Coming back from the holidays can be hard for many reasons. One challenge I always find is the sudden lack of "seasonal excitement." So much of Christmas fun can be implemented into quality instruction in December. Then January hits and once the New Year passes, we are just left fighting cabin fever. Am I right? Maybe it's just me...
This is one little multisensory idea that has helped spark some winter delight into my activities lately! Check out the "Marshmallow mash"...
This has been particularly useful in supporting my students' decoding and reading fluency at the word level. In this example, students are using my prereading practice word cards (available in any of my skill-specific fluency building products) for support blending skill-specific words. Typically, I provide a tactile experience by having students tap the touch-points as they read, but then I discovered that mini marshmallows fit perfectly on the touch points! Enter, the marshmallow mash...
Students place a marshmallow on each touch point...
... then they mash as they read through the word, sound by sound!
I adapted this to apply to older students as well! This activity involved a focus on suffixes. Students made suffix cards and placed a marshmallow on each. I called out various multisyllabic words, and they had to "mash" the suffix they heard. Then they explained the definition of the word, using the meanings of the morphemes (prefixes, roots, and suffixes) within the words.
Of course, you can heighten the sensory experience by allowing them to eat certain parts of their words. That takes it to a completely new level!
If you are looking for more great winter-themed activities this month, my Winter Words Literacy Pack is also now available in the Tally Tales TPT Store! It's filled with great hands-on activities to support student memory, phonological awareness, syllabication, and word-building skills!
