Word Chain Mazes for Phomeme Manipulation

One key aspect of phonemic awareness is the ability to add, delete and substitute the sounds in words to generate new ones. Take the word ‘pin’ as an example. You change the ‘i’ to an ‘e’, and voila! You have the word ‘pen’!

The purpose of this set of worksheets is to allow students to practise identifying when the phonemes in a particular word have been manipulated (changed). Students start at the “Start Here” box. They colour the path through the word chain maze by looking for one letter that changes from the previous word to the next.

The download includes:

• 3 x word chain mazes
• an answer key.

Tips for Scaffolding and Extension

• Support students who may need additional scaffolding. Have them use a mini whiteboard to write down the word options as they consider which path to travel through the maze. Support them in identifying the one letter that has changed from the word they are on.
• Challenge more-capable students by asking them to continue each word chain by changing one phoneme at a time.

Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

As this resource contains an answer sheet, we recommend you print one copy, then photocopy the desired number of worksheets for your class.

You might also like to print a few copies on thick card, then slip them into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse. 

Alternatively, project the worksheet onto your interactive whiteboard for a paperless lesson!

This resource was created by Lisamarie Del Valle, a Teach Starter collaborator.