The worksheet titled "Fill in the Missing Letters to Make New Words" is a fun puzzle-style activity that asks students to fill in the missing letters. As they add the missing letters to a word, they make new words from the existing letters.

For example, the puzzle might start with the word LEDGE. The next word in the series has a blank before the word shown as ___LEDGE.

Each one is numbered and contains a hint that shows which letters are added or deleted, depending on whether the beginning word is listed first or last. The difficulty increases with each grade level, with students adding just one or two letters to words on fourth-grade pages and writing all the letters in the series on sixth-grade pages. Each page, regardless of grade level, includes an example with all the blanks filled in so students can see how to complete the worksheet.

Identifying words that are spelled similarly by adding or removing letters can be a great way to help students build spelling skills. Using puzzles and brain teasers can be especially effective, as it helps boost problem-solving skills that are useful in both reading and math.

Students can add letters to the beginning or end of words to make new words. For example, students can turn the word ___LAKE into FLAKE by adding the letter F. Students can also work backward by taking letters away to make new words, like turning the word SPUTTER into UTTER.

Your students can try word scrambles where they unscramble the letters to find the correct spelling of the word. Students can also try word ladders, where they change one or two letters at a time and end up with a very different word than the one they started with.