ALEX Learning Activity

Letter Tile Addition

A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.

  This learning activity provided by:  
Author: Samantha Wallace
System:Limestone County
School:Cedar Hill Elementary School
  General Activity Information  
Activity ID: 2794
Title:
Letter Tile Addition
Digital Tool/Resource:
Letter Tile Addition Recording Sheet
Web Address – URL:
Overview:

This activity is a game that allows students to practice addition with three addends and word building. Students build decodable and/or high-frequency words with letter tiles (a printable option is provided) and then find the sum of the word. They record the words and the equations on a recording sheet.

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

  Associated Standards and Objectives  
Content Standard(s):
Mathematics
MA2019 (2019)
Grade: 1
2. Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20 by using concrete objects, drawings, or equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

Alabama Alternate Achievement Standards
AAS Standard:
M. AAS.1.1 Represent addition as "add to/put together" and subtraction as "take from/take apart" with objects, fingers, mental images, drawings, sounds (e.g., claps), acting out situations, or verbal explanations (limited to 10).


English Language Arts
ELA2021 (2021)
Grade: 1
7. Apply knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondences and word analysis skills to decode and encode words accurately both in isolation and within decodable, grade-appropriate texts.

a. Produce the most frequent sound(s) for each letter of the alphabet, including x, q, and the long and short sounds of the vowels.

Examples: x= /ks/; q=/kw/; a=/ă/ and /ā/, s= /s/ and /z/

b. Decode and encode regularly-spelled, one-syllable words with closed syllables, open syllables, and vowel-consonant-e syllables, including words with blends in initial and final position.

Note: Consonant blends should include st-, sm-, sn-, -st, -ft, -lp, sl, cr, cl, tr, dr, nt, nd, mp, and nk, at a minimum.

c. Decode words with digraphs, trigraphs, and combinations, including digraphs ck, sh, th, ch, wh, ph, ng, trigraphs tch and dge, and combination qu.

Note: Some programs/experts call wh a combination, others call it a digraph. Use common language across the school/district.

d. Decode words with a after w read /ä/ and a before l read /â/.

Examples: wash, water, wasp; tall, all, talk, small, fall

e. With prompting and support, decode words with the hard and soft sounds of c and g, in context and in isolation.

Examples: c=/k/ before a, o, u, or any consonant and c= /s/ before i, e, or y; g=/g/before a, o, u, or any consonant and g=/j/ before i, e, or y

f. Decode words with vowel y in the final position of one and two syllable words, distinguishing the difference between the long /ī/ sound in one-syllable words and the long /ē/ sound in two-syllable words, and words with vowel y in medial position, producing the short /ĭ/ sound for these words.

Examples: fly, my; baby, happy; myth, gym

g. Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words with vowel-r syllables, including ar, er, ir, or, and ur.

h. With prompting and support, decode words with common vowel team syllables, including ai, ay, ee, ea, igh, ie, oa, ou, ow, au, aw, oe, oo, ew, oi, oy, and ue.

i. With prompting and support, decode words that follow the -ild, -ost, -old, -olt, and -ind patterns.

Examples: mild, host, fold, jolt, kind

j. With prompting and support, decode two-syllable words using knowledge of closed syllables, open syllables, vowel-consonant-e syllables, vowel-r syllables, common vowel team syllables, and consonant-le syllables, including compound words that fit multiple syllable types.

k. With prompting and support, decode words with silent letter combinations.

Examples: kn, wr, mb, gh, gn

l. With prompting and support, decode words with common prefixes including un-, dis-, in-, re-, pre-, mis-, non-, and ex-.

m. With prompting and support, decode words with common suffixes, including words with dropped e and y-to-i changes for suffix addition.

Examples: -s, -ed, -ing, -es, -er, -est, -en, -y, -ly

n. Decode contractions with am, is, has, and not.

Examples: I'm, he's, she's, isn't, don't

o. Decode grade-appropriate high frequency words that are spelled using predictable, decodable phoneme-grapheme correspondences.

Examples: saw, all, made, can, his, walk, let, open, time
Learning Objectives:

Students will spell grade-appropriate words (including high-frequency words and those that follow decodable spelling patterns, such as CVC, vowel-consonant-e, digraphs, and blends).

Students will write an equation and solve addition problems with three or more addends.

  Strategies, Preparations and Variations  
Phase:
During/Explore/Explain
Activity:

This activity could be used as a center activity or as individual practice.

  • Students use letter tiles to spell a word. They can spell high-frequency words, CVC words, or you can have students practice a specific spelling pattern. For example, if the class is working on the /aw/ vowel team, students could make a list of words with that letter combination.
  • After students build a word with the tiles, they should find the sum of the word using the score amount on each tile. For example, the word "paw" would be 3 + 1 + 4 = 8. Students may use counters or manipulatives for solving the addition as needed.
  • Students record the word and the addition equation on the recording sheet. This sheet can be laminated for repeated use or copied to have students turn it in for formative assessment.
Assessment Strategies:

Evaluate student work to see if students are following appropriate spelling patterns. Use teacher discretion on misspellings or nonsense words if they follow previously taught spelling patterns.

Assess if students are able to correctly solve addition problems with more than two addends.


Advanced Preparation:
Variation Tips (optional):

You can challenge students to reach a specific total sum with their word-building (such as 20 or 30).

Students can compete to see who can build the word with the highest score or reach the highest total sum.

Teachers can provide students with word lists to focus more on the addition practice--spelling words, high-frequency words, specific words from a story, vocabulary words, or themed word lists (holiday, seasonal, etc.).

Notes or Recommendations (optional):

This activity can be used as a stand-alone activity or together with the following activities as a complete lesson:

Triple Fun Shopping

Three Addends Assessment

  Keywords and Search Tags  
Keywords and Search Tags: add, addend, addition, blending, letters, phonics, spelling, words