I have recently (belatedly) discovered the Smart Chute. This is a post box game that flips cards over. It is a self-checking activity which covers many areas of the literacy curriculum: phonics, morphemes, Greek and Latin derivatives, grammar, vocabulary etc.
I love it because it is a great opening to any 1:1 lesson. Today I used it to revise the graphemes sh, ch, th, ck. We made our own cards. My pupil spelled the words on the cards and drew a picture (upside down) on the reverse for the words chips, ship, thin and lock. She loved doing this as she was creating the game herself. Then we played with the cards getting her to read the words and check if she read them correctly.
How does this help my lesson?
- It offers a multi-sensory activity of spelling and reading.
- It motivates my learner and adds variety to the lesson.
- The cards keep a record of words that we read and can reread next week. We can add cards every week as we work through the phonic code.
- It is a fun way to include overlearning and practice in the lesson.
The Smart Chute can be used for lots of learning objectives. It can be ordered from the Smart Kids catalogue: www.smartkids.co.uk
For older children there is also another version of this game that children assemble and decorate to make it personal. It is called the Flip it produced by TTS http://www.tts-group.co.uk/shops/tts/Range/Flip-It/101e3108-cb89-42d9-8997-45071a962cc1?pagesize=-1
Great fun and recommended!
