Fun Teaching with Jolly Phonics Songs

Children will enjoy learning the sounds of English through these Jolly Phonics Songs. My pupils enjoy the lesson much and they are easily remember the sounds introduced.

Language Interactive Games

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/interactive/literacy.html#ph

Similes

This is a list of well known AS...AS similes. There are more similes, of course, some common and others less common because anyone can make a simile at any time--you too!

simile	meaning	comment
as alike as two peas in a pod	identical or nearly so
as bald as a coot	completely bald
as big as a bus	very big
as big as an elephant	very big
as black as a sweep	completely black	sweep = chimney sweep
as black as coal	completely black
as black as pitch	completely black
as blind as a bat	completely blind	may be exaggeration
as blind as a mole	completely blind	may be exaggeration
as bold as brass	very bold	usually in a negative sense
as brave as a lion	very brave
as bright as a button	very bright
as bright as a new pin	very bright and shiny
as busy as a beaver	very busy
as busy as a bee	very busy
as busy as a cat on a hot tin roof	very busy
as calm as a millpond	very calm and still	usually said of water
as clear as a bell	very clear	of a sound
as clean as a whistle	very clean
as clear as crystal	very clear
as clear as mud	not at all clear	irony/sarcasm
as cold as ice	very cold
as common as dirt	very common, rude, vulgar	usually said of a person
as cool as a cucumber	cool
as cunning as a fox	cunning
as dead as a doornail	dead
as dead as the dodo	dead, extinct	the dodo is an extinct bird
as deaf as a post	completely deaf	may be exaggeration
as different as chalk from cheese	very different
as drunk as a lord	completely drunk
as dry as a bone	very dry
as dry as dust	very dry
as dull as dishwater	dull, boring	usually said of a person
as easy as A.B.C.	very easy
as easy as apple-pie	very easy
as flat as a pancake	completely flat
as free as a bird	very free to go anywhere
as fresh as a daisy	very fresh
as gentle as a lamb	very gentle	usually said of a person
as good as gold	very good and obedient	usually said of a person
as happy as a lark	very happy	usually said of a person
as hard as nails	very tough in character	of a person
as hot as hell	very hot
as hungry as a bear	very hungry
as hungry as a wolf	very hungry
as innocent as a lamb	innocent, not worldly-wise	usually said of a person
as large as life	conspicuously present
as light as a feather	very light
as light as air	very light
as mad as a hatter	completely crazy
as mad as a hornet	very angry
as nutty as a fruitcake	completely crazy
as obstinate as a mule	very obstinate, stubborn
as old as the hills	very, very old
as pale as death	very pale or white in the face	of a person
as plain as day	very clear
as poor as a church mouse	poverty-stricken
as poor as dirt	poverty-stricken
as proud as a peacock	very proud
as pure as snow	pure and innocent
as pure as the driven snow	pure and innocent
as quick as a wink	very quick(ly)
as quick as lightning	very quick(ly)
as quick as silver	very quick
as quiet as a church mouse	very quiet
as safe as houses	very safe, secure
as scarce as hen's teeth	very, very scarce	irony (hens have no teeth)
as sharp as a razor	very sharp
as sick as a dog	very sick
as sick as a parrot	very sick
as silent as the dead	completely silent
as silent as the grave	completely silent
as slippery as an eel	slippery, evasive, not to be trusted	of a person
as slow as a snail	very slow
as slow as a tortoise	very slow
as smooth as silk	very smooth
as snug as a bug in a rug	in a very comfortable position	humorous
as sober as a judge	sober
as solid as a rock	solid
as solid as the ground we stand on	solid
as sound as a bell	very clear	of a sound
as sour as vinegar	very sour
as steady as a rock	very steady
as stiff as a board	completely stiff
as straight as an arrow	straight	an arrow flies straight
as strong as an ox	very strong
as stubborn as a mule	very stubborn, obstinate
as sturdy as an oak	very strong and solid
as sure as death and taxes	absolutely certain to happen
as tall as a giraffe	very tall
as thin as a rake	very thin
as timid as a rabbit	very timid
as tough as leather	very tough
as tough as nails	very tough	often said of a person
as tough as old boots	very tough	often said of a person
as welcome as a skunk at a lawn party	not welcome at all	irony/sarcasm (skunks stink)
as white as a ghost	very pale or white in the face	of a person
as white as a sheet	pure white
as white as snow	pure white
as wise as Solomon	very wise	King Solomon
as wise as an owl	very wise

« Similes
Caution: Many similes are clichés (phrases that are overused and betray a lack of original thought). You should use well-know similes with care, but it is certainly useful to know them so that you can understand language that contains them

Phonics Lesson

Phonics Blending

Spelling Word Practice Tips

5 Activities to Help Students Who Struggle with Spelling

Shaving Cream Spelling Activity - Megan Sheakoski

Fun, meaningful activities for successful spelling lesson practice that can be used with kids with learning disabilities!

Students with learning disabilities, or those who struggle with reading, can often find spelling a challenge. Even those wo aced reading may still have nightmares about spelling tests. Spelling tests used to require rote memorization of ten words each week with a test on Friday. Studying for spelling tests meant writing every word ten times each. Thankfully those days are gone! We now know that repetitive writing does not give the brain a chance to make sense of and categorize a new word. Long-term memorization occurs when students interact with words in a variety of ways.
Use the following interactive activities to spice up spelling and increase student success!

 

 

1. Word Detective

After spelling words are introduced to students invite them to become detectives. Arm them with highlighter tape (found at teacher supply stores) and a pretend magnifying glass. Tell them they need to sleuth out all of the spelling words they can find as they read. Choose books you have previewed for spelling words and instruct them to put highlighting tape over each word. Review the words found and help identify any they have missed. Award “Good Detective” /


2. Word Walls

 

Designate an area as the Word Wall. It can be a wall, a door painted with magnetic paint, a bulletin board, a file folder, etc. Affix the letters of the alphabet leaving space underneath each one. Have students add their spelling word under the appropriate letter. Display for reference in writing or reading. Play game with the words daily such as, clapping for each letter while spelling all the “A” words.
3. Shaving Cream
Spray a dollop of shaving cream on each desk or table. Have the students smooth it out with their hands. Then as spelling words are called out or used in a sentence each student can use their finger to write the word. Any mistakes can be smoothed out and written again. After writing the word they can draw a picture in the shaving cream to represent the word. Shaving cream is a fun, kinesthetic way to practice spelling and an easy way to clean desks!

4. Sand

Have the students write a sentences or a paragraph using their spelling words. Then have them trace each spelling word in glue and sprinkle sand over it. As they reread the story have them use their index fingers to trace the spelling words. They can then cut out the words into cards and quiz themselves with their eyes closed. Their fingers “read” as their brain processes each word in a new way.

5. Word Sorts

Make a set of word cards for each student. The word cards include all of the current spelling words and words from previous lists that may be similar. The students then sort, or group, the words into categories. The categories can be selected by the teacher or created by the students. Examples of categories might be words with the same vowel sound, rhyming words, or words with the same ending.
These spelling activities are fun for practice, but also can serve as great informal assessments. How much more exciting would spelling tests be in shaving cream or in sand? Thinking outside of the box will help your students achieve spelling success!

 

Phonics Songs