Phonological Awareness
Phonological Awareness
Definition:
• Phonological awareness, conceptually, is defined as an
understanding that spoken language and words are made
up of individual sounds. In terms of performance,
phonemic awareness is defined as the ability to pick out
and manipulate sounds in spoken words and language.
• In other words, phonological awareness refers to one’s
understanding of and access to the sound structure of
language.
Before students can use reading and writing skills, they must first
develop phonemic awareness:
1) Children first become aware of individual words.
2) Children then develop an awareness of syllables within words.
3) Finally, children become aware of individual sounds, or phonemes,
and are able to manipulate theses sounds.
• Various components/tasks that illustrate phonemic awareness:
o Rhyming and Alliteration
o Hearing sounds in words (oddity and same-different
judgment tasks)
o Counting syllables and sounds
o Isolating beginning/middle/ending sounds in words
o Substituting and deleting sounds in words and syllables
o Blending syllables/onset/rhymes/sounds into words
o Segmenting words into syllables/onset/rhymes/sounds
o Representing sounds in language and words with symbols in
spelling and writing.
• Phonemic Awareness is the best predictor of early reading
acquisition. Phonemic awareness is both a prerequisite for, and
the result of, learning to read.
• Deficits in phonemic awareness are characterized by weaknesses
in the ability to hear the individual sounds in words.
Assessment Tools
Bader Reading and Language inventory – 3rd edition
Auditory Analysis Tests
Basic Reading Inventory – 7th edition
Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills – 6th edition
Fox in a Box
Phonemic Awareness in Young Children: A Classroom
Curriculum
Phonemic Awareness Skill Screening
Reading and Oral Language Assessment
Roswell-Chall Auditory Blending Test
Sawyer’s Test of Awareness of Language Segments
Texas Primary Reading Inventory
The Phonemic Awareness and Phonics Inventory
Yopp-Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation
Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing
Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation
Lindamood Auditory Conceptualization Test
School Readiness Test
Test of Language development – Primary
The Phonological Awareness Test
Woodcock Diagnostic Reading Battery
Informal Assessment Descriptions
Yopp-Singer Test of Phonemic Segmentation
Directions for Administering:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Have one test sheet for each child in the class.
Assess children individually in a quiet place.
Keep the assessment playful and game-like.
Explain the game to the child exactly as the directions specify.
Model for the child what he or she needs to do with each of the practice words.
Have them break apart each word with you.
Children are given the following directions upon admin istration of the test:
Today we're going to play a word game. I'm going to say a word and I
want you to break the word apart. You are going to say the word slowly,
and then tell me each sound in the word in order. For example, if I say
"old," you should say "oooo-llll-d" (The teacher says the sound, not the
letters.) Let's try a few words together.
The practice items are ride, go, and man. The teacher should help the child with each
sample item - segmenting the item for the child if necessary and encouraging the child
to repeat the segmented words. Then the child is given the 22-item test. If the child
responds correctly, the teacher says, "That's right." If the child gives an incorrect
response, he or she is corrected. The teacher provides the appropriate response. The
teacher circles the numbers of all correct answers.
If the child breaks a word apart incorrectly, the teacher gives the correct answer:
Child
Says
Uses onset and rime
Repeats word
Stretches word out
Spells letters in word
Says first and last sounds
Says another word
/d/ - /og/
dog
d-o-g
"d" - "o" "g"
/d/ - /g/
You say
/d-/o-/g/
/d-/o-/g/
/d-/o-/g/
/d-/o-/g/
/d-/o-/g/
/d-/o-/g/
Says a sentence
bark
I don't
know
/d-/o-/g/
The child's score is the number of items correctly segmented into all constituent
phonemes. No partial credit is given. For instance, if a child says "/c/-/at/" instead of
"/c/-/a/-/t/," the response may be noted on the blank line following the items but is
considered incorrect for purposes of scoring. Correct responses are only those that
involve articulation of each phoneme in the target word.
A blend contains two or three phonemes in each of these and each should be
articulated separately. Hence, item 7 on the test, grew, has three phonemes /g/-/r//ew/. Digraphs such as /sh/ in item 5, she, and the /th/ in item 15, three, are single
phonemes. Item 5, therefore has two phonemes and item 15 has three phonemes. If a
child responds with letter names instead of sounds, the response is coded as incorrect,
and the type of error is noted on the test.
Students who obtain high scores (segmenting all or nearly all of the items correctly)
may be considered phonemically aware. Students who correctly segment some items
are displaying emerging phonemic awareness. Students who are able to segment only
a few items or none at all lack appropriate levels of phonemic awareness. Without
intervention, those students scoring very low on the test are likely to experience
difficulty with reading and spelling.
Student Test Sheet
Yopp-Singer Test of Phoneme Segmentation
Student's name _________________________________ Date _____________
Score (number correct) _______________
Directions: Today we're going to play a word game. I'm going to say a word and I
want you to break the word apart. You are going to tell me each sound in the word in
order. For example, if I say "old," you should say /o/-/l/-/d/." (Administrator: Be sure
to say the sounds, not the letters, in the word.) Let's try a few together.
Practice items:(Assist the child in segmenting these items as necessary.)
ride
go
man
Test items:(Circle those items that the student correctly segments; incorrect responses
may be recorded on the blank line following the item.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
dog
keep
fine
no
she
wave
grew
that
red
me
sat
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
lay
race
zoo
three
job
in
ice
at
top
by
do
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
_________________________
Phoneme Blending Assessment
Directions:
I am going to say all the sounds I hear in a word. I want you to
tell me the word that you hear when you put these sounds
together. You say it fast. Let me show you.
Model:
If I say /p/ /i/ /g/ the word is . . .pig.
Share:
Now try to put the sounds together with me. Say it fast. If I say /c/ /a/ /t/ What word
do you say? Yes, the word is . . . cat.
Assess:
Listen to the sounds and tell me the word those sounds make.
1. dog
2. nest
3. man
4. big
5. jump
6. fan
7. run
8. play
Beginning Sounds Assessment
Phoneme Isolating
Phoneme Matching
Directions:
Directions:
I will say some words. Listen to the
beginning sound of each word. Tell me
the first sound of the word. Let me
show you.
I will say some words. Listen to the
beginning sound of each word. Tell me
which two words begin with the same
sound. Let me show you.
Model:
Model:
Listen to this word: jump
I hear a /j/ sound at the beginning of
jump.
Listen to these words: keep, king,
jump.
Two of the words begin with the same
sound; keep begins with the same sound
as king /k/.
Share:
Let us say the word together: hop
What is the sound at the beginning of
hop? I hear a /h/ at the beginning of
hop.
Assess:
Say each word after me and tell me the
beginning sound.
mouse
fish
teeth
bat
goat
Share:
Let us say the words together. Two of
the words begin with the same sound.
Can you tell me which two begin with
the same sound? Listen: peach, frog,
pig.
Which two begin with the same sound?
Yes, peach and pig begin with the same
sound /p/.
Assess:
Listen to each group of words and tell
me which two have the same beginning
sound.
mouse
teeth
goat
fish
bat
pipe
tub
rat
fork
duck
mat
home
gum
ant
bug
Final Sounds Assessment
Phoneme Isolating
Directions:
Phoneme Matching
Directions:
Now I will say some more words.
Listen to the ending sound of each
word. Tell me which sound you hear at
the end.
Now I will say some more words.
Listen to the ending sound of each
word. Tell me which two words end
with the same sound. Let me show you.
Model:
Model:
Listen to the word "sit."
I hear a /t/ sound at the end the word
Listen to these words: sun, king, fan.
Two of the words end with the same
sound; sun ends with the same sound as
fan /n/.
Share:
Say the word "pig" with me.
What is the sound you hear at the end of
pig? I hear a /g/ at the end of pig.
Assess:
Say each word after me and tell me the
last sound.
tell
door
lion
food
beds
Share:
Let us say the words together. Two of
the words end with the same sound.
Can you tell me which two end with the
same sound? Listen: peach, frog, pig.
Which two end with the same sound?
Yes, frog and pig end with the same
sound /g/.
Assess:
Listen to each group of words and tell
me which two have the same ending
sound.
tall
sand
far
sing
bat
pipe
land
gum
boys
run
ball
home
car
toys
man
Recognizing Rhyme Assessment
Directions:
I am going to say two words: cat - fat.
I want you to tell me if the two words sound alike. This is called a rhyme.
Let me show you.
Model:
Cat and fat have the same sound at the end so they rhyme. Cat and mop do not
rhyme because the do not have the same sound at the end.
Share:
Listen to these two words: pail - tail.
Now say the two words with me: pail - tail.
Do these two words rhyme? (Yes)
Put your thumbs up like this if they rhyme:
Listen to these two words: cow - pig.
Now say the two words with me: cow - pig.
Do these two words rhyme? (No)
Put your thumbs down like this if they do not rhyme:
Assess:
Listen to these sets of words. Thumbs up if they rhyme. Thumbs down if they do
not rhyme. Here we go...
1. fin - win
2. rug - mug
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
hat - dress
pan - man
bird - book
lock - rock
bet - get
cup - dog
Recognizing Rhyming Words:
Recognize whether or not pairs of words rhyme to assess levels of
basic phonemic awareness. Use a list of 20 word pairs. At least
50% of the word pairs should rhyme. Read the child each word pair
and ask the child if they rhyme. For kindergarteners, they should
get 15 of the 20 pairs correct.
Oddity Tasks:
Oddity tasks require that students spot the word that doesn’t
belong in a list of spoken words. Children are read a set of three
words from a list of 10 sets and must select the word that has a
different sound from the others. Record the child’s responses. The
words can focus on rhyming words, beginning, middle or ending
sounds in words. Children should have 70% accuracy.
Same-Different Word Pair Task:
Children say whether a pair of words shares the same beginning,
middle, or ending syllable or sound. Children listen to a pair of
spoken words from a set of 10 pairs and then say if the pair is the
same or different. Record the child’s responses. Children should
have 50% accuracy.
Syllable and Sound Counting Task:
Students count the number of syllables or sounds in a word.
Typically, children listen to a word read from a list of 10 word pairs
and count the number of syllables in the word. Counting tasks can
focus on beginning, middle, and ending syllables. Record the child’s
responses. They should have 50% accuracy.
• Auditory Sound Blending Task:
Students are asked to recognize words by blending the sounds in
words that teachers stretch out into segmented units (word rubber
banding). Make a list of 30 words, divided into three sets of 10.
The first 10 words should be two-phoneme words, the second set of
10 should be three to four-phoneme words that are divided before
the vowel demonstrating the onset and rhyme (i.e. c-ap), the third
set of 10 should be divided into three to four-phoneme words that
are segmented completely (i.e. ch-i-p). Stretch the word and ask
the child to tell you the word, after modeling a few examples.
Kindergarten children should have 66% of the words correct (20 out
of 30).
• Segmenting Sounds:
Students are asked to listen to and isolate sounds in the initial,
middle and final positions in a word. Compile a list of 15 words that
each contains three phonemes. Target sounds in the beginning,
middle and end. Ask the child to tell you the sound he or she hears
in the beginning, middle or end (whichever you target) of the word
spoken to them (i.e.-Slam, say the sound at the end of the word
slam). Kindergarten children should have 9% correct (1-2 of the 15).
Instructional Strategies
**Remember: Keep a sense of fun, use group settings that encourage
interaction, encourage children’s curiosity and experimentation with language,
allow for individual differences, make sure the tone of instructional activities
are fun and informal, rather than evaluative.
• Teach students to segment and blend, combine training in segmentation and
blending with instruction in letter-sound relationships, teach segmentation
and blending as complementary processes, systematically sequence
examples when teaching segmentation and blending, teach for transfer to
novel tasks and contexts.
• Teachers of young children can provide an environment that encourages
play with spoken language as a part of a broader literacy program through
nursery rhymes, riddles, songs, poems, and read-aloud books that manipulate
sounds.
Many children with learning disabilities and from culturally diverse backgrounds
may have particular difficulties with phonemic awareness, and it is important that
they be explicitly taught phonemic awareness, by demonstrating the relationship of
parts to wholes. For instance, teachers may begin with how to segment short
sentences into individual words by using chips or other manipulatives to represent
the number of words in a sentence. Once students understand part-whole
relationships on the sentence level, they move onto the word level, teaching
children to break down words into syllables. Next, children are taught to produce
sounds in isolation.
Humpty Dumpty's Wall
Phonological Level: Word (phrases to words)
Materials: supply of tiles, all the same color
Before beginning this activity check to see if the children know the rhyme. If they do not
know it teach them the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty. Using one -to-one correspondence,
one tile for each word said, for several phrases model several examples. (Student full names
could be modeled as examples.) Make sure that each child knows how to name the tiles. Set
up a pool of tiles in the middle of the table. Then have the children na me each tile as she/he
lines them up. Be sure to use a left-to-right orientation. The children will be building
Humpty Dumpty's wall. When Humpty Dumpty's wall has been built give each child a
picture of a "Humpty Dumpty" to place on top of her/his wall.
Phonological Level: Syllable (words to syllables)
Materials: same as above
If the children are able to easily do the activity above move on to this activity. Again using
the same technique have children name each syllable as they line up tiles to build a wall for
Humpty Dumpty.
Title: Humpty Dumpty and Friends
Phonological Level: Phoneme (discrimination of vowel sounds, substitution)
Materials: set of sound cards with pictures of words beginning with vowels
Explain to the children that Humpty Dumpty wasn't the only one who "had a great fall".
Hold up a picture of an "A" sound such as a card with a picture of an apple. Tell the
students to listen for this sound in the poem. Then recite poem changing the short /u/ sound
to an /a/ sound.
Hampty Dampty sat on the wall,
Hampty Dampty had a great fall,
All the king's horses and all the king's men,
Couldn't put Hampty Dampty together again.
Now hold up a picture of an /o/ sound word. Work with the children to help them change
the rhyme to the following:
Hompty Dompty sat on the wall,
Hompty Dompty had a great fall,
All the king's horses and all the king's men,
Couldn't put Hompty Dompty together again.
Continue in this manner next using the /i/ sound and finally the /e/ sound.
Phonological Level: phoneme (substitution)
Materials: None
If the children have difficulty with the vowel game, initial sounds may be used changing the
name of Humpty Dumpty to a targeted sound such as Bumpty Dumpty. Children's name
sounds can be used to personalize it, increase interest and draw attention to matching
sounds. For example:
Bumpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Bumpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Bumpty Dumpty together again.
Title: Where is Humpty Dumpty sitting?
Phonological Level: rhyming (substitution)
Materials: None
To further emphasize the rhyming nature of these activities children can brainstorm words
that rhyme with wall/fall, men/again These new words can then be substituted in the
rhyme. For example:
Humpty Dumpty sat in the mall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great ball,
All the king's horses and all the king's men,
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again.
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
All the king's horses and all the king's ten,
Couldn't put Humpty Dumpty into the pen.
Cluster Busters
MATERIALS: Chart Busters, Picture Cards (with cl, l, c sounds), Drawing
Paper, Crayons, Pencils
RATIONALE: To learn to read, children need to be aware that the letters
are maps of the phonemic sounds that they hear in spoken language.
Clusters are an easy way to blend two consonant phonemes. This lesson is
designed to help students identify the two phonemes /c/ and /l/ and to
recognize them when they are blended together to create a cluster in spoken
and written language.
PROCEDURE: Children have prior knowledge of short vowel sounds and
initial consonants.
Play a listening game. Teacher sits with children in a circle. Children will
identify sounds that begin with CL cluster: click, cluck, clap, etc.
Teacher writes each word with children on chart paper. Children will
identify that each word-sound began with the CL cluster.
Tell children “Now that we can put CL together, we will learn to be
CLUSTER BUSTERS! Now we can read more words.”
Say: “Let’s see if you can spot the CL sound. Do you hear it in clock or
door? Clown or monkey? Open or close? Children will become CLUSTER
BUSTERS and search for CL words in the room. Teacher will chart CL
words found.
Children will draw several CL pictures and label them using inventive
spelling and phonemic awareness.
ASSESSMENT: Teacher gathers children back in a circle. Show several
CL pictures. Ask children to put “thumbs-up” if they hear the CL cluster.
Pictures may include: Clam, Cloud, Coat, Closet, Lunch, Clown, Like,
Cookie, Clover.
Best Friends Shop for SH
MATERIALS: Book, Shells, Letter cards, Letterboxes, Children, Web,
Chart
RATIONALE: Sh is a very common digraph found both at the beginnings
and ends of words and in names. Our language is quirky; since we have
more phonemes than letters, 2 letters represent one sound. This lesson
assumes initial consonants have been taught.
PROCEDURE:
1. Show a shell and name it. Say the sound /sh/ and have children repeat it.
2. Introduce “Shell Shopping.” Children listen for /sh/ sound for auditory
discrimination. Say, "Today we are going to learn about two friends s and
h. When they are together they say /sh/. Many words begin with /sh/. Do
you know any words that begin with this sound?
Hold up book. "We are going to read a book about shells. When you hear a
word that begins with sh, put your finger on your mouth and say "sh."
Hold up two cards s and h. Pick two children who will be the "best friends."
Say, "When you come together, you become one card sh. When you stand
alone, you make separate sounds /s/ and /h/, but when you are together, you
make one sound /sh/." Show that sh says /sh/ (put finger on mouth).
The two children first stand alone. Then they put their arms around each
other and join together to make a new sound. Go back to web and add
additional sh words. Teacher models sh words. Children repeat and put
their finger on their mouth to say /sh/.
Teacher will give students letterbox sheets to use with the word shell along
with letters--sh, e, ll. Students will say the word after teacher models it and
then spell the word from the letters.
ASSESSMENT: Say two words and identify which begins with sh by
putting your finger on your mouth: shoe? sock? sand? shop?
Choo-Choo
MATERIALS: Chicka Chicka Boom-Boom, choo-choo cars, stick puppet,
sticks
RATIONALE: Teaching the /ch/ sound using alliteration will aid in
internalizing the sound.
PROCEDURE:
1. Students will simulate the sound of a train (choo-choo) when it starts out.
2. Identify the sound /ch/.
3. Model the sound using the words chug, chin, chip, and chick.
4. Students will hold up the choo-choo when they hear the /ch/ sound.
hill? chill? chip? flip? thin? chin? chop? mop?
5. Read the story “Chicka Chicka Boom - Boom” aloud.
6. Reread the story and ask children to hold up their choo-choo trains when
they hear the /ch/ sound.
7. Follow-up with a train activity in which children fill up the train cars with
pictures that contain the /ch/ sound.
Sh … The Baby is Sleeping!
MATERIALS: Poker Chip with “sh” sticker attached, Container to hold
chips, Visual Representation of /sh/, Picture cards, Experience chart paper,
Markers, Chip boxes.
RATIONALE: To make friends with the phoneme /sh/. To be able to read
words which include sh.
PROCEDURE: (Whole Group) Explain to children that two letters together
make one sound.
Introduce large visual representations of "Sh . . . The Baby is Sleeping!" as
example of “sh” making one sound. See it and say it.
Introduce verbally examples and nonexamples; students indicate recognition
of /sh/ with a “sh” gesture.
Create “sh” experience chart using pictures of examples and nonexamples.
Students will look at picture, say the word, and attach “sh” words (pictures)
to chart.
Small Group Activity: Direct the students to build words using chips and
chip boxes.
- ship, shop, shell, fish, rush, dish
Additional words can be used to model strategy
Encourage students to create own words (including silly nonsense words)
ASSESSMENT: With student, create a word bank of sh words. Students
will then write and illustrate a sentence(s) to be put together as a class sh
book.
Students who meet the lesson’s objectives and demonstrate a friendly
attitude toward sh will keep their poker chips as part of phoneme collection.
Follow Your Tongue
MATERIALS: Mirror (for kid watching), Sound bowls (Lakeshore), Picture
of child in class whose name begins with the L phoneme.
RATIONALE: To become explicitly comfortable with and aware of vocal
gestures for the /l/ phoneme. To review phonemes /a/ and /m/.
PROCEDURE: Model
Warm-up ? Move your tongue in your mouth.
Review vocal gestures for /a/ and /m/ to locate tongue placement.
Show picture of “Luke” -- Ask, "What’s his name?"
Model first : produce /l/ phoneme and notice tongue.
4 part poem: Lazy Lion licks lollipops.
In 1-2-3-4 poetry, children collaborate to compose an alliteration.
One format:
1. Choose an animal (e.g. lion)
2. Tell what animals do--must begin with same phoneme (e.g. lick)
3. Describe the animals--must begin with same phoneme (large)
4. Tell how they do it (lazily)
Sound bowls -- use mirror for reinforcement.
Make words with 3 phonemes.
Gargling Ghost
MATERIALS: water in a cup, big piece of chalk, white sock for a puppet,
storybook about a ghost, camera.
RATIONALE: To recognize the letter “G” and its phoneme to enable the
child to read and spell words.
PREPARATION: Make a puppet. Prepare learning stations for tactile
activity. Get a cup of water for each child. Create or use an existing book
with the letter “G”.
PROCEDURE: Using the puppet, teacher says to children:
“Hi, I’m Gargling Ghost. I make the sound of /g/. Make big letter G on
board, with picture of ghost. I go like this [teacher gargles with water]. I
have a story to tell you." Tell children to listen for words with say /g/.
Teacher tells the story about why the ghost gargles; he got a sore throat from
gargling at goats, geese, gorillas, gates, etc.
Children then tell teacher words they heard with /g/. Teacher makes a word
list underlining g.
Teacher says, “Now let’s all gargle just like “Gargling Ghost.” Teacher
models gargling, having children put their fingers to their throat feel
vibration of /g/. Repeat with cups of water.
Teacher takes a picture of the kids holding the ghost and saying, Gee-Gargling Ghost --G.”
CULMINATING ACTIVITY: Hold up ghost and ask, “Who is this?”
“What does he say?”
Show and Share
MATERIALS: chart paper, markers, bag of objects, Dr. Seuss book
RATIONALE: To identify the /sh/ phoneme, children will brainstorm
words and objects containing the /sh/ phoneme.
PROCEDURE:
Explanation: Today we are going to review the “sh” phoneme. This will
help you recognize it when you are reading and writing.
Model: Teacher will have a bag of various objects including items with the
/sh/ phoneme and others. Teacher will take an object, e.g., a shell, tell them
it begins with /sh/. Then she will put the word on the sh chart ("Show and
Share").
Then teacher will pass around the bag with objects. Each student will pick
an object, say the name of the object, and tell whether it can be added to our
“Show and Share" list.
As an applied practice activity, the teacher will play a game “I’m thinking of
something… (For example, I'm thinking of something that I wear on my
foot with the /sh/ phoneme.) Each student will write down the name of the
object from the “Share and Show” chart.
As an extension to whole texts, the teacher will read to the class a book
called One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. The children will show
“thumbs up” when they hear the “sh” phoneme.
As an assessment, the students will play a repeating game. (e.g., Say: I have
a fish and a fan. Do you hear /sh/ in fish or fan?)
As a follow-up activity, the students will make a flipbook to show
understanding of the /sh/ phoneme compared to others previously learned.
The M Lesson
MATERIALS: assorted objects (Mm), Mickey Mouse doll/puppet, chart
paper, markers, marshmallows, M & M’s, construction paper, crayons
RATIONALE: Children will recognize the letter M and the phoneme /m/.
Children will understand the vocal gesture symbolized by the letter M.
PROCEDURE:
1. Mickey Mouse puppet will explain the phoneme or sound in the
beginning/last name.
2. Teacher will show m objects and tell students to listen to the “Mickey
Mouse” sound.
Give each student a marshmallow or M & M and ask children how it tastes.
“MMMM”
Say the phoneme /m/ and ask how it feels to say it. (mouth vibrates)
Teacher will show students how to write the letter m.
Brainstorm a list of m words. What looks the same in all of the words?
Circle all the initial m’s.
Model an M alliteration: Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse munch
marshmallows.
Elicit tongue twisters from children using the letter M.
ASSESSMENT: Have children draw/create an m object. Bring objects
from home that begin with the letter m for an m meeting the following day.
Secret Box
MATERIALS: Colorful shoebox, large /s/ pictures, crayons, drawing paper
RATIONALE: Initial consonant s can be used in many blends.
PROCEDURE:
Introduce the box.
Invite children to select a picture from the box.
Name the object (all recite).
Identify commonality.
Repeat all words.
List words on chart.
Children illustrate (create book)
EVALUATION: Find objects in the room with /s/ sound.
Teaching Phonograms through The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
Grade Level(s): 1
Objectives:
1. The student will read six phonograms and as a class verbally define each
using the print and illustrations in the text, The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss.
2. The student will demonstrate his or her understanding of phonograms by
creating additional words with the same rime (for instance -all, -ear,-and art).
Materials:
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The book The Sneetches by Dr. Seuss
The book The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss
cards with phonograms on them (teacher-created)
tokens or markers
a large piece of oak tag
Set:
Today we are going to read the book The Sneetches . Has anyone read or listened
to this story before? Who can point to the author's name on the cover of the book?
That's right, the author's name is Dr. Seuss. Dr. Seuss has written many other
books. Can anyone recall another book he or she read that was written by Dr.
Seuss? (If no one mentions it....) I have read the Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss. Has
anyone read that story? Here is a copy of that book. One of the things that I like
best about the book The Cat in the Hat is that a lot of the words rhyme. Even the
title rhymes! (Point to, and read the title) What do I mean when I say the words
rhyme? (After the concept of rhyme has been established.....) The book The
Sneetches also has a lot of words that rhyme in it. While I read The Sneetches ,
listen for words that rhyme.
Procedures:
Part A
The teacher reads The Sneetches to the class.
After reading the story, the teacher passes three cards with a phonogram on each to
every child in the class.
The teacher tells the class that the words that appear on the cards are words they
heard in the story.
The teacher asks each student to read the words on his or her cards and use each in
a sentence.
If the student has difficulty doing so, the teacher shows the student the page in the
book that the word is on, points out the word, and draws the student's attention to
what is being depicted on the page in order to help the student come up with a
sentence using the word.
Part B
The teacher reads the story again, this time asking the students to put a marker or
token on their words when they are read aloud.
When the student has covered all three of his words with tokens s/he may say
"Sneetches!" to alert the teacher that he or she has heard each of his or her words.
The teacher asks the student to find each word on the page of the book on which it
appeared and to point to and say the word in the text that rhymes with it.
The teacher writes the rhyming words on a giant piece of oak tag, has the class
identify the ending (rime) which the words have in common, and then asks the
student if he or she can name any other words that also have the same ending.
Other members of the class may be invited to add to the list.
After rhymes have been found for the student's three words, the teacher can return
to reading the text until another student calls out "Sneetch!" and the process
continues until the end of the book is reached.
Closure:
After completing the story, the teacher draws the student's attention to the lists of
words written on the oak tag. The teacher asks the students to read each list of
words aloud as a class. After reading a particular list, the teacher asks the class
what ending the words have in common. After the students come to a conclusion
the teacher tells them that these lists of words are called "word families" and writes
this at the top of the sheet. The teacher states that the lists of word families that
they have created will be posted in the classroom so the students can refer to it
when they are reading and writing during future activities. Additionally, the
teacher states that the list is not yet complete and if in the future the students think
of other words with the same ending, they can add them to the oak tag sheet.
Evaluation:
Evaluation can be performed by the teacher throughout the lesson. The teacher will
observe the success rate of the students when they are reading the words on their
cards, defining each word, marking their words upon hearing them within the
context of a story, and locating their words in the text itself. The teacher will also
note the rate of success the students have when thinking of phonograms with the
same ending when creating word families on the oak tag. It is through this activity
that the teacher will observe if students are able to apply their knowledge of
phonograms in creating new ones.
Rhyming Words
Grade Level(s): Kindergarten, 1
Duration: 1 class
Description: Students will distinguish word rhymes by playing a memory game
with cards of rhyming words.
Goals: Students will learn about rhymes.
Objectives: Students will distinguish word rhymes by playing a memory game
with cards of rhyming words.
Materials: Book: Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? by Nancy White
Procedure:
Initiation:
Begin by reminding students how much they enjoy playing games. Tell them that
they will be playing a matching game using cards with rhyming words. Ask them if
they know what a rhyming word is and ask for examples. Tell them that rhyming
words sound very much alike. Even though they have different beginning letters,
they sound a lot like each other. Ask them to say the words cat and hat . Write
those words on the board showing how they have similar endings but the beginning
letter is different. Tell them that you will be reading them a book, Jesse Bear, What
Will You Wear? , which has a lot of rhyming words. Explain that the game will be
played after the book is read.
Procedures:
1. Read the book, Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? , emphasizing with tone the
rhyming words.
2. Tell the students that you will now reread the book and that they need to listen
carefully. You will be stopping after each page to ask which 2 words rhymed on
that page. Ask them after each page Which 2 words rhymed? Write the rhyming
words on the board. Point out their similarities. Ask for another word that rhymes
with these.
3. Tell the students about the game. Show them a few of the cards with pictures
and words on them. For kindergartners and early first graders, it would be a good
idea to show all the cards and read the words aloud before placing them face down
in the rows. Place the cards face down in rows. Players take turns flipping over 2
cards at a time. They say the word aloud as they flip each one. Teacher offers help,
if necessary, in reading the words. If the words on the 2 cards rhyme, the player
keeps the cards and gets another turn. Play continues until all cards are matched.
Whoever has the most cards, wins. This could be done in small groups while the
teacher circulates and observes, offering help if necessary.
Closure:
Ask children whether they enjoyed the game. Remind them that many words
rhyme, which means they have the same sound except for the first letters. Tell
them that by studying rhyming words, we can see that many words are spelled
almost the same. Ask students to come up with a rhyming word for man . Write
their suggestions on the board.
Assessment:
Evaluation:
Children’s ability to distinguish rhyming words will be judged by participation in
reading lesson questions. During the card game, teacher will evaluate this ability
by observing students’ participation in the game.
Useful Internet Resource:
http://www.link.cs.cmu.edu/dougb/rhyme-doc.html#doc
This site has a dictionary search for rhyming words and would probably be of use
mainly to teachers in preparing the lesson and searching for appropriate rhyming
words. The site could be used for older grade levels to access words that rhyme for
assignments such as poetry.
Be-bop and Other "op" Words
Grade Level(s): 1, 2
Duration: 30-40 minutes
Description: This lesson engages students in word and sentence formation using
rhyme. Students will play a game, dance, and listen to music.
Goals: Students will create new words and new meaningful sentences using
rhyming strategies.
Objective(s): The students will be able to read (silently/aloud) and write words
containing the "op" rhyme.
Materials:
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Tape player & cassette, selection of two Charlie Parker musical pieces,
flipchart or chalkboard, colored markers/pencils, paper, worksheets
For the word & letter cards: blank flashcards (2" x 3"), stiff paper/tag,
stapler & staples, scissors, ruler.
The book Charlie Parker played Be-Bop, by Chris Raschka (1992), Orchard
Books.
How to make the word and letter cards:
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•
With a dark marker write letters on blank flash cards (2" x 3"). If you would
like to stress certain letters you can make them a different color (e.g. the
short "o" red and all others black). The letters used in this lesson are: b, h, m,
d, r, f, l, s, t, o, p (2).
Cut the stiff paper or tag to make 11" x 5" pieces. Fold up 1 1/2" along the
long edge. Staple in four places to make four equal sized pockets for the
letter cards.
Worksheet from the Short Vowel O Workbook
Be-bop And Other "op" Words
Set/Initiation: 1. Play two selections of Charlie Parker music, one quick and
upbeat the other with a slower feeling. During each selection, have the children
stand up and show how the music makes them feel. 2. Introduce Charlie Parker
who invented the type of music called be-bop . The book that the teacher will read
aloud is, "Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop" (by Chris Raschka, Orchard Books,
1992). 3. Review vocabulary words from the book that may be unfamiliar to the
children (e.g. saxophone, trombone, barbeque).
Procedure:
1. Introduce "op" words, the short "o" and the rhyme "op". Review the "op"
words in "Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop" (e.g. be-bop, stop, lollipop, hop).
2. Each student receives a 4-pocket word card and letter flash cards.
3. Have the students spread the letters in front of them.
4. Leaving the first pocket of the word card empty, start by filling in the word
(be-) bop.
5. Students will replace given letters with new ones (as shown below) to make
new words. Have them write the new words as they go along:
Remove b, replace with h, to make hop; remove h, replace with m, to make
mop; remove m, replace with p, to make pop; remove p, replace with dr, to
make drop; remove dr, replace with fl, to make flop; remove f, replace with
p, to make plop; remove pl, replace with t, to make top; remove --, add s, to
make stop.
6. As the students make new words, write them on the chalkboard or flip-chart.
7. Have students say the new words using a blending technique before moving
to the next new word.
Closure:
1. Review the short "o" and 'rhyme "op".
2. Review the words the students made with their word cards.
3. Comment on the number of words they made just using the rhyme "op".
Evaluation:
1. Observation during the activity and review.
Lesson Title: Blind Sort
(adapted from Words Their Way Bear, Te mpleton, Invernizzi, Johnson,
1996)
Children isolate and classify beginning, middle and ending sounds in
spoken words.
Teacher says, "Today you are going to listen to some words
with two different beginning (or middle, or ending) sounds.
If I say a word that starts with the /t/ sound, you say /t/. If I
say a word that starts with sound /s/, you say /s/. Listen. I
say seal, you say /s/. I say toe, you say /t/."
The teacher says the next word, "sun" the children say "/s/."
The teacher says, "tent," the children say, "/t/."
Teacher says word, students state beginning (or ending, or
middle) sound.
Closure
Teacher calls on individuals and whole group to isolate
given sounds. To check for generalization, see if children
can isolate sounds other than the sounds practiced in the
lesson.
The blind sort is part of a sorting continuum in which
students classify written words and pictures according to
letter patterns and sounds. Children can use word cards to
sort by beginning or ending sounds or by some pattern
within the word.
Lesson Title: Word Hunt
(adapted from Templeton, Invernizzi, Johnson, (1996), Words Their Way
Children will find words with specific letters or patterns in familiar stories.
Materials: Familiar story books that children can read, paper or a
notebook in which to write found words and a big book for
modeling purposes.
Optional: Highlighting tape.
Background: As children become aware of word patterns and their
relationship to spelling and reading, it is helpful to apply this
knowledge to stories children have read.
This application gives children a reason for performing sorting tasks
and heightens their awareness of word patterns in meaningful text.
Sorting tasks also help children to become more fluent readers by
allowing them to identify words more quickly and automatically.
Teacher reads an interesting big book. After reading, he or she says,
"This book has a lot of words. I’ll bet we can find some words that
have the long or short e sound." The teacher goes through the book
and finds words with long and short e. The teacher writes them
down on a white board or chalkboard under two columns with short
and long /e/ at the top. The teacher chooses a word and places it
under the long or short /e/. The teacher asks, "How do I know this
word goes here?" Children answer, "Because it has the long/short
/e/." Some teachers will highlight the word right in the book by
covering it with at piece of colored, transparent, stick on book cover
(available at any school supplies store). These book covers stick to
the page, yet can be taken off without tearing the book or removing
the print.
The teacher asks, "Can you help me find words with the long and
short /e/ sound?" The teacher continues to highlight and/or classify
each word as students find them in the text.
The children practice finding and categorizing words from the text.
The words are written on a piece of paper divided in half or in a
word study notebook.
Closure
Ask individual children and the whole group to classify new /e/
words not included in the text to check for generalization.
Lesson Title: Rhyming Names
(adapted from Phonemic Awareness, Fitzpatrick, 1997) Children will rhyme a
given name using a real or imaginary word.
Children are sitting in a circle. The teacher says, "Today we are
going to play a game called Silly Willy. It’s like Duck, Duck,
Goose, only the person chosen (the goose) has to rhyme the name of
the person doing the choosing (the ducker). Listen. I choose Lucy
Goosey. (Teacher taps Lucy’s head. Lucy jumps up and chases the
teacher around the circle. The teacher sits in Lucy’s place) Now it is
Lucy’s turn to choose a friend and rhyme a name."
Lucy chooses a child. The teacher asks, "How can we rhyme
Brandon’s name?" Children give suggestions. Teacher decides,
"Pandon sounds good. What do you think?" Lucy says, "I choose
Brandon Pandon!" and is chased around the circle. Teacher repeats
guided rhyming several times.
Children play the game as a whole group.
Closure
Teacher checks for understanding by calling on individual children
to see if they can rhyme names independently. Teacher also samples
entire group for rhyming proficiency. Substitute first letters of
children’s names on the name chart. Rhyming words is also fun in a
format, in which letter cards are used to manipulate sounds.
The Letter Hunt
Objective: increase phonemic awareness; correctly identify initial consonant
sounds.
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: > 15 minutes
Playing Time: 5-15 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to 12
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate
Materials Needed: collection of flashcards or small objects
Game: Have students form a circle. Place flashcards or objects outside the circle.
Teach the following song to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell":
We're looking for a/an [name of letter],
We're looking for a/an [name of letter],
[Sing sound of the letter to the tune of "Heigh, ho, the
Derry Oh!"]
We're looking for a/an [name of letter].
After each verse, ask a student to find an object or picture beginning with that
sound and place it in the center of the circle. Continue until all objects or pictures
have been used.
Note: You might also use this song to teach vowel sounds, final consonant sounds,
or blends. For added variety, you might give each student a flashcard instead of
placing cards or objects outside circle. When a student's sound is sung, he or she
steps into the circle.
Other Ideas:
•
Playing with Rhymes and Alliteration: Use texts, stories, or poems to
highlight rhyming and alliterative sounds in words. Select a poem or song
(i.e. Sister for Sale by Shel Silverstein) for a shared reading experience.
After reading, analyze the poem to demonstrate examples of rhyming or
alliterative beginning sounds (i.e. sounds with /s/). Ask the children to think
of other words that rhyme with pairs of rhyming words found in the poem.
Make a rhyming word wall from the songs/poems/stories read in the
classroom during shared reading.
•
Grab the Odd One Out: helps children develop phonemic awareness
through oddity tasks. Fill a paper sack with objects for the odd word out.
Make a list of 10 sets of 3 words (the odd word can be based on beginning,
middle or end sounds). Tell the children to listen to the set of three words.
When they know the odd word, they are to raise their hand. One child is
selected to reach into the grab bag without looking and pull out the object.
When he or she finds it, he or she says the word and shows the object to
the class. Return the object to the bag. Continue the game until all the
objects have been used.
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Picture Box Sound Counting: Helps students develop the ability to hear
sounds and syllables in words by counting the syllables or sounds. Prepare 510 cards with pictures, using words familiar to the student. The teacher
begins by pronouncing the word slowly and placing a chip into a box for each
letter/sound heard-progressing sound by sound. The child then says the
next word while the teacher places the chips into the box for each
letter/sound. The teacher gradually releases responsibility to the child by
exchanging roles and the child both says the word and places chips into the
box on his or her own. Eventually, children should be able to count the
number of sounds in a word and be able to answer questions about the order
of sounds in words.
•
Add A Sound/Take A Sound: Pick a song, rhyme, or chant to which the
child will add or substitute words. Consonant substitution involves
exchanging or deleting initial, medial or final consonants in a phrase or
sentence (i.e. “Jimmie Jet” the /j/ is changed to /n/ to produce “Nimmie
Net”). The same can be done for vowel substitution (i.e. “Mary had a little
lamb” /a/ to /i/ becomes “Miry hid a little limb ”).
•
Sing it Out: Blending is a critical skill for learning to read successfully.
Use the song When You’re Happy and You Know It. Sing the song a few
times so children learn the song and words. Then change the words at the
end from “clap your hands” to “say this word.” Then give letters of a word in
your mind you want the children to blend together (i.e. b/rr/d-these sounds
are spoken slowly for the children, when you clap, they are to say the wordbird). The song can go on for as long as you wish, engaging the children in
auditory blending of the spoken sounds you offer to make words.
•
Word Rubber Banding: Segmenting can be one of the more difficult
phonemic awareness tasks for students, but it is important skill to develop if
they are to profit from implicit or indirect instruction related to letter
names, sounds, and the connections between the two. Segmenting words is
referred to word rubber banding, or stretching out a word into its sounds.
Use any song, poem, rhyme, chant, or story. It is best to use words of no
more than three to four sounds when segmenting because these tasks can be
very difficult for younger children. Ask the children to repeat the first
sounds of selected words from the song/poem/story: (i.e. Old m-m-m
MacDonald had a f-f-f-farm,…and on this f-f-f-farm he had a c-c-c-cow), or
draw out/exaggerate a sound (i.e. MMMMMaaaaarrrryyyy had a little
lllllllaaaaammmmm). They may also segment entire words (i.e. Listen, Listen
to my word, Tell me all the sounds you heard: race. /r/ is one sound, /a/ is
two, /s/ is last in race it’s true—sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little
Star).
Filename:
phonological_awareness
Directory:
C:\Documents and Settings \helpdesk\My Documents\Cook
Template:
C:\Documents and Settings \helpdesk\Application
Data\Microsoft\Templates\Normal.dot
Title:
Phonological Awareness
Subject:
Author:
Administrator
Keywords:
Comments:
Creation Date:
3/23/2003 3:12 PM
Change Number:
2
Last Saved On:
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Last Saved By:
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Total Editing Time: 3 Minutes
Last Printed On:
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As of Last Complete Printing
Number of Pages: 33
Number of Words:
7,351 (approx.)
Number of Characters: 41,903 (approx.)