About Elephants: Five-in-a-Row Phonics Game

Name by Evangeline
by Evangeline SeltzerSeltzer
Five-in-a-Row
Phonics Game
About Elephants
About Elephants
Word List & 4 Unique Game Cards
Color hints help students read and/or

spell 24 words from a reading passage.
www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 1 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

Contents
Color Hints (Printable Chart)............................................................................... 3
Instructions for Game & Reading Passage......................................................... 4
Reading Passage................................................................................................ 5
Game Word Cards............................................................................................... 6
Game Boards.................................................................................................7-10
For more information about using color hints, visit

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com and preview the
teacher’s guide, Frustration-Free Reading & Spelling.
IMPORTANT
As verification of ownership, please complete the information below.
PRODUCT: Early Reading With Color, Five-in-a-Row Phonics: About Elephants
Purchased by: Date:
School Name:
Signature of Purchaser:
www.EarlyReadingWithColor.com
Published by Seltzer Productions, LLC, Dayton, OH
Copyright © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC. All rights reserved. The original purchaser has
permission to copy and print this document for use at only one school site. Further distribution of
either the electronic file or printed document is prohibited without permission from the publisher,
Seltzer Productions, 549 Acorn Drive, Dayton, Ohio.
CREDITS: Elephant Illustration © 2012 Jupiterimages Corporation.

COLOR HINTS
Vowel letters can have many sounds.
Look at the color to decide which sound to say.
Long vowels are RED and sound like their name.
LONG
cake key kite comb
The long vowel u has
two possible sounds
(yu and oo). tube cube
SILENT Silent letters are GRAY.
SHORT Short vowels are ORANGE.
cat egg fish dog duck

SCHWA The short u sound, schwa,
is BLUE when spelled
“uh” a e i o using a letter other than u.
“er” ir er ur BLUE is also used for “er”
“ul” el le and “ul” spelled many ways. glove circle
UNUSUAL Other vowel sounds and unusual

consonant spellings are PURPLE.
Memorize words with purple. canoe
Regular consonants are BLACK.
Instructions: Five-in-a-Row Phonics
Introduction
This phonics game uses 24 words from a reading passage, each marked
with color hints. The purpose of the game is to help students learn the
words and then read the passage and/or spell the words. Because of the
color hints, even students at a low reading level can be successful! You
may be surprised to find that short words are often more confusing than
long words! The color hints clarify the letter/sound relationships.
Before starting the game, read the passage aloud to the students.
Advance Preparation
• Print one unique game card for each student.
• If you printed the pages in black and white, have students trace over the
letters using red, orange, blue, and purple crayons, pencils, or markers.
• Print one copy of the game cards for the caller.
• Cut out the game words and place them in a cup or bowl.
• Distribute a game card and 20 pennies or markers to each student.
How to Play
• Have students place a marker on the center FREE space.
• Choose a game word from the hat or bowl at random and read it aloud.
• Use the word in a sentence and give one or more hints as needed.
Samples: “Look for a silent E” or “The word has two purple Os.”
• Each student should place a marker on the word that was called.
(Every word is somewhere on each card.)
• Continue calling out words and hints.
How to Win
Once a student’s card has a line of five markers in a column, row, or
diagonal, the student should say “Zing” or another word chosen by the
group. Check the card to verify that it is a winner. If desired, continue the
game until a few more students have five markers in a line. When playing
with a large group, there may be multiple winners at once. Consider
calling words until someone makes a specific letter or shape such as X, T,
Z, or a box as shown at the right.
Mastering the Words in the Passage

Copy the reading passage for each student. If you printed the pages in
black and white, have students color the letters. Read the passage to the
students again and have them read along in unison. Discuss the vowel
sounds in words that seem challenging.
Continue revisiting the game and passage several times, until students
are familiar with all 24 words.

Name
Reading Passage
About Elephants
LONG a SHORT a SILENT a SCHWA a UNUSUAL a
An elephant is the largest land animal
on earth. Elephants have wrinkled thick
gray skin. An elephant’s long nose, called
a trunk, is used to lift and carry things.
Elephants love water and bathe in rivers
and lakes. To take a shower an elephant
squirts itself with a stream of water from
its trunk.

Name
Game Word Cards

About Elephants
elephant trunk lakes
largest used take
earth lift shower
have carry squirts
wrinkled things itself
thick love stream
gray bathe of
nose rivers from

Name
Five-in-a-Row Phonics
About Elephants
elephant largest earth have wrinkled
thick gray nose trunk used
lift carry FREE things love
bathe rivers lakes take shower
squirts itself stream of from

Name
About Elephants
take things squirts love of
trunk itself elephant lakes lift
largest nose FREE rivers gray
wrinkled shower thick carry earth
bathe from have used stream

Name
About Elephants
nose lakes thick love carry
used earth wrinkled from take
gray lift FREE largest trunk
squirts rivers stream shower things
of have elephant itself bathe

Name
About Elephants
have shower lift take lakes
bathe trunk nose gray elephant
things largest FREE carry used
wrinkled love itself earth squirts
stream thick rivers from of

Name by Evangeline
Five-in-a-Row
Phonics
About FrogsGame
About Frogs


Contents
Reading Passage................................................................................................ 5
Game Word Cards............................................................................................... 6
Game Boards.................................................................................................7-10

IMPORTANT
PRODUCT: Early Reading With Color, Five-in-a-Row Phonics: About Frogs
Purchased by: Date:
School Name:
Copyright © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC. All rights reserved. The original purchaser has permission to copy and
print this document for use at only one school site. Further distribution of either the electronic file or printed document is
prohibited without permission from the publisher, Seltzer Productions, 549 Acorn Drive, Dayton, Ohio.
CREDITS: Frog Illustration © 2012 Jupiterimages Corporation. Illustrations on page 4 by Seltzer Productions.
COLOR HINTS
LONG
cake key kite comb
two possible sounds


Introduction
Advance Preparation
How to Play
How to Win


Name
Reading Passage
About Frogs
A frog is a small animal with bulging eyes
and no tail. Frogs spend part of their life
in water and part on land. Most frogs can
leap at least ten times their body length.
The tongue of a frog is long and sticky to
help it catch insects.

Name
Game Word Cards

About Frogs
frog life body
small water length
bulging most tongue
eyes can long
tail leap sticky
spend least help
part ten catch
their times insects

Name
About Frogs
frog small bulging eyes tail
spend part their life water
most can FREE leap least
ten times body length tongue
long sticky help catch insects

Name
About Frogs
length leap long least catch
life sticky frog body most
small their FREE times part
tail tongue spend can bulging
ten insects eyes water help

Name
About Frogs
their body spend least can
water bulging tail insects length
part most FREE small life
long times help tongue leap
catch eyes frog sticky ten

Name
About Frogs
eyes tongue most length body
ten life their part frog
leap small FREE can water
tail least sticky bulging long
help spend times insects catch

Name by Evangeline
Five-in-a-Row
Phonics Game
About Giraffes
About Giraffes


Contents
Reading Passage................................................................................................ 5
Game Word Cards............................................................................................... 6
Game Boards.................................................................................................7-10

IMPORTANT
PRODUCT: Early Reading With Color, Five-in-a-Row Phonics: About Giraffes
Purchased by: Date:
School Name:
CREDITS: Giraffe Illustration © 2012 Jupiterimages Corporation.

COLOR HINTS
LONG
cake key kite comb
two possible sounds


Introduction
Advance Preparation
How to Play
How to Win


Name
Reading Passage
About Giraffes
Giraffes are the tallest of all animals. A
giraffe has long legs and a very long neck.
Spots and squiggles on their smooth fur
help them hide among trees.
The spots look like leaves. The tail of a
giraffe has a bunch of hair on the end.
Giraffes use their tails to brush away flies.

Name
Game Word Cards

About Giraffes
giraffe squiggle leaves
are smooth bunch
tallest fur hair
all hide end
has among use
very trees brush
neck look away
spots like flies

Name
About Giraffes
giraffe are tallest all has
very neck spots squiggle smooth
fur hide FREE among trees
look like leaves bunch hair
end use brush away flies

Name
About Giraffes
bunch among end trees away
squiggle use giraffe leaves fur
are spots FREE like neck
has hair very hide tallest
look flies all smooth brush

Name
About Giraffes
spots leaves very trees hide
smooth tallest has flies bunch
neck fur FREE are squiggle
end like brush hair among
away all giraffe use look

Name
About Giraffes
all hair fur bunch leaves
look squiggle spots neck giraffe
among are FREE hide smooth
has trees use tallest end
brush very like flies away

Name by Evangeline
Five-in-a-Row
Phonics
About Game
Kangaroos
About Kangaroos


Contents
Reading Passage................................................................................................ 5
Game Word Cards............................................................................................... 6
Game Boards.................................................................................................7-10

IMPORTANT
PRODUCT: Early Reading With Color, Five-in-a-Row Phonics: About Kangaroos
Purchased by: Date:
School Name:
CREDITS: Kangaroo Illustration © 2012 Jupiterimages Corporation.

COLOR HINTS
LONG
cake key kite comb
two possible sounds


Introduction
Advance Preparation
How to Play
How to Win


Name
Reading Passage
About Kangaroos
A kangaroo is a furry animal with large
back legs and small front legs. Kangaroos
hop on their back legs while using their
long tails to help them balance.
A baby kangaroo is called a joey. After a
baby is born it crawls into a pouch on the
mother’s belly. The baby lives in the pouch
for at least six months.

Name
Game Word Cards

About Kangaroos
kangaroo while crawls
furry using into
animal balance pouch
large baby mother
front called belly
hop joey lives
back after for
legs born six

Name
About Kangaroos
kangaroo furry animal large front
hop back legs while using
balance baby FREE called joey
after born crawls into pouch
mother belly lives for six

Name
About Kangaroos
into called mother joey for
while belly kangaroo crawls balance
furry legs FREE born back
front pouch hop baby animal
after six large using lives

Name
About Kangaroos
legs crawls hop joey baby
using animal front six into
back balance FREE furry while
mother born lives pouch called
for large kangaroo belly after

Name
About Kangaroos
large pouch balance into crawls
after while legs back kangaroo
called furry FREE baby using
front joey belly animal mother
lives hop born six for

Name by Evangeline
Five-in-a-Row
Phonics Game
About Snakes
About Snakes


Contents
Reading Passage................................................................................................ 5
Game Word Cards............................................................................................... 6
Game Boards.................................................................................................7-10

IMPORTANT
PRODUCT: Early Reading With Color, Five-in-a-Row Phonics: About Snakes
Purchased by: Date:
School Name:
CREDITS: Illustrations © 2012 Seltzer Productions

COLOR HINTS
LONG
cake key kite comb
two possible sounds


Introduction
Advance Preparation
How to Play
How to Win


Name
Reading Passage
About Snakes
A snake is a long thin animal with no legs
and scaly skin. Every few months, snakes
grow new skin and shed the old skin.
Snakes swallow food whole instead of
chewing. Their mouths and bodies stretch
to let in food that is larger than their
heads.

Name
Game Word Cards

About Snakes
snake new mouths
thin shed bodies
scaly old stretch
skin swallow let
every food that
few whole larger
months instead than
grow chewing heads

Name
About Snakes
snake thin scaly skin every
few months grow new shed
old swallow FREE food whole
instead chewing mouths bodies stretch
let that larger than heads

Name
About Snakes
bodies food let whole than
new that snake mouths old
thin grow FREE chewing months
every stretch few swallow scaly
instead heads skin shed larger

Name
About Snakes
grow mouths few whole swallow
shed scaly every heads bodies
months old FREE thin new
let chewing larger stretch food
than skin snake that instead

Name
About Snakes
skin stretch old bodies mouths
instead new grow months snake
food thin FREE swallow shed
every whole that scaly let
larger few chewing heads than

About Elephants: Five-in-a-Row Phonics Game

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

About Elephants: Five-in-a-Row Phonics Game

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Name by Evangeline

Color hints help students read and/or

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 1 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

For more information about using color hints, visit

CREDITS: Elephant Illustration © 2012 Jupiterimages Corporation.

Long vowels are RED and sound like their name.

SHORT Short vowels are ORANGE.

cat egg fish dog duck

UNUSUAL Other vowel sounds and unusual

Mastering the Words in the Passage

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 4 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

LONG a SHORT a SILENT a SCHWA a UNUSUAL a

An elephant is the largest land animal

on earth. Elephants have wrinkled thick

gray skin. An elephant’s long nose, called

a trunk, is used to lift and carry things.

Elephants love water and bathe in rivers

and lakes. To take a shower an elephant

squirts itself with a stream of water from

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 5 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

Game Word Cards

LONG a SHORT a SILENT a SCHWA a UNUSUAL a

elephant trunk lakes

largest used take

earth lift shower

have carry squirts

wrinkled things itself

thick love stream

nose rivers from

LONG a SHORT a SILENT a SCHWA a UNUSUAL a

elephant largest earth have wrinkled

thick gray nose trunk used

lift carry FREE things love

bathe rivers lakes take shower

squirts itself stream of from

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 7 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

LONG a SHORT a SILENT a SCHWA a UNUSUAL a

take things squirts love of

trunk itself elephant lakes lift

largest nose FREE rivers gray

wrinkled shower thick carry earth

bathe from have used stream

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 8 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

LONG a SHORT a SILENT a SCHWA a UNUSUAL a

nose lakes thick love carry

used earth wrinkled from take

gray lift FREE largest trunk

squirts rivers stream shower things

of have elephant itself bathe

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 9 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

LONG a SHORT a SILENT a SCHWA a UNUSUAL a

have shower lift take lakes

bathe trunk nose gray elephant

things largest FREE carry used

wrinkled love itself earth squirts

stream thick rivers from of

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 10 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

Color hints help students read and/or

www.earlyreadingwithcolor.com 1 © 2012 Seltzer Productions, LLC

For more information about using color hints, visit

Long vowels are RED and sound like their name.

SHORT Short vowels are ORANGE.

cat egg fish dog duck