H12: Sound Circus
1. Overview
Play a board game for 2-4 players in which you must pick a picture card with the right ending sound to move forward on the board. This should be a fast-paced game to review all the ending consonant sounds before the child moves on to the next module.
H12: Sound Circus
2. Materials
- Script
- Sound Circus game board
- picture cards and word index — these are the same cards used in Last Things Last
- game pieces of different colors — one for each player
3. Activity
Warm-Up: Before the game, do a quick review of the ending sounds. Use the consonant sound cards as flash cards, asking the child what sound is made by each letter.Video: How to play Sound Circus
Go through the picture cards with your child to be sure he is using the correct word for each picture (e.g., rose instead of flower).
One child can play this game with an adult. The adult should ask for the child’s “help” during the adult’s turn.
Each player puts their game piece at the beginning of the game path, in the bottom left section of the board, next to the first square with the letter m.
Shuffle the picture cards and then divide them up evenly between the two players. Each player will have a stack of face-down picture cards.
Start the game and demonstrate how it’s played by turning over a picture card and saying its name (e.g., drum). If the word has the same ending sound as the first square on the board, move your game piece to that space and put the picture card in a discard pile. Then it is your child’s turn. He turns over a card and says its name (e.g., rug). If its ending sound does not match the first square on the board, he puts the card in the discard pile and it becomes the adult’s turn again.
Have the child say the name of the picture out loud and also say the ending sound out loud. On the adult’s turn, ask the child to help in identifying the picture card’s ending sound.
If a player runs out of picture cards, shuffle the cards in the discard pile and deal them out to the players.
The players move their game pieces along the game board path in this way, one square at a time, until they reach the final square and can enter the Big Top circus tent. Keep going until both players have made it to the Big Top!
NOTE: This should be a fast-paced game. Encourage the children to identify each picture’s ending sound in three seconds or less! Stop the game after 15 minutes; note the players’ places to continue the game at the next session.
↑ Top
4. Extension
Time how long it takes for the child to make it all the way to the Big Top. Then challenge him to play again and beat his time. ↑ Top5. Variation
Use the two blank picture cards as wild cards. When a child draws a wild card, he automatically gets to move forward one space. Just have him say the sound made by the letter in that space. This will keep up the pace of the game. ↑ Top6. Small Groups (2-5 children)
Lesson Objective: Aided by a game board and picture cards, children will identify the final phoneme of a pictured item and will determine if the last sound of the item matches the phoneme of a particular consonant letter on the game board. GELDS (Georgia Early Learning & Development Standards): CLL6.4f Georgia Standards of Excellence: ELAGSEKRF3.a Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.3.A Adaptation: Read the main activity, watch the video, and follow the instructions above, with the following changes: Have each player put their game piece at the beginning of the game path, in the bottom left section of the board, next to the first square with the letter m. Shuffle the picture cards and then divide them up evenly among the players. Each player will have a stack of face-down picture cards. Player A turns over a picture card and says its name (e.g., drum). If the word has the same ending sound as the first square on the board, the child can move his game piece to that space and put the picture card in a discard pile. Then it is the next child’s turn. Player B turns over a card and says its name (e.g., rug). If its ending sound does not match the first square on the board, she puts the card in the discard pile and it becomes the next player’s turn. Have each child say the name of the picture out loud and also say the ending sound out loud. If a player runs out of picture cards, shuffle the cards in the discard pile and deal them out to the players. Children will move their game pieces along the game board path in this way, one square at a time, until they reach the final square and can enter the Big Top circus tent. Keep going until all the players have made it to the Big Top! Use the two blank picture cards as wild cards. When a child draws a wild card, he automatically gets to move forward one space (or more spaces). Just have him say the sound made by the letter in that space on the game board. This will keep up the pace of the game. NOTE: This should be a fast-paced game. Encourage the children to identify each picture’s ending sound in three seconds or less! Stop the game after 15 minutes; note the players’ places to continue the game at the next session. Ways to speed up the game:- Pre-select cards to be sure that all players have a picture that corresponds to the letters on the game board.
- Use a spinner or use the dotted circles under B2 Materials and tape one to each side of a quarter to determine how many spaces a player can move.
- If there are more than two players, play in teams. If there are an odd number of players, (e.g. three) pick one person to always roll the dice or flip the coin and to decide (under adult supervision/guidance) if the other players make correct matches. That player is called the Judge.
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