then have them draw a picture to show the change in meaning!
Learn more: Reading and Writing Haven
23. Vocabulary Flipbook
Students can practice letter formation patterns in their vocabulary flip books. Students choose a vocabulary word and then create a small book all about it. This phonological skill-building activity is great for all learners!
Learn more: Upper Elementary Snapshots
24. Memory
Print out words that have similar roots on index cards. Make sure you have a duplicate of every word. Then flip the word cards side down and students flip two at a time to try to match alike words. Students can practice vowel patterns and letter-sound recognition in this game!
Learn more: Not So Wimpy Teacher
25. Grammar Coloring Sheets
In this activity, students use different colors to represent different word parts. This is a great way to recognize spelling patterns and vowel patterns.
Learn more: Language Arts Classroom
26. Postcard Writing Activity
In this activity, students choose an image or a postcard that is most interesting to them. Then students use their newly learned vocabulary to either write about the image on the postcard or write a short story that they would think somebody sending this postcard might send.
Learn more: Now Spark Creativity
27. Study Cards
These cards can include the vocabulary word, definitions, and the phonological breakdown of the word. This can be used to help students practice phonics and vocabulary at home and is a great tool to inform families of what their child is learning in class!
Learn more: The Rigorous Owl
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