New Zealand Sight Words - Rugby

A fun activity for practising sight words from magenta to orange. This activity will engage many of your students (particularly your boys).

The Activity:
Place the rugby balls face down (in a pile or scattered). Each student has a ‘Rugby Score Sheet’ in front of them. Students take turns at picking up a rugby ball and reading the word. They place the ball on their ‘Rugby Score Sheet’ accordingly:

♦ TACKLE – they have a go at reading the word but they are unsuccessful / require help.
♦ TRY – they read the word correctly.
♦ CONVERSION – after reading the word correctly, they can say the word in a sentence. This is great for oral language development. If they are unsuccessful at saying the word in a sentence then they leave the ball in the ‘Try’ section.

Count up the number of balls in each category at the end. You could allocate points for each category if you wish. You can also play this activity in ‘teams’ and have them challenge each other.

Included:
♦ Rugby balls for words from Magenta to Orange
♦ Blank template (for additional words if necessary)
♦ Rugby Score Sheet
♦ Word list
♦ Teacher notes

There are 6 rugby balls on each A4 size sheet.
Words are written with the NZ Basic Script font.
Words align to the NZ reading colour wheel.

An alternative activity is to print 2 sets of rugby balls and play ‘memory’. Place the cards face down. Students take turns at turning 2 cards over. If the words are the same, they keep the cards and have another turn. Who has the most pairs of cards at the end?

© Suzanne Welch Teaching