5 Free Science of Reading Activities

The research behind the science of reading shows that effective reading instruction should address the following five components: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. Instruction should be explicit and systematic, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Quite the opposite. Many activities serve the dual purpose of addressing the elements of literacy while also engaging children through play.  

Science of reading activities

To help make reading instruction both effective and engaging, we’ve put together five free science of reading activities targeting spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency, and phonics. Note that some activities include more than one component of instruction. For example, spelling supports both phonemic awareness and phonics. If you’re new to the science of reading or want to deepen your practice, you can learn more about what it is here and explore practical strategies for classroom instruction here. 

1. Spelling activity: Sort it out 

Spelling and reading both require learners to understand the relationships between letters and sounds. Spelling activities support reading development by reinforcing these connections. The following activity helps students internalize an important spelling rule: changing a final y to an i before adding certain endings. 

What you need

A set of cards with words whose final y changes to i when altering number or tense. Cards should include the original word, the word with correctly spelled endings, and the word with incorrectly spelled endings. For example:

What to do

1. Remind students that when a word ends in y, we often have to change that y to i when making the word plural or changing the form of a verb. 

2. Display a two-column chart with the headings "Base words" and "Words with endings," like the one shown below. Under "Base words," write carry, family, monkey, and play. Underline the ry in carry, the ly in family, the ey in monkey, and the ay in play. Under "Words with endings," write carries, families, monkeys, and plays

   Base words	Words with endings
   Carry Family Monkey Play	Carries Families Monkeys Plays

3. Ask students if they notice any patterns with these words. (For carry and family, the y changes to i when the word’s ending is changed. For monkey and play, the y stays the same and an s is added.)
4. Ask students to think about why the spelling of the base word changes with the first two words. Guide students to recognize that both carry and family have consonants before the y ending, while monkey and play have vowels before the y ending.
5. Distribute the word cards and have students work individually or with a partner to sort them. Explain that they should sort the cards into two groups: one for correctly spelled words, and one for incorrectly spelled words. Monitor student progress and understanding as they sort.

Extension activity

Using the same procedure as above, have students sort base words and related words in which the y is changed to i when the suffixes -er and -est are added. You may wish to begin with the following words: pretty, prettier, prettiest; happy, happier, happiest; crazy, crazier, craziest; early, earlier, earliest; healthy, healthier, healthiest; lucky, luckier, luckiest.

Download this spelling activity to use in your class. 

2. Vocabulary activity: Meaning match

Vocabulary directly supports reading comprehension by helping students understand word meanings. Vocabulary activities build the word knowledge students need to comprehend texts. The following activity helps students understand how the prefixes re-, un-, over-, pre-, and mis- affect meaning. 

What you need

A set of cards containing words and their meanings. For example: “preview”and “view before.”

What to do

1. Arrange the cards face down in a grid pattern. Have the first player turn over two cards. If the two cards are a matched pair (a word and its meaning) the player keeps those cards. If the cards are not a matched pair, the player returns them to their places in the grid, facedown.
2. Play continues until all the words and meanings have been matched. The player with the most cards wins.

Extension activity

Dictate several words with prefixes. Have students spell the words and give their meanings in their own words.

Download this vocabulary activity to use in your classroom. 

3. Comprehension activity: Make a trading card

Understanding and making meaning from text is the ultimate goal of reading. Comprehension activities guide students to actively engage with texts. The following activity asks students to think deeply about characters, encouraging them to recall and summarize key information from the text.

What you need

Fiction or nonfiction text for students to read prior to completing the activity, index cards, and a sample trading card. 

What to do

1. Explain to students that a trading card shows a picture and tells details about a real person or story character. Share an example.
2. Ask students to select a character from the text they read that they would like to write about.
3. Distribute index cards. Instruct students to draw the character on the front of the index card, then flip it over to describe the character on the back.
4. Students will read their character descriptions aloud for partners or groups to guess the character they wrote about.

Extension activity

Have students their trade cards. Then regroup students so they can read the descriptions on their new cards for their new groups to guess.

Download this comprehension activity to use in your classroom.

4. Fluency activity: Readers’ theater

Fluency—reading text accurately, quickly, and with appropriate expression—is often described as the bridge between word recognition and comprehension. The following activity provides meaningful practice with oral reading, which helps students develop automaticity and expression.

What you need

Copies of grade-level scripts (one per student) with clear dialogue, distinct character roles, and engaging content. 

What to do

1. Explain that the purpose of reader’s theater is for students to practice expressive oral reading of a text. They should focus on reading their parts loudly and clearly, not too quickly or slowly, and with appropriate feeling.
2. Preview vocabulary, characters, and the setting.
3. Assign roles and ask students to make note of which parts they will read.
4. Allow time for students to practice before reading all parts together as a group.
5. Remind students to follow along in the script and listen to others as they read.
6. After reading, ask students to reflect on their accuracy, rate, and expression.

Extension activity

Record the readers' theater and have students watch the video to reflect on their fluency and note how they can improve. Then have students repeat the performance.

Download this fluency activity to use in your classroom. 

5. Phonics activity: Tic-tac-go!

Phonics involves making connections between spoken sounds and written letters, and it is essential for decoding words. The following activity helps students practice the critical skill of distinguishing between long and short vowel patterns.

What you need

Tic-tac-go boards and sets of 27 cards with words that have long and short vowel sounds. For example:

What to do

1. Distribute a set of cards to each student group. Have students stack the cards face down.
2. Have each student decide whether to write “X”s or “O”s to play the game.
3. Students take turns drawing a card, reading the word aloud, and telling whether the vowel sound is long or short.
4. If the vowel sound is long, the student marks an “X” or an “O” in a space on the game board. If the vowel is short, the player does not make a mark. Play then moves to the next student.
5. The first student to mark three "X"s or "O"s in a row wins. These can run horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. 

Extension activity

Have students play on an oversized board, created on the ground or floor with masking tape or chalk. Consider reversing the rules so that the player who selects a word with a short vowel sound marks an “X” or an “O”.

Download this phonics activity to use in your classroom. 

Research-aligned science of reading activities like these are a fun way to help students practice the skills they need to decode and make meaning from text. For more comprehensive support with foundational literacy skills, explore our science of reading curriculum and opportunities for professional development.

***

HMH core, intervention, and supplemental programs are rooted in the science of reading. Find out more about our evidence-based approach to teaching a child to read.