1st Grade: Vowel Monopoly

Hi all! My name is Priscila!

 I love to learn while having fun. The activity that I will present will do just that! I was inspired to do this activity because I know that reading and understanding short and long vowel sounds can be a bit tricky. The board game we will be crafting today is meant to engage 1st grade students in understanding how vowels work. Now lets have some fun!

The goal of this board game is to teach students how to differentiate short and long vowel words in an interactive way. This is the perfect activity for family members to participate in, as it creates a more engaging learning environment for the student. 

This will meet the Arizona Common Core standard (1.RF.2), by teaching students to distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words.

What you will need:

● Provided template 

● Piece of cardboard 

● Clear tape 

● Glue 

● Scissors 

● String/yarn ● Pencil

• Blank paper
• Pencil/ pen 
• Colored pencils and/or markers 
• Dice 
• Small pieces of candy (or any other small prop)

Directions:

Making the Reading Board Game

1. We will start by creating the Reading Board Game. For this, have the student grab a blank piece of paper and outline the layout of your game.

• Make sure to make it big enough and that it includes a “start” and “finish”  point. 

2. Now, the student will need to draw in sections to the game layout that will contain single-syllable words. Again, make sure to leave enough space. My layout looks like this:

3. To make this activity fun, have the student color in the layout. Feel free to use different colors and designs. This is the time to get really creative! My board looks like this: 

4. Once the board is colored in, the student will begin to add in single-syllable words inside the sections made. Make sure that there is an equal mix of short and long vowel sounds. Here is a possible list of words the student could use:

• Grapes
• Apple
• Feet
• Elephant
• Kite
• Igloo
• Boat
• Octopus
• Glue
• Umbrella

5. If the student would like, they can also add in free spaces or bonuses to the board game. 

6. The end product should look similar to this!

Game Rules:

1. The rules are easy to follow! Each player will have a candy or prop at the “start” section. 

2. Player 1 will roll the dice. 

3. They will then grab their prop and move it along the board game trail to the number of spaces of the dice roll. For example, if the dice landed on the number 3 then Player 1 would have to move their prop 3 spaces. 

4. Once the prop lands on a box, Player 1 will have to read the word and determine its short or long vowel. 

5. After Player 1 answers correctly, Player 2 will get a turn! The same process is repeated. 

6. Whoever gets to the finish line first wins!

Result: By the end of this game, the student should have a greater understanding of how to read short and long vowel sounds!

Thank you for visiting our blog! If you liked this activity and would like to see more, please visit our website and our Pinterest! See you next time!