Teaching Wild Old Words

So what are “Wild Old Words”? Wild Old Words are “rule breaker” words. Students are taught early on that a single vowel in a one-syllable word is short, however, there is a small group of words that breaks that rule. These words are called Wild Old Words. It’s helpful when teaching wild old words to make it fun! They are pretty common words, so if our students can recognize them right away, it’ll help them become fluent readers.

Wild Old Words Posters

When the vowels “i” and “o” are in a one-syllable word that ends in “ld”, “nd”, “st”, or “lt” sometimes the vowel says it’s long name. There are a few examples below. If you’d like to download the FREE poster and word list, just click the links.

Just click the following link to download the FREE Wild Old Words poster: Wild Old Words Poster

Just click the following link to download the FREE Wild Old Words word list: Wild Old Words Word List

Teaching Wild Old Words can be tons of fun! Of course, incorporating a western theme is a must! Hey, we can even put those rule breaker words in jail. Repeated practice and exposure to these common words certainly help.

Wild Old Words Bundle

The Wild Old Words Phonics Bundle contains 11 interactive activities for teaching and practicing this phonics concept.
Here are just a few of my favorites:

I’ve been totally loving activities that use file folders. They store so nicely and they are quick to pull out in a pinch. That’s why I’ve started a line of file folder phonics game boards and decided to add a classic game board in this bundle. Simply print the templates, place them on the file folder and laminate. You’ll have an activity that will last for years. I purchased 3″ plastic spinners online in bulk as I make quite a few game boards, but a pencil and paperclip can serve as a spinner too.

The Climb and Slide game is a variation of the classic Chutes and Ladders game. Again, simply place the templates on a file folder, glue, and laminate.

Build A Word Activity

The Build A Word activity helps our students transfer the skill into writing. With this activity, students use the letter cards to build those Wild Old Words and then they write the word using a dry erase marker. There are templates for each Wild Old Word ending. After use, just wipe the template clean and it can be used over and over again.

Bump Game

The Bump game is great for independent literacy centers. This game is played with two players. Players roll dice, add the numbers, and try to “lock” the spot with their colored chips. There are four different game boards containing those Wild Old Words.

Wild Old Words Cards

When teaching any phonics skill, a sorting activity is a must. You can easily differentiate this activity by choosing which types of words to sort, how many and the difficulty of the words themselves.

This bundle also contains several other games and instructional materials for teaching and supporting this phonics concept. The 4-In-A-Row and Roll A Word activities are ideal for centers. Word cards are also included for added practice.

Storage is always an issue. Since several of the activities require pieces (bingo chips, dry erase markers) it’s always helpful to have everything you need all in one place. The Wild Old Words Phonics Bundle, as with all my phonics bundles, we designed to fit in these 15″L x 11 1/2″W x 3 1/4H Sterilite container. These containers can be purchased at your local Walmart. If you have multiple bundles, they also stack so nicely.