Practise With Puzzles

The Practise with Puzzles: Phonics and Spelling puzzle books contain a mixture of crosswords, word searches (word finds) and other puzzle activities designed to practise phonics, enhance spelling and widen vocabulary.

Book R : Ages 4 – 5

 

Book R is intended for children ages 4-5 in Foundation Stage/Reception/New Entrant and aligns with the semi-phonetic and phonetic spelling stages. The book features appealing picture puzzles and introduces phonemes, blends (initial and final) plus high frequency words ideal for very young students.

The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.

Features

Book 1 : Ages 5 – 6

 

Book 1 includes phonics coverage for children ages 4-6 and aligns with the phonetic spelling and transitional spelling stages. 

This book features word building activities with picture clues, initial letter-type puzzles, some basic word searches and puzzle-type activities for younger students.

The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.

Features

The puzzles in Book 1 cover the following phonemes, spelling knowledge and skills:

  • Beginning consonants
  • Final consonants
  • Middle Vowels
  • Final double consonant digraphs
  • Short and long vowels
  • Initial blends
  • Final Blends
  • Plurals
  • Final silent E
  • Words with UE
  • Words with EW
  • Words with AY
  • Rhyming words
  • Matching patterns
  • Hard and soft G
  • Two syllables
  • Three syllables
  • Final LY
  • Final ER
  • High-frequency words

Book 2 : Ages 6 – 7

 

Book 2 reinforces and extends concepts covered in Books R and 1 and introduces the next stage of spelling knowledge and skills for children ages 6-7. 

It features word building activities with picture clues, initial letter-type puzzles, some basic word searches, simple sentence construction, and puzzle-type activities.

The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.

Features

The puzzles in Book 2 cover the following phonemes, spelling knowledge and skills:

  • Phonemes revision
  • Alphabetical order
  • More advanced initial blends
  • More advanced final blends
  • Three letter initial and final blends
  • AI, EE, and IGH phonemes
  • Rhyming words
  • Words with double letters
  • AR, AW phonemes
  • AIR, ARE phonemes
  • EAR, ERE phonemes
  • OW, OI, OO, OR phonemes
  • Final ER and LY
  • Words with AY
  • Syllables
  • Compound words
  • Useful nouns
  • Antonyms
  • HF words in sentences
  • Adding ED
  • Adding ING
  • Words with UN and DIS
  • Verbs and Adjectives
  • Upper and Lower case

Book 3 : Ages 7 – 8

 

Book 3 reinforces and extends concepts covered in previous books and introduces the next stage of spelling knowledge and skills for children ages 7-8. 

This book aligns with the transitional and integrated spelling stages and features word building activities (some with picture clues), word searches, crosswords, sentence construction, and other puzzle-type activities.

The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.

Features

The puzzles in Book 3 cover the following phonemes, spelling knowledge and skills:

  • Long and short vowels
  • Alphabetical order – 1st letter
  • Alphabetical order – 1st two letters
  • Words with FF, LL, SS
  • Words with LE
  • Suffix LY
  • Suffixes ER and EST
  • Suffixes FUL and LESS
  • Past tense with ED
  • Verbs with ED and ING
  • Compound words
  • Prefixes UN and DIS
  • Prefixes DE, RE, and PRE
  • Prefixes NON, CO, ANTI, EX
  • Ways of speaking
  • Words with TCH
  • Words with DGE
  • Initial K
  • Adding Y
  • Plural nouns
  • Irregular plurals
  • Adjectives
  • Contractions
  • Antonyms
  • Homonyms
  • Homophones

Book 4 : Ages 8 – 9

 

Book 4 reinforces and extends concepts covered in previous books and introduces the next stage of spelling knowledge and skills for children ages 8-9. 

This book aligns with the transitional and integrated spelling stages and features crosswords, word finds (word searches), and a range of word puzzle activities.

The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.

Features

The puzzles in Book 4 cover the following phonemes, spelling knowledge and skills:

  • Simple nouns
  • Two-letter short vowel phonemes e.g.AT, ET
  • Initial consonant blends
  • Final consonant blends
  • Consonant digraphs SH, CH, TH
  • Vowel Digraphs
  • Long vowel phonemes
  • Double consonant and LE
  • Middle double consonant
  • Plurals of noun ending in Y
  • Verbs that end in Y
  • Take off E when you add ING
  • Verbs with ING
  • Irregular past tense verbs
  • Nouns (male and female)
  • Suffixes and Prefixes (simple)
  • Words with ION, OUS, IOUS
  • Words with OU and OUGH
  • K and CK
  • Words with V
  • Words with WA and WO
  • Similar patterns and meaning
  • Compound words
  • Commonly misspelt words

Book 5 : Ages 9 – 10

 

Book 5 reinforces and extends concepts covered in previous books and introduces the next stage of spelling knowledge and skills for children ages 9-10. 

This book aligns with the transitional and integrated spelling stages and features crosswords, word finds (word searches), and a range of word puzzle activities.

The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.

Features

The puzzles in Book 5 cover the following phonemes, parts of speech, word knowledge and spelling skills:

  • Three letter short vowel phonemes eg ACK, INK
  • Words that end in A or O
  • Words that end in EE or OO
  • Plurals with ES
  • Plural nouns F to VES
  • Plural nouns Y to IES
  • Plural nouns that keep Y
  • Suffixes and prefixes (more complex)
  • Adjectives
  • Adverbs
  • Dialogue adverbs
  • Double consonant with ED and ING
  • Double consonant with ER
  • Hard and soft C
  • Hard and soft G
  • Words with OUGH
  • Words with OO
  • Words with IND
  • Words with EA
  • Homophones
  • Antonyms
  • I before E rule
  • Onomatopoeia
  • Unstressed vowels
  • Past tense with ED
  • Acronyms and abbreviations
  • Words from other languages
  • Medium frequency words
  • Alphabetical order – 3d letter
  • Homonyms
  • Thesaurus activities
  • Commonly misspelt words

Book 6 : Ages 10 – 11

 

Book 6 reinforces and extends concepts covered in previous books and introduces the next stage of spelling knowledge and skills for children ages 10 – 11.

This book aligns with the transitional, integrated and correct spelling stages and features crosswords, word finds (word searches), and a range of word puzzle activities.

The What’s Next page also outlines a range of additional reinforcement and extension activities.

Features

The puzzles in Book 6 cover the following phonemes, parts of speech, word knowledge and spelling skills:

  • Three letter long vowel phonemes eg ACE and ASE
  • Words with Or and ORE
  • Words that end in ER
  • Words that end in AR and OR
  • Silent E revision and extension
  • Long A, E, I, O, U extension
  • Plural nouns – regular and irregular
  • Words with ED and ING
  • Hard and soft C and G
  • Words with GH and GHT
  • I before E rule
  • Suffixes- nouns and adjectives to verbs
  • Suffixes – verbs to nouns
  • Suffixes revision and extension
  • Prefixes revision and extension
  • Misspelt words with unstressed vowels
  • Adjectives and adverbs
  • Easily confused spellings