Environmental Play Cards
Sound Sorting
1. Tell students you are going to be making two sounds.
• The sounds might be the same sound or they might be different.
2. After hearing the two sounds, students say “same” or “different.”
• Environmental Sound ideas: knocking, whistling, tapping, popping, clapping
• Word “sound” ideas: cot/cab; bat/bat; cloud/dog
• Sound ideas: /p/ and /p/; /t/ and /b/
Wall Cards
LETTER/SOUND MARCH
1. Place a few wall cards on the floor, forming a circle.
2. Have students walk around cards while music plays.
3. Students stop when music stops and say their sound or letter aloud when called on or pointed to.
Wall Cards
WACKY WORDS
1. Hold up any wall card.
2. Ask students to list words that begin with that sound.
3. Challenge students to create an alliterative sentence or phrase using the target sound. (Example: Penny the Penguin picks petunias for her pal Peter.)
Rhyming
I’M YOUR RHYME
Segmenting MUSICAL BEAT
1. Play instrumental music for the class.
• Other options: drumbeat, water dripping, read nursery rhyme
2. Have students tap thumb or fingers to the beat in the music.
1. Choose two students to stand at the front of the group.
2. Whisper a word to each student and ask them to remember it.
3. Give a remaining student a word out loud. This student asks the two students at the front if he/she “is their rhyme.”
4. Students at the front respond, “Not this time” or “I’m your rhyme.”
Rhyming/Alliteration
NAME GAMES
During transition times, engage students in rhyme play using their names.
• “Line up when you hear a word that rhymes with your name.”
– “rake” – Jake lines up
– “silly” – Millie lines up
– “truly” – Julie lines up
– “okay” – José lines up Also consider using alliteration.
• “Line up if the words in my silly sentence have the same first sound as your name.”
– Amy the ape wears an apron in A sia.
– Jumpy Janeen jokes about jelly.
Beginning Sound Isolation
SOUND WALL
Begin creating a sound wall with clip art and photographs.
1. Select an anchor image for each sound. Wall cards are a great option if the letter is covered.
2. Under each anchor image, begin to assemble words that begin with the same sound (snail and circus both belong under the /s/).
3. Add student faces to the wall for each sound (e.g., José goes under /h/; Patricia goes under /p/).
4. Add photographs of important places around the classroom and school (carpet = /k/; playground = /p/; kitchen area = /k/).
Beginning Sound Isolation/ Rhyming
SHOW AND TELL
During Show and Tell, model Beginning Sound Isolation and/or Rhyming.
Option 1: /j/, Joey brought a /t/, teddy /b/, bear today!
Option 2: Joey brought a teddy bear and it has brown hair! I hear similar sounds in bear and hair. Do you hear them? They rhyme!
Beginning Sound Isolation
I SPY!
• “I spy something (object in the room) that begins with the /p/ sound.” (e.g., pencils, paper, posters, etc.)
• “I spy something…”:
– on the playground
– on my lunch plate
– in the hallway
– on the board
– in the kitchen
Beginning Sound Isolation
FIRST SOUND FUN
1. Demonstrate Beginning Sound Isolation all throughout your day.
• Student names: /j/, John; /d/, Devon; /s/, Sebastian
• Activities: /k/, calendar time; /s/, circle time; /r/, recess; /l/, lunch
• Places: /p/, playground; /t/, table; /k/, carpet
Blending and Segmenting
SENTENCE STOMP
1. Say a complete sentence or phrase.
2. Demonstrate how to take one step for each part.
3. Repeat the whole sentence or phrase at the end.
4. Ask the students to join you in this process.
* Ideal on the playground or in the gym *
Blending and Segmenting
ALL ABOARD!
1. Choose one student to line up for each word in the sentence or phrase as the “train cars.”
2. Choose one extra student (or the rest of the class) to be the “caboose” at the end to say the entire sentence or phrase.
3. Teacher (“conductor”) says a complete sentence or phrase.
4. Each “train car” then says one part and the “caboose” blends it all back together for a complete sentence or phrase.
Blending
BLENDING TELEPHONE
1. Choose two students to stand side by side.
2. Whisper one part of the word (compound word or syllable) to each “telephone student.”
3. Students say their word parts aloud in the order given.
4. The rest of the class blends the word to make the new word.
5. Telephone students confirm if the class was correct.
Letter Identification
LETTER HUNT
1. This game is well suited to be played after each Name That Sound activity, beginning in Unit 6.
2. Display one of the unit’s target letters.
3. Students hunt around their environment for that letter on signs, posters, book covers, name labels, morning message, etc. and report back to the class in a sort of show and tell.
4. Either have all students hunt for each letter individually, or divide the class into four groups with each group hunting for one of the target letters for the unit.