ai and ay anchor chart

We made an ai and ay anchor chart today in 1st grade.  The kiddos had a blast!  They helped me pick the main words to draw a picture of at the top of the chart.  We practiced looking for these types of words today in the stories we read, I called it a scavenger hunt to really get them excited.  Sometimes we make a competition out of it by seeing which group can find the most words.  When we got back to the anchor chart, I called on students to share a word with the class.  I asked them if it should go under mail or say depending on what pair it would use. Then the student had to spell the word for the class.  Finally I let the student come up and write the word on the chart.  The students loved getting to write on our anchor chart!  It is amazing to see how one little change to our routine can get them more excited about learning.  Check out the chart below!  :)