Darcie Frohardt Co-author of Introduction to Letter Sounds Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc., www.AlphabetWorkout.com What is Phonemic Awareness?

Phonemic Awareness is the ability to notice, identify, and manipulate the individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. What Types of Phonemic Awareness are the Most Important to Teach? Blending - used in reading Segmenting - used in spelling Strategies for Teaching Beginning Phonemic Awareness:

Fun with Phonemic Awareness

1. Identifying the first sound in words: This is a critical first step! Materials: Begin with a group of objects that have the same beginning sound. It is best to start with continuous sounds such as m, s, f. Direct Instruction: Teach names of objects first. Next, explain "The first sound in 'man' is /m/, the first sound in 'moon' is /m/." Emphasize first sound and pretend to cover mouth for end of word. Practice: "What is the first sound in 'moose'?" Reinforce the concept by using objects that have different beginning sounds: cat, moon, hat. Additional Practice: Guessing name or object from just the first sound. Guessing object by giving clues: Im thinking of something that starts with /m/ and you can see it in the sky at night. (moon) Handing out objects or pictures and having children give them back to you and saying the first sound. First-Sound Bingo 2. Blending two sounds into words: Materials: Use objects with only two sounds (phonemes) such as cow, ice, two, die, Direct Instruction: Teach names of objects first. Next, explain, "'Cow' has two sounds." Tap your head and say "/k/." Tap your shoulders and say "/ow/." Put your fingers together and say cow. Practice: "What word am I saying? /k/ /ee/" (Students say 'key') You can let the first child to guess it correctly hold it. Additional Practice: 2-Sound Word Bingo

/ow/

/k/

cow

3. Segmenting two-sound words: Materials: Use same objects as above. Practice: "What are the sounds in 'cow'?" Children should tap their head for the first sound and say "/k/," tap their shoulders for the second sound and say "/ow/," and put their fingers together and say cow. Additional Practice: Penny Push 4. Blending three sounds into words: Materials: Use objects with only three sounds (phonemes) (bead, bell, bird, bug, card, cat, dog, duck, fan, fish, five) Direct Instruction: Teach names of objects first. Next, explain "'cat' has three sounds." Tap your head and say "/k/." Tap your shoulders and say "/a/ ." Tap your waist and say "/t/." Put your fingers together in front and say cat. Penny Push
/k/ /a/ /t/ cat

Practice: "What word am I trying to say? /t/ /oo/ /th/? (tooth) Additional Practice: 3-Sound Words Bingo 5. Segmenting three-sound words: Materials: Use same objects as above. Practice: "What are the sounds in 'duck'?" Children should respond by tapping their head for the first sound (/d/), their shoulders for the second sound (/u/), their waist for the third sound (/k/), and putting their fingers together and saying duck. Additional Practice: Penny Push 6. Segmenting and blending four-sound words with ending blends Materials: Objects with four sounds with a blend at the end of the word (mask, world, bolt, gift, hand) Practice as above, using head, shoulders, waist, and knees but shake hips on third sounds. Penny Push

/g/

/i/

/f/

7. Segmenting and blending four-sound words with a blend at the beginning of the word. Materials: Objects with four sounds with a blend at the the beginning of the word (block, clock, flag, troll, frog, snake, truck, train). Practice as above but wriggle shoulders on the second sound. Penny Push

/t/

gift

(Tune: Farmer in the Dell)

Can You Hear?

Concept: Listening for high, low, and middle sounds Group size: Full class or small group Materials: Xylophone or piano Procedure: 1. Explain that sounds on the xylophone can be high, low, or somewhere in the middle. 2. If the sound is high, reach up to the sky. Demonstrate and practice. If the sound is low, bend down and touch your toes. Demonstrate and practice. If the sound is in between, tap your knees. Demonstrate and practice. 3. Sing the song to begin the game: Can you hear whats high? Can you hear whats low? Can you hear whats in between? Show me that you know.
(Tune: Its Raining, Its Pouring)

Circle Song

Concept: Listening for individual words Group size: Full class or small group Materials: A soft ball Procedure: 1. Students stand in a circle. 2. The teacher selects the student who will be first in the game. 3. Sing the song: A circle, a circle, We are standing in a circle. For each word in the song, We pass the ball along. 4. Children pass the ball as each word is said. 5. When children are comfortable with the Circle Song, play the game using any nursery rhyme or song to help children identify individual words.
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(Tune: A Tisket, A Tasket)

A Tisket, A Tasket

Concept: Beginning Sound Group size: Full class or small group Materials: Picture of a basket or a real basket Sets of objects with the same beginning sound (eg, boat, bug, bell, banana, bird) Procedure: 1. Explain that all the things in the basket begin with the same sound. For example say, All the things in the basket today begin with /b/. 2. Sing: A tisket, a tasket I have /b/ things in my basket. 3. Model what you want the students to say: I have bananas in my basket. I have a ball in my basket. I have a bird in my basket. 4. Repeat with different beginning sounds.

Hop on Board
Concept: Beginning Sound Group size: Full class or small group Materials: Train engineers hat Procedure: 1. Put on the engineers hat and explain that you are riding on the /s/ train. Children who can say a word that begins with /s/ can hop on board. 2. Walk around the room moving your bent arms like the wheels of a train and saying /s/, /s/, /s/... Call on children to say a word that begins with /s/. 3. Repeat with different letter sounds. 4

Popcorn Sounds
Concept: Reviewing 2-, 3-, and/or 4-Sound Words Group size: Full class or small group Materials: Containers of 2-, 3-, and/or 4-sound words, pictures, or objects Procedure: 1. Students sit or stand in a circle or in rows 2. The teacher shows a word, picture, or object and says what it is. 3. For 2-sound words: The teacher points to a child and the child says the first sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the second sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the word. For 3-sound words: The teacher points to a child and the child says the first sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the second sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the third sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the word. For 4-sound words: The teacher points to a child and the child says the first sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the second sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the third sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the fourth sound. The teacher quickly points to another child and the child says the word.

5
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Set Up 1. Copy game boards on index-weight paper. Note that each original makes two game boards. Make a game board for each student and one extra to cut up for calling cards. 2. Cut out the pictures on the extra game board, discarding duplicate pictures. 3. Put the pictures in a container (bag, box, etc..) to use as a drawing pile. To Play First Sound Bingo 1. Give each student a game board and a pile of pennies. 2. Before playing, make sure students know the name of each picture. 2. Take a picture card from the drawing pile and say the first sound, This word begins with /k/. Put the penny on a picture that begins with /k/. 3. Students put a penny on the picture for the word you segmented. To Play 2-, 3-, or 4-Sound Bingo - Version 1 1. Give each student a game board and a pile of pennies. 2. Draw a picture card from the drawing pile and say only the sounds in the word. 3. Students put a penny on the picture for the word you segmented. To Play 2-, 3-, or 4-Sound Bingo - Version 2 1. Give each student a game board and a pile of pennies. 2. The first player takes a card. If he/she can say the sounds in the word correctly, he/she puts a penny on the correct picture. 3. The next student takes a turn. Set Up for 2-Sound Penny Push Copy the Penny Push boards on index-weight paper--one for each student. To Play Penny Push 1. Give each student 2 pennies to put in the circles. 2. For 2-Sound Penny Push say the word on the picture card. (car) Students push the first penny up one row and say /k/ Students push the second penny up one row and say /ar/ 3. Ask students to point to the first penny and ask What is the first sound in car? (/k/) Ask students to point to the second penny and ask What is the last sound in car? (/ar/) Follow these instructions for 3-Sound and 4-Sound Penny Push using three and four pennies respectively. Set Up for Picture Cards Laminate the cards before cutting them out. Store each set in a different baggie. To Use Option 1: Teacher shows a card, all the students say the sounds in the word. Option 2: Teacher or student takes a card, looks at the picture, and says the sounds. Students guess what the word is. If you have questions on these activities or on phonemic awareness in general, e-mail me at darciefrohardt@comcast.net.

How to Play Sound Bingo

How to Play Penny Push

How to Use the Picture Cards

2-Sound Words Penny Push

3-Sound Words Penny Push

4-Sound Words Penny Push

First Sound and 2-Sound Words Bingo

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

First Sound and 2-Sound Words Bingo

2 8 4
arm, ice, pie, bow, cow, fur, boy, die, four, jar, egg, owl, shoe, toe, ray, key
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bow, two, jar, arm, egg, fur, owl, eight, die, ray,ice, toe, key, shoe, pie, cow

First Sound and 3-Sound Words Bingo

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

First Sound and 3-Sound Words Bingo

5
cat, rat, nut, hat, shark, bug, tooth, pot, five, pig, sock, can, dog, horse, mouse, doll
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bird, goat, rock, cat, man, top, leaf, dog, hat, can, doll, tooth, pot, soap, boat, mouse

4-Sound Words with Ending Blends Bingo 4-Sound Words with Ending Blends Bingo
2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

belt, fist, lamp, gift, paint, salt, wand, nest, mask, quilt, desk, wasp, chimp, bench, milk, hand

cbench, gift, mask, paint, point, wasp, sand, world, hand, vest, raft, salt, milk, nest, shelf, lamp

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4-Sound Words with Beginning Blends Bingo

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

4-Sound Words with Beginning Blends Bingo

bread, frog, clock, broom, train, plug, snake, crab, glass, thread, skate, drum, clown, dress, shirt

cbench, gift, mask, paint, point, wasp, sand, world, hand, vest, raft, salt, milk, nest, shelf, lamp

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2-Sound Words

arm - /ar/ /m/, bee - /b/ //, bow - /b/ //, boy - /b/ /oy/, car - /c/ /ar/, cow - /c/ /ow/, die - /d/ //, egg - // /g/, eight - // /t/, four - /f/ /or/, fur - /f/ /ur/, ice - // /s/
2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

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3-Sound Words

2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

bird - /b/ /ir/ d, bell - /b/ // /l/, bat - /b/ // /t/, cat - /c/ // /t/, cap - /c/ // /p/, bug - /b/ // /g/, dog - /d/ // /g/, chick - /ch/ // /k/, can - /c/ // /t/, fan - /f/ // /n/, duck - /d/ // /k/, doll - /d/ // /l/

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4-Sound Words with Ending Blends

belt - /b/ // /l/ /t/, bench - /b/ // /n/ /ch/ , chimp - /ch/ // /m/ /p/, desk - /d/ // /s/ /k/, fist - /f/ // /s/ /t/, gift - /g/ // /f/ /t/, gold - /g/ // /l/ /d/, hand - /h/ // /n/ /d/, lamp - /l/ // /m/ /p/, mask - /m/ // /s/ /k/, milk - /m/ // /l/ /k/, nest - /n/ // /s/ /t/
2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

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4-Sound Words with Beginning Blends

block - /b/ /l/ // /k/, blouse - /b/ /l/ /ou/ /s/, bread - /b/ /r/ // /d/, bridge - /b/ /r/ // /j/, broom - /b/ /r/ /oo/ /m/, clock - /c/ /l/ // /k/, cloud - /c/ /l/ /ou/ /d/, clown - /c/ /l/ /ow/ /n/, crab - /c/ /r/ // /b/, dress - /d/ /r/ // /s/, drum - /d/ /r/ // /m/, flag - /f/ /l/ ///g/
2008, Butterfly Park Educational Materials, Inc.

www.AlphabetWorkout.com