Phonics Activities |
Phonics Strategies
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Phonics is a method of teaching that maps phonemes(sounds) to graphemes(letters). Its matching of sound to symbol. This is where children start to decode. It is different from phonemic awareness because we add letters to represent sounds. Phonics is situational because of the many "situations" in which letters may make different and appropriate sounds depending on where a letter is used. Phonics instruction is focused on the understanding of letter-sound correspondences and spelling patterns and the understanding of how to apply this knowledge to reading and spelling. Reading Rockets provides information that will help you further your understanding of phonics on their website, http://www.readingrockets.org/article/phonics-instruction.
Activity One: Blending Boards
Blending is important in phonics because it guides students to make smooth connections between sounds and letters. Once students are comfortable with some consonants and vowels, we are able to teach them how to blend those sounds into meaningful words. A blending board his helpful for students to be able to blend words together. To have a blending board you have to make blending CVC word cards like in the picture shown. The beginning blending card is an onset with an arrow pointing to the right at the bottom, and the ending blending card is a rime, such as /am/, with a line with a period at the end to show students that is where the words sounds end. There are many options for CVC word cards that can be interchangeable. This is a great phonics activity to help students learn to blend sounds together to form words because the arrow shows the student that the onset isn't the end because it pushes directly into the rime. Young children learn best when they can see an activity, and blending boards allows that visual representation.
A teacher named Julie Vanalst has a blog page that helps further explain using blending boards during small group instruction. On her blog she also has a video that walks you through how to use blending boards and also has a free download of the blending cards that she uses in the video. I highly recommend looking at her blog at http://blog.maketaketeach.com/using-blending-boards-during-small-group-instruction/.
A teacher named Julie Vanalst has a blog page that helps further explain using blending boards during small group instruction. On her blog she also has a video that walks you through how to use blending boards and also has a free download of the blending cards that she uses in the video. I highly recommend looking at her blog at http://blog.maketaketeach.com/using-blending-boards-during-small-group-instruction/.
Activity retrieved from: www.pinterest.com
Original Author: http://blog.maketaketeach.com/teaching-students-to-blend-words/#_
Picture From: http://blog.maketaketeach.com/teaching-students-to-blend-words/#_
Original Author: http://blog.maketaketeach.com/teaching-students-to-blend-words/#_
Picture From: http://blog.maketaketeach.com/teaching-students-to-blend-words/#_
Activity Two: Making Words Lessons
Making Words is a great activity for students to help further their development in phonics. During this activity children are having fun making words while also getting the benefit of learning information about phonics and spelling. In Phonics they Use, Cunningham (2013) says "as children manipulate the letters to make the words, they learn how small changes, such as changing just one letter or moving the letters around, result in completely new words. Children learn to stretch out words and listen for the sounds they hear and the order of those sounds. When you change the first letter, you also change the sound you hear at the beginning of the word. Likewise, when you change the last letter, you change the sound you hear at the end of the word". At the beginning of a Making Words activity, the teacher thinks of a "secret word" and uses the letters in that word for students to use to make words. In my lesson the "secret word" was halloween. The letters are written on separate index cards so they are easy to move together to make new words.
The making words lesson has three parts and is a great way for students to get to have fun while making words and developing their phonics and spelling skills further. This activity can also be altered to support ELL very simply by just adding pictures to show when saying the words or definitions. I've attached my lesson below for an example of the Making Words Lesson and also to how to create this lesson to support ELL students with pictures. ELL students are able to learn phonics, and vocabulary and letters in context through visual representations. This activity is a good way to show students how to manipulate words to see patterns without having to physically write every word.
The making words lesson has three parts and is a great way for students to get to have fun while making words and developing their phonics and spelling skills further. This activity can also be altered to support ELL very simply by just adding pictures to show when saying the words or definitions. I've attached my lesson below for an example of the Making Words Lesson and also to how to create this lesson to support ELL students with pictures. ELL students are able to learn phonics, and vocabulary and letters in context through visual representations. This activity is a good way to show students how to manipulate words to see patterns without having to physically write every word.
Activity retrieved from: Phonics They Use: Words for Reading and Writing by Patrica M. Cunningham.
Picture From: www.google.com
Picture From: www.google.com
Making Words Lesson Plan and Variations | |
File Size: | 416 kb |
File Type: | docx |