Multisensory Monday: Bossy-R File Folder Game (Thanksgiving Edition)

Break out the board games, Thanksgiving break is upon us!

What do words such as turkey, sister, and whirl have in common? You guessed it: They all contain a Bossy-R sound! Bossy-R sounds, also known as R-controlled vowels, are spelled in several different ways. The “R” takes control of the sound, making the vowel neither long nor short.

Since the Bossy-R can be spelled several different ways and can be found in the same position of words, lots of exposure is key to mastering the spelling of these sounds!

Bossy-R File Folder Game (Thanksgiving Edition)

This game provides review of the 3 Bossy-R spellings for the sound of /er/ (er, ir, ur). Before getting started, here are some Bossy-R reminders!

• The spelling “ir”, “ur”, and “er” all make the /er/ sound.
• The spelling “ir” is typically placed in the middle of a word (bird, girl).
• The spelling “er” is usually found in the middle or end of a word (fern, winter).
• The spelling “ur” is also mostly in the middle of a word (turkey, burn).

Materials Needed

• A die or spinner
• Any type of tokens to use as a game piece, or use our Turkey Tokens!
• File folder to glue the game board into. Try laminating for durability and future use.
• A printer
  • Thanksgiving Game Board LEFT (8.5×11 paper needed)
  • Thanksgiving Game Board RIGHT (8.5×11 paper needed)
  • Full Thanksgiving Game Board (11×17 paper needed)

How to Play

The goal is to get the turkey to the table in time for Thanksgiving dinner!

Players take turns rolling the dice (or spinning the spinner) and then moves the appropriate amount of spaces. They must read the word they land on. If a player lands on an “er” word, they will need to go back three spaces!  This keeps the game going a bit longer and adds some fun while drawing attention to certain words. You can vary this by sending the player back five spaces or back to the beginning if you like. The player that makes it to the dinner table first wins!

Have fun and Happy Turkey Day!

Written by Julie Palermo

Julie is a reading interventionist and Brainspring tutor.

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