
Author: Elaine Kirn-Rubin
Suitable for: 3-8, Secondary, Young Adult, Adult
What They Are: 4 decks of Picture/Word Cards arranged into 52 "Quartets" (sets of four-of-a-kind vocabulary words that rhyme) + a 56-page Activities & Ideas Book that gives reasons for teaching rhyming words, abundant instructions on how to do so, and how-to supporting information
Why You Need Them: New readers and beginning language students are often delighted with the idea of "word families" in English (groups of rhyming words that sound the same after their initial consonants). Using the concept in phonics, reading, pronunciation, and/or spelling instruction is likely to motivate and speed up learning--especially when done with attractively illustrated materials in hands-on, interactive activities and games.
What They Do:
- Deck A, containing 52 items of 3 to 6 letters each, most sets-of-four in the Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) pattern, all with the "easiest" one- and two-letter spellings of 13 different vowel sounds
- Deck B, with the most frequent spellings of 13 distinct vowels but with two sets of four ending in diphthongs; also some digraphs and consonant clusters
- Deck C, with a few different vowel sounds plus a new digraph in one set and a doubled-letter combination in another
- Deck D, with more variety in complex vowel and final consonant spellings
What They Can Help You Do:
- have self-teaching material on hand for breaks in routine that don't waste time because they further acquisition of phonics and spelling patterns while improving pronunciation and building vocabulary
- engage competitive spirits in cooperative learning by enabling learners to really "play cards"--as in classic (children’s) games and in other popular pastimes involving matching and sequencing items
- prepare for, reinforce, review, and help others retain material through additional activities that require little or no advanced preparation or checking
- get learners ready to tackle more difficult concepts, content, and/or materials, such as those in the Intermediate & Advanced Levels of Rhyming- Words Card Decks.