Multisensory Monday- Get Flossing
Posted by Brainspring on 6th Apr 2014
Hi everyone,
It’s Multisensory Monday!!! That’s right, each Monday there will be a post of a new multisensory idea. I’m hoping to make Multisensory Mondays into a video soon, but first I have to figure out how to create and upload Youtube videos. (Email me if you have a good online resource or some tips.)
Today’s multisensory idea is for Lesson 2-2: –ff,-ll,-ss,-zz Spelling Rule.
In trainings we suggest using a pneumonic like Jeff will pass Buzz or Sammy Loves Fuzzy Zebras. Those are 2 fantastic ideas, but I came up with this new multisensory after hearing the double f,l,s,z rule referred to as the Floss Rule.
Floss is a simple, one word way to remember this spelling rule and, as an added bonus, it’s an example of the rule in action! The only problem is with “floss” is the missing z. Add in a Z and you get this week’s multisensory activity EZ Floss!
All you’ll need is paper, markers, a glue stick and some floss.
Note: I’ve found that unwaxed floss is easier to glue, but you can certainly just use whatever floss is sitting in your bathroom.
In this activity, the students will decide if the words started on the paper need a double letter at the end. Students should check 3 things:
1) Does the word end is an f,l,s or z?
2) Is the word one syllable?
3) Does the word have a short vowel?
The first question is pretty obvious, so I usually let that one be a freebie the students ask in their head. The next 2 questions are super important and I want to make sure the students are very familiar with them. Therefore, I make the students ask each question out loud and put a check mark if it’s true.
“Is it a one syllable word?” Check
“Does it have a short vowel?” Check
“Since it’s a one syllable word with a short vowel, I’m going to double the f/l/s/z.”
You’ll need to model the process a few times, including asking the questions out loud, but after that the students should be the ones verbalizing and putting the check marks. This will ensure that the students learn when the double f,l,s,z rule applies, minimizing the chances of doubling letters randomly.
After they decide that the word needs a double letter, they write it on the line. Then, since it follows the floss rule, they glue a piece of floss under the double letters. I decided to have my students highlight under the double letters first to make the floss stand out more.
And that’s all there is to it! This would also make a good center activity, where students could go through the same process with a mix of words, some where the rule applies and some where it doesn’t.
Happy FLOSSING!
Let me know in the comments below your favorite multisensory activity for this lesson! Also, let me know which lesson you want to see on the next Multisensory Monday.