They have sharp phonics skills at Peeples Elementary, where all 1st graders participated in Reading Syllable Surgery Day.

On the big day, students visited nine “operating rooms” themed with an organ where they practiced a reading skill they learned during the year. Among the activities, in heart surgery, students wrote some of their heart words in white crayon, then used eye droppers to drop red onto the words and make them appear. In brain surgery, they stitched two syllable words together that were written on each part of the brain, and in liver surgery, students used shaving cream to write words with r-controlled vowels.

It was such a success that 1st-grade teacher Karen Jones hopes it becomes an annual event.

“Our goal was to plan a fun day where students could showcase all of their tremendous learning of phonics skills.”