Making Phonics Dice

     The following pictures are some of my students making and using what I call phonics dice.  I'd like to think I originated the idea, but I've seen similar sorts of things. The idea is to have the students use a saw and a ruler to make their own manipulatives in order to study and reinforce various phonics concepts.  This activity shows the students making the  dice  using some common  initial blends and endings.  When they finish making the dice they roll the dice and then write words that fit the sound they rolled on  a piece of paper I have them divide into sections. Sometimes I have the students do the activity without a dictionary, this time it looks like I set the dictionaries out.  

The activity starts with ordinary hand tools.  I clamp a vise to a table

and the students measure and cut the 3/4' piece of wood up into small

cubes to make the dice.

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The saw in action.  Here the student is using a Japanese dozuki saw

that cuts on the pull stroke.

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 .

Young ladies like using tools as much as the guys.

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After the students cut the wood to make the cubes I have them 

file the edges.  

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     A little closer view of the filing process.

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It looks like the student is writing the "ing" ending sound

on their cube/dice.

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I usually have the students write lightly in pencil first, for me to check,

then trace it again with a pen.

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Lots of words start with the "gl" blend.

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Here is a shot of some of the dice.
"Mr. Tayse, if you put them together they make words".
Almost like I'd planned it.

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Here a student is dividing the paper into sections.  You can

make as many sections as you wish.

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It looks like the assignment today was to divide the paper into 4 sections.

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Sometimes they use a dictionary to find words and sometimes not. 

Both ways are good to do.

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Here is a finished sheet of some initial blends and rhyme endings.

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Another word sheet.

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