- Word families are groups of words that have a similar spelling and sound pattern.
- This -at word family activity is a Halloween-inspired lesson for ELA that includes an activity and worksheet ideas.
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Word Families
Word families are groups of words that have a similar spelling and sound pattern. Some common examples are the -at, -it, -in, and -ack families. Teaching children word families is a great way to help them learn to read as it teaches them to look for sound patterns in unfamiliar words. They can be paired with sight words and vocabulary words to help build a child’s vocabulary and reading skills.
-at Family Halloween Activity
I have put together an 8-page Halloween inspired -at family word set. This set includes 4 pages for a picture match activity and 4 worksheets. You can find this set here at my TeachersPayTeachers store.
For this activity I try to bring some Halloween fun to the -at family words. Print out Halloween-themed pictures or graphics that can be used with the -at word family, or use ones that you already have. Make sure to print them out on sturdy paper. Also print out the -at family words that go along with those pictures. If you have access to a laminator, it would be a good idea to laminate all pieces. Place a small piece of Velcro on the front of the pictures and on the backs of the words. If you do not have Velcro, tape will work just as well. Painter’s tape is the best option as it will be less likely to tear the paper.
Set up the pictures in a scene or individually on either the wall or on a bulletin board. Just make sure that they are low enough that your child can reach them. Once your scene is set up, give your child the words to match them with the pictures. This not only helps to reinforce their -at family words but also gives a cute Halloween scene for you to leave up for the holiday.
This pictures and corresponding -at words are from my Halloween set.
-at Family Halloween Worksheets
To continue the Halloween fun, you can use the images from the activity to home-make worksheets to practice the -at word family. You can make word matching, tracing, write-the-word, fill-in the sentence, word searches, and more. If you already have -at family worksheets and would like to incorporate them into this lesson, add some Halloween stickers to them. You can find cheap holiday stickers at places like dollar stores and Wal-Mart. Use the stickers as decorations or create a scene with them.
These 2 worksheets are part of my Halloween set.
Pull it all into a Lesson
You can easily tie the activity and worksheets into a 2 or 3-day lesson. Begin everyday with the matching activity. Afterwards, review the -at family words. Try introducing harder ones like flat, that, and splat. This will help strengthen their ability to spot and sound out -at words in everyday reading. To add in some reading, whether by you or by them, try a word family book such as Pat’s Cats by Scholastic. After the reading and reviewing is done, have your child complete 1 or 2 worksheets.
I hope that this Halloween inspired -at family activity and worksheet set helps to add a littel fun to your ELA lesson. If you found this blog helpful please consider subscribing to and liking this post as it will help to grow the community as well as let me know which type of posts are more beneficial for you. For a creative lesson with premade lesson plans and worksheets based on the Three Billy Goats Gruff, check out this blog.
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Is there another word family and/or holiday that you would like for me to create a creative lesson for? If so, please leave a comment below.
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