Teaching Ideas for using Rocket Rescue - Segmenting for spelling

Look at a picture card, hear the word spoken and then spell it

Phonics Learning Opportunities

To practise segmenting for spelling

Organisation

This game can be used as:

1)A teaching tool – for teaching segmenting for spelling (whole class, group)

2)A game for children to practise spelling independently

3)A spelling test

Teaching ideas

Please remember these are just ideas. You know your children best and can adapt this game in anyway you like to help them learn to segment.

Using the game as a teaching tool

Click on the Start button. A picture representing a word will appear and the word will be spoken. If you want to hear the word again, click on the picture (see below for things to check if you can't hear the sounds).

Model soundtalking the word (breaking it down and saying each phoneme separately). Count out the phonemes on your fingers. Model drawing this number of soundbuttons on a whiteboard. Soundtalk the word again and model writing the grapheme that represents each phoneme above the relevant sound button.

Ask the children if they agree with your spelling of the word. It can be interesting to make some deliberate mistakes here to see if the children spot them. Type the word into the computer and click on Enter.

With subsequent words ask all children to say the word, soundtalk it, draw soundbuttons and write the word on their individual whiteboards. Pick a willing volunteer and ask them to show you how they have spelt the word. Type this into the computer. Ask all children to show their whiteboards and use thumbs up or thumbs down to show whether they agree or not with the way the chosen child has spelt the word. Give the first child the choice of whether to keep their original spelling or change it. Click Enter to let the children find out how they have done.

Obviously this will be a slow process for the first few tries but as children become familiar with the game you should aim to pick the pace up and work through words quickly. N.B Don't expect to get through all ten words during the teaching segment of a phonics session.

Using the game to practise segmenting for spelling

Just let the children play. If the room is noisy, children will find it easier to hear words if they use headphones. Remind them to try and soundtalk the words and listen carefully for all the phonemes. Encourage them to reflect on any spelling they get wrong and try to learn from their mistakes . If children are working in pairs, ensure that both partners are involved in playing the game. For example, have a rule that one child should do the typing but that the other child will tell them exactly which letters to type in. Once they have completed the game they should swap roles. It can be useful, at the end of the session, to ask children to mark their partner out of ten (by holding up fingers) on how well they did at keeping to their roles and not hogging the keyboard and mouse or telling the other child how to spell words.

Using the game as a spelling test

Obviously you can very simply test an individual child on a single computer. However, you can also test a large group of children in a computer suite. You will need one child per PC. If there are too many children, simply get them all to bring a reading book and get half the group to do the test whilst the other half sit on the floor and read, then swap over. Simply ask the children to do the test and then put their hand up when they get to the final score screen. The scores are very large so that you can see them from a distance.

A note about assessment

This game only gives you a quick snapshot of how well a child is doing in terms of spelling at a particular phase. Before you decide whether they are ready to move on to the next phase you also need to consider how they are doing with reading as well.

Troubleshooting sound issues

You need to be able to hear sounds on your computer to play this game. The sounds in this game can't be turned off so if you can't hear them the problem is almost certainly with your computer set up. Over the many years that I have worked in schools, I have found that getting computers to play sounds can cause teachers quite a lot of stress. Below are some of the many things that I have found that can get an uncooperative computer to start playing sounds again. Obviously these are simply my experiences. Your computer set up (and anything that you do to it) is your responsibility. If in doubt, speak to your ICT co-ordinator or technician.

Things that you could try – some of these sound really obvious but it's very easy to miss the obvious when you are stressed out and have 30 children getting impatient.

All Windows PCs

- In the taskbar at the bottom right of the screen, you will find a speaker icon. Click this icon to open a volume control on screen, use the slider to increase the volume and check that mute has not been selected.

Laptops

- Some laptops have actual volume buttons or dials. They are often hidden away on the side. Try turning the volume up using these.

- Lots of laptops use keyboard buttons to control the volume. Look for the speaker icons. You often have to hold down the Fn (function) button whilst you press these keys.

Headphones

- Check that they are plugged into the correct hole on the computer. It is usually green but may be another colour. It will usually have a little picture of headphones or a speaker symbol.

-With some computers, you can plug headphones in at either the front or back. If sound doesn't play with the headphones plugged into the back of the computer, try plugging them in at the front and vice versa.

- Headphones aren't very hard wearing and the wires can tend to crack. Try using a different pair of headphones.

External speakers plugged into the computer

- Check that the wire from the speakers is plugged into the correct hole in the computer. The hole is often green but may be another colour. It will usually have a little picture of headphones or a speaker symbol.

- With some computers, you can plug speakers in at either the front or back. If sound doesn't play with the speakers plugged into the back of the computer, try plugging them in at the front and vice versa.

- Check that the wires going into the speakers are firmly connected.

- Check that the speakers are plugged into the mains and the socket is turned on.

- Check that the on/off button on the speakers is turned on.

- Check that the volume is turned up.

Speakers built into the monitor

- There may be a physical volume control button or dial to press. These are often well hidden underneath or behind the monitor.

- Sometimes you have to press a menu button repeatedly to bring up a volume control on screen and then use arrow or +/- buttons (on the monitor) to control the volume.

Speakers built into a projector

- You may need to use the remote control to change the volume.

- If there are no volume buttons, you may have to press the menu button on the remote control to bring up volume controls on screen. You would then probably need to use arrow buttons on the remote to turn the volume up or down.

- Sometimes the mute button on the remote has been pressed by accident. Press it again to turn mute off.