Check out these great upper elementary compound word activities. You’ll find a detailed word list that shows when to close or hyphenate several compound words. The foldable organizer works well with advanced or simple words. Check out this idea for an interactive anchor chart. It can be made in literally seconds. Games and activities will make learning fun.
All compound word activities are included in this one handout.
Teaching Idea #1 – Compound Anchor Chart
This simple anchor chart takes just a few seconds to create. First, write words that can be turned into compound words on sticky notes. Then randomly place these on a table.
Students come to the table and select two words that will form a compound word. Next, the student places the sticky notes on the chart.
Teaching Idea #2 – Cloze Sentences
I love using cloze exercises with students because this exercise helps students practice several skills at once. Not only are students building vocabulary skills but also context clues. Students who can infer using the context have a real advantage in comprehending and understanding what they are reading.
Students must build compound words in this practice, which helps them think critically. For example, both landmark and landslide are used. Students must infer that the practice page does not contain a mistake. Instead, the word land is used to form different compound words.
I hope your students enjoy this fun and engaging way to learn.
Teaching Idea #3 – Smart Notebook Activities
This Smart Notebook resource contains 15 pages of activities. You can find the link to access this Smart Notebook activity in the handout.
Teaching Idea #4 – Compound Word Foldable Organizer
Check out this fun, flexible organizer. Use any 5 compound words you are studying to complete it.
Students write two words, one on each side of the organizer, that when put together will form a compound word.
In the center of the organizer, students write the definitions of each compound word in the first row of boxes. In the second row of boxes, they draw illustrations of the compound words.
Teaching Idea #5 – Spelling Rules
This reference page includes several spelling rules students can use to understand compound words.
This chart contains valuable information that students can use as a resource while studying compound words.
You will find a student copy and some additional compound word spelling rules in the handout for this blog post.
Teaching Idea #6 – Online Games
Here are some online resources with game-like activities for practice.
Teaching Idea #7 – Compound Word Chains
My students love creating compound word chains. In this activity, students must come up with a list of compounds in which the end of one compound word forms the beginning of the next compound word in the chain.
Here are some examples:
earthquake > quakeproof > proofread
sunflower > flowerbed > bedtime > timekeeper
walleye > eyeball > ballroom > roommate
The handout includes additional examples.
Teaching Idea #8 – Compound Word Crossword Puzzle
This crossword puzzle includes 20 words with clues for some more advanced compound words including:
mankind
guideline
straightforward
icebreaker
sharecropper
and more
Teaching Idea #9 – Compound Word BINGO
For this activity, students create their BINGO cards by randomly writing the words from the word list on their cards. Teachers can access an extensive list of 48 words with definitions, synonyms, antonyms, and sample sentences to use during gameplay.
Here are a few more suggestions for activities that you can do with your students with the wordlist provided with the BINGO game:
Compound Word Pictionary:
Have students draw pictures of compound words and have their classmates guess the compound word.
Compound Word Charades:
Students can act out the two parts of a compound word and have their classmates guess what the compound word is.
Compound Word Memory Game:
Create cards with compound words and have students play a memory-matching game.
Teaching Idea #10 – Word Search
Some students love completing word search puzzles, so I included one. Super Teacher Worksheets created this puzzle.
If you missed the link for the handout above, here it is again.
All compound word activities are included in this one handout.
