Routine · Phonics and decoding
Word chain with letter tiles
Build a word with tiles, then change one letter at a time to make the next word.
- Time
- 3 to 6 minutes
- Skill
- Phonics and decoding
- In a session plan
- Word chain
When to use it
After the new pattern is taught. It shows the student how every letter changes the word.
Materials
- Letter tiles or cards for the words in the chain
- A whiteboard if tiles are not handy
Steps
Shown with example words: word ship; words ship, shop, chop, chip.
Get ready
Lay out only the tiles the chain needs, in a row above the work space.
I do
Build the first word, ship, saying each sound as you place its tile. Read it. Then say the next word and think aloud about which sound changed.
Say: This is ship. The next word is a little different. I listen for which sound changed, and I swap only that tile.
We do
Say the next word. The student says it back and tells you which sound is different. Change the tile together and read the new word.
You do
Say each word in the chain: ship, shop, chop, chip. The student changes one tile at a time and reads each new word.
Student: Finds the changed sound, swaps one tile, reads the word.
Check
When the chain is done, ask the student to swap tiles back two words.
If the student...
Changes the wrong tile.
Say the old word and the new word slowly, side by side, sound by sound. Ask which sound is different. Put the tile back and let the student try the change again.
Say: Listen: old word, new word. Which sound changed? Fix just that one.
Builds the word right but reads it wrong.
Touch under each tile while the student says the sounds, then blend from the first tile.
Tips
- Middle vowel changes are the hardest, so put a few in each chain.
- In a group, give each student a small set of tiles, or have them write on boards and erase one letter.
- One to one, let the student make up the last word in the chain.
Example words
- Word
- ship
- Words
- ship, shop, chop, chip
Original routines written by Literacy Trail. In the app, every routine is filled with your student's lesson.
Related routines
- Swap a soundChange one sound in a spoken word to make a new word.2 to 4 minutes · Warm-up
- Check and fixTeach the student to proofread their own writing: read it back, touch each sound, find the part that is off, and fix it.3 to 6 minutes · Dictation
- Introduce a new sound-spellingTeach a new spelling for a sound: hear it, see it, say it, write it, then read words with it.6 to 10 minutes · New lesson
- Sound card reviewShow the sound cards taught so far, quickly, so every known spelling stays automatic.2 to 4 minutes · Review
Have this routine filled in for every lesson
In Literacy Trail, the session plan picks a routine for each block and fills it with the words, sounds and sentence from your student's lesson. Every plan starts with a 15-day free trial.