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Non-Fiction Phonics Games

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Non-Fiction Phonics Games

Read the short non-fiction passage, then tackle each word game. Use syllables, letter patterns and context clues to help you decode unfamiliar words.

Field Notes: A Kiwi’s Night-time Search

The kiwi is a flightless bird found in Aotearoa New Zealand. It usually searches for food at night. Unlike most birds, a kiwi has nostrils near the tip of its long bill. It can sniff out insects and worms hidden beneath the soil. Its feathers are soft and hair-like, helping it move quietly through the forest. Kiwi eggs are unusually large compared with the size of the adult bird. Because predators brought to New Zealand by people threaten kiwi, conservation programmes work to protect them and their habitats.

Game 1: Break the Code

Say each word aloud. Mark the syllable breaks, then answer the pronunciation question.

1.Split “conservation” into syllables by adding hyphens. Say each part as you write it.

2.In the word “predator”, which syllable is stressed when you say it aloud?

Game 2: Grapheme Match

A grapheme is a letter or group of letters that represents a sound. Match each letter pattern to the sound it represents in the example word.

3.In “flightless”, the letters “igh” represent the long /ie/ sound. Which word below has the same “igh” spelling pattern?

bright
bird
bill

Game 3: Clue Catcher

Return to the field notes. Use the sentence around each word to help you work out its meaning.

4.The passage says a kiwi is “flightless”. What does the word “flightless” mean? Use the word parts or passage clues in your explanation.

5.In the passage, “introduced predators” threaten kiwi. What does “introduced” most likely mean here?

Brought to New Zealand by people, rather than naturally occurring there
Newly hatched from an egg
Able to hide under the soil

6.The word “unusually” begins with the prefix “un-”. What does this prefix mean, and how does it change the meaning of “usually”?

Game 4: Spot, Fix and Explain

Good readers notice when a word does not make sense, then reread and check it.

7.A reader misreads one word in this sentence as “incomes”: “The kiwi can sniff out ___ and worms hidden beneath the soil.” Write the word from the passage that makes sense and name one clue that helps you self-correct.

8.You meet the unfamiliar word “habitats” while reading. Choose two useful actions that could help you decode or understand it.

Break it into parts: habitat + s, and look for a familiar word
Reread the sentence and use its meaning clues
Guess a word that has completely different letters
Stop reading and ignore the whole paragraph

9.Choose one challenging word from the field notes. Write the word, show how you would break it into syllables or word parts, and explain one strategy that helped you read it.