1-2-3 Come Do Some Vowel Activities With Me “When two vowels go walking the first one does the talking.” Is a simple & very popular rhyme that helps children read a variety of words with a vowel digraph. (Such as CVVC) However, so that children are not frustrated, it is extremely important to add “…sometimes but not always.” after they recite the rhyme, as there are lots of exceptions to the rule. I've included this sentence in my poster set. To build vocabulary, improve fluency, as well as spelling, I teach the “rule breakers” along with the words that follow the rule. This has been so successful with my own students, that I decided to design the "Vowel Villains" & When To Vowels Go Walking" packet. I found it an especially appropriate title, as the word villain is a rule breaker! Instead of being frustrated when they are tripped up by a rule-breaking word, my students get very excited because they’ve found yet another “convict word” to “jail”! Believe me, your students will LOVE this approach to word work. Choose from a large variety of super-fun "rule-breaking" options. My kiddos were constantly on the look out for CVVC words. They enjoyed determining if a word followed the rule or not, and took delight in finding “culprits” that they could add to the jailhouse. Another thing that I include in the packet is some Rhyme Time activities. There are posters with matching 2-on-a-page worksheets for time-saving printing. Rhyme time, is another quick, easy & fun way to build vocabulary and help students find more examples of words that fit the rule. Here are some of the things that the packet includes:* 3 large “When two vowels go walking…” anchor chart posters, with a smaller version showing all of the posters on one page, along with matching bookmarks. * 7 large vowel digraph posters to use as headers for a word wall. * “When 2 vowels go walking…” finger puppets. A set of boys, plus a set of girls in both black & white, as well as color. They provide a super-fun way to introduce the rhyme & help children remember it. * A set of 8, Mix & Match, “build-a-bookmark” patterns (boys & girls, black line & full color). I’ve included completed samples, so you can quickly & easily make examples to share with your students to help explain what you want them to do. As you can see by the photograph there are lots of ways to mix & match the heads, feet & bodies to come up with a cute "Walking Vowel Bookmark". * 338 (10-on-a-page) word cards for ai, ea, oa, & ee; including a blank set of cards so you can program with more words, plus a tip list of what else you can do with the word cards, including the“Kaboom” game. These words are also listed on anchor chart posters. * A variety of “rule breaking activities” including a rule breaker song to the tune of London Bridge * 74 rule-breaking word cards, with a blank set to program more. * An assortment of “Lock them up” worksheets, with answer keys; ai, ea, ie “I broke the rule” posters, along with a set of rule breaker,“build-a-bookmark” convicts, in color plus black & white. * And as always, directions, tips, samples, links & photographs I sincerely hope that your students enjoy learning tricky vowel combinations with these interesting techniques, as much as my students have. Click on the link to pop on over to my TpT shop to check it out: "Vowel Villains & When 2 Vowels Go Walking...Packet". It's a whopping 135-pages, and just $4.95. Today's featured FREEBIE comes from the packet. It's the 3 "When 2 Vowels Go Walking..." poster set." I really enjoyed creating the graphics, & hope you like them too. Click on the link to get your copy. Well that's it for today. Thanks for stopping by. My bones are achy, so I'm hobbling around with my cane that I haven't used in months, reflecting on how much we take for granted when we are healthy & buzzing around. Wishing you an energizing day, filled with lots of memorable moments. "You know, all that really matters is that the people you love are happy and healthy. Everything else is just sprinkles on the sundae." -Paul Walker