Phonics Game - a Phonics Game for 'Bossy e' with Magnetic Fish

Phonics Game - My 'Bossy 'e' Rule' phonics game is one of the very first I ever made. To this day it remains a favourite with students in reading groups.

What You Need:

- a toy or home made fishing pole and line
- a magnet tied to the end of the line in place of a hook.

Preparation:

1. Print & laminate the fish.
2. Spend a quiet evening in front of the TV cutting the fish out as a form of therapy :-)
3. Attach the words to the back of the fish with paper clips.

How to Play:

1. Spread the fish out on the floor with the words facing down.
2. Students take turns fishing and reading the words on the back.

Game Rules:

In my experience, it is best to let the kids invent their own rules for this game. They are very good at it and if you point out that the main purpose of the activity is to learn the given phonics rule and secondly to do it in a fun way they really do rise to the challenge.

Things to Think About:

- Should we have a rule for what happens when you read the word correctly?
- Add a throw back card - throw back two fish, 3 fish, all your fish.
- What should be do when we baulk on a word to make sure we learn it?
- Sight words mean you know it on sight ie 'See it, Say it'. How can we build this into the game?
- Should the fish go in a bucket? a hula hoop? A cardboard box? Something else?
- How could we use cellophane or craft materials to make the 'pond'? eg Water? Seaweed? Rocks?
- What happens if we hook 2 fish? Do we get to keep them both or throw one back?
- How could we make use of a 1 minute timer?
- Should it be a competition? i.e. should both players try and get as many fish as possible in 1 minute?
What safety issues might we face? How will we ensure it is safe to play this way?

Enjoy!!!