This write the room activity is perfect for helping your learners read and write short a words!
Looking for a way to help your learners master those short a words … and move at the same time? Write the room is your answer!
Write the room has been around for a while, and there are many ways to do it. Here’s my way!
- Print words on separate cards. Post them around the classroom.
- Students put a recording sheet on a clip board and grab a pencil.
- To do the activity, students move around the classroom and find the cards. They write them in the corresponding spaces on their recording sheet.
I did this activity with my Five after he got home from morning kindergarten.
YOU’LL LOVE THIS PRACTICAL BOOK!
Looking for an easy-to-read guide to help you reach all readers? If you teach kindergarten through third grade, this is the book for you. Get practical ideas and lesson plan templates that you can implement tomorrow!
First, I posted the word cards around our kitchen and living room using painter’s tape. Then I gave my son the above printable on a clipboard.
I showed him how to find a card, unscramble the word , and write it in the corresponding box on the printable.
He was immediately engaged and got right to work!
The beauty of the activity is that your learners can find and record the words in any order. But as it turned out, my Five wanted to find each one in order from 1-12. Since he didn’t have other classmates who were doing the same activity, he was free to do it his way. 🙂
If unscrambling words is too hard for your learners, not to worry! There are two easier levels included in the download.
Ideas for using “write the room”
- Make it one of your year-round literacy centers. Each week, switch out the words your students will write. Make sure you have enough clipboards for several students to do the activity at one time.
- At home, use this as an extension of the phonics activities you’re already doing. Keep it on hand for days when your learner is having a hard time sitting still.
How to differentiate
The download comes in three levels! Choose the one that works best for your learners, or print each set of cards on a different color of cardstock. Let students know which color cards they should be finding and copying.
- Level 1 simply has your learners find the picture and its spelling on the wall. They copy it in the corresponding box.
- Level 2 has your learners find the word (without the picture clue) on the wall. Then they copy it in the corresponding box.
- Level 3 is what my son did – find the word using the picture clue, and then unscramble the letters to spell it correctly.
Have fun!
P.S. Get more short vowel “write the room” packs:
Did you know?
When you join our low-cost monthly membership, The Measured Mom Plus, you’ll receive instant access to 2000+ printables for Pre-K to third grade. Everything you need … right at your fingertips! Click here to learn more.
YOU’LL LOVE THIS PRACTICAL BOOK!
Looking for an easy-to-read guide to help you reach all readers? If you teach kindergarten through third grade, this is the book for you. Get practical ideas and lesson plan templates that you can implement tomorrow!
Get your free write the room activity!
YOU AND YOUR STUDENTS WILL LOVE THESE NO-PRINT ACTIVITIES!
Early Reading No-Print Bundle
$12.00
Your students can complete these activities in Google Slides on a computer or tablet. The activities give them practice with sight words, beginning blends, CVC words, and CVCE words.
Free Reading Printables for Pre-K-3rd Grade
Join our email list and get this sample pack of time-saving resources from our membership site! You'll get phonemic awareness, phonics, and reading comprehension resources ... all free!
Susan
I am able to print all Write the Room pages (a, e, i, o, digraphs) but cannot get the ‘u’ page to print.
Kate Dowling
Hi Susan,
This is Kate, Anna’s assistant. I just tested the link and I was able to open the file. Please be sure you download the file and open it in Adobe Reader. Then print from within Adobe Reader. If you don’t already have the latest version of this free program on your computer, you can get it for free here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/.
Kavitha Nathan
Hi
Thank you for helping all the parents to make their kid read easily. really love your products and helped in better way for my 4 year old. Request to post write the room for short e and short u if you can. Thanks a bunch
Anna G
Yes, most likely in the next month or so. 🙂
Codi O'Brien
I love your products and enjoy finding new ways to teach, and new activities to try with different classes! The write the room activities are great for my more active kids and I love how excited they get when turned lose to find them!
Anna G
I’m glad you like them, Codi!
Vidya
Thank you so much
Connie S.
I love you! You are creative and ambitious and your work really helps me out and gives me good ideas!
Anna G
Thank you so much for your kind words, Connie!
Melanie
I love how this is designed for multiple levels. Could you please make more “write the room”?
Anna G
Yes, that’s on my list!
Leilani Weigand
Genius! Thank you so much!!
Anna G
You’re welcome, Leilani!
Melanie
Thank you so much for all of your activities! Looking forward to using this!! Happy to read you will be making the other short vowels, too!
Anna G
You’re very welcome, Melanie!
tammy
I think that this resource will be amazing! I look forward to using it with my students. Please let me know if you do more of the short vowel sounds.
Anna G
I’ll be sure to send out a note to my subscribers, Tammy!
Saroj
Thanks Anna really appreciate it.
Anna G
You’re welcome, Saroj!
Carol C
Brilliant! Thanks, Anna!
Anna G
You’re very welcome, Carol!
Cesia K
Thanks a lot for these activities, Anna!
Anna G
You’re very welcome, Cesia!
Carol Cakiroglu
Wow! This is just what I was looking for! Thank you so much! Will you be making “write the room” activities for the other short vowels too?
Anna G
I have another one coming later this month and will create the others in upcoming months. 🙂
Carol
That’s wonderful! Thank you so much!
Olga
Thank you! That is such a great activity! I am looking forward to other short vowels activities!
Laura
My students are really enjoying this one! I would love to see some digraphs ones too please!
Anna G
Thanks, Laura – I will put them on my list for after the short vowel sets are done.
Genna DiSotto
This was such a great activity, and my students were so engaged! Do you have any of the other short vowels made yet besides a? I want to make sure I don’t miss it!! Thanks so much for this wonderful resource!
Anna G
Yes, Genna, I have short o: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/free-write-room-short-o/ and
short i: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/free-write-room-activity-short-words/
I’ll be sharing more sets in March.
Genna
Anna,
Thank you so much for sharing these, because I definitely missed them! I will keep my eye out for more in March! :o)
Thanks so much again, you’re the best!
Genna
Natasha
This is awesome and just what I was looking for to keep my other struggling readers engaged while I work one-on-one with students.
Also, do you have a similar activity for silent e?
Thanks
Anna G
Not yet, Natasha, but I do have all these silent e activities: https://www.themeasuredmom.com/how-to-teach-magic-e-words/