Activities: Sounds, Letters, and Words (Alphabetics)
Word Counting
Overview
Objective
The student will be able to count the words in a sentence and feed the yeti (friendly folklore animal) the corresponding number of snowballs.
Facilitation Tips
This activity can be done individually, in groups, or as a whole class activity. This activity can help you assess if beginning readers hear/listen well, know what words are, and can tell how many words are in a sentence. This information is particularly useful at the beginning of the school year. Clapping can be encouraged to support the counting.
Levels
Level 1: 2, 3, and 4 word sentences (40%, 40%, and 20%).
Level 2: 2, 3, 4, and 5 word sentences (20%, 30%, 30%, and 20%).
Activity Insights
What is Word Counting?
Students are asked to listen to a sentence and count the number of words in it.
Why do students struggle with Word Counting?
Students having difficulty with this activity may not be isolating individual words in the sentence.
How do I further support students?
Encourage students to clap or count the words in a three to five-word sentence (e.g. They slept all day). If the student consistently answers incorrectly do one or all of the following:
- Ensure that the student can count confidently.
- Determine that the student is spending a sufficient amount of time on the task.
- Make sure the can hear the sentences.
- When using ABRA, ensure that the student clicks on the listen button to hear the sentence repeated before attempting to count the words in the sentence.
- In ABRA, encourage the student to choose a lower level of difficulty.
Linked Stories
Darryl! Don't Dawdle
Henny Penny
How a Bean Sprouts
The Dove and the Ant
The Frogs and the Well
The Little Red Hen
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Related Activities
Reading Practice
Speed
Spelling Sentences
Syllable Counting
Tracking
Resources
Activities: Sounds, Letters, and Words (Alphabetics)
Word Counting
Objective
The student will be able to count the words in a sentence and feed the yeti (friendly folklore animal) the corresponding number of snowballs.
Facilitation Tips
This activity can be done individually, in groups, or as a whole class activity. This activity can help you assess if beginning readers hear/listen well, know what words are, and can tell how many words are in a sentence. This information is particularly useful at the beginning of the school year. Clapping can be encouraged to support the counting.
Levels
Level 1: 2, 3, and 4 word sentences (40%, 40%, and 20%).
Level 2: 2, 3, 4, and 5 word sentences (20%, 30%, 30%, and 20%).
Insights
What is Word Counting?
Students are asked to listen to a sentence and count the number of words in it.
Why do students struggle with Word Counting?
Students having difficulty with this activity may not be isolating individual words in the sentence.
How do I further support students?
Encourage students to clap or count the words in a three to five-word sentence (e.g. They slept all day). If the student consistently answers incorrectly do one or all of the following:
- Ensure that the student can count confidently.
- Determine that the student is spending a sufficient amount of time on the task.
- Make sure the can hear the sentences.
- When using ABRA, ensure that the student clicks on the listen button to hear the sentence repeated before attempting to count the words in the sentence.
- In ABRA, encourage the student to choose a lower level of difficulty.
Linked Stories
Darryl! Don't Dawdle
Henny Penny
How a Bean Sprouts
The Dove and the Ant
The Frogs and the Well
The Little Red Hen
The Three Billy Goats Gruff
Related Activities
If you notice your student struggling with this activity, suggest one of the following activities to further practice and reinforce the skill.
Reading Practice
Speed
Spelling Sentences
Syllable Counting
Tracking