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Maybel Avila

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Blending and Segmenting Individual Phonemes

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Make a Rhyme, Make a Move | Rhyming Words | Jack Hartmann

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I Love to Rhyme | English Song for Kids | Rhyming for Children | Jack Hartmann

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Segmenting and Blending Sounds - Phase 1 Phonics

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Phonological Awareness - Blending Onset and Rime - Australian Accent - Objects

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blending and segmenting individual phoneme

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Let's Learn SEGMENTING WORDS {Phonemic Awareness}

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Songs and fingerplays are essential when it comes to how to teach rhyming to children. Here are some of our favorite fingerplays and rhyming songs for kids.

Related: Why is Rhyming Important?

"Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere. Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share."

I don't know about you, but I have simple songs for almost everything related to teaching preschool and kindergarten. Chances are, if you're a parent or a teacher of young kids, you do too.

For that matter, chances are you also get kids' songs stuck in your head at random points of the day. Maybe you even wake up with them in your head or sing them in the shower. Or is that just me?

What's so Great About Rhyming Songs?

There's a reason songs get stuck in our heads. The rhythm, rhyme, and repetitive structures of these songs appeal to the way our brains work.

(If you're wondering how to get an "earworm" out of your head, this was an interesting read and had a good suggestion.)

As NAEYC explains,

Music includes rhythm and rhyme, again, part of our language. In time, babies will recognize rhymes and rhythms.

Since our brains are hardwired to respond to music and rhyme, songs and poems and fingerplays help a lot when it comes to learning. And that applies to kids of all ages!

Each of the favorites listed below helps expose children to language and manipulating the sounds within words.

Plus, the rhythm of songs and fingerplays help kids' brains to remember the nuances of words.

And don't forget that they're FUN and engaging . . . which means the children are much more likely to remember them.
Related: Rhyming Books Kids Love
Fingerplays for Preschoolers

I feel like I need to warn you that these are how I do some of our favorite fingerplays.

If you talk to twenty preschool teachers, you'll probably get twenty different versions of these fingerplays and poems.

In the end, they're still basically the same though. There are rhyming words, repetitive phrases, and simple movements.

So don't worry if your versions are a little different than mine. More importantly, the kiddos won't mind one bit!

Five Green and Speckled Frogs

Five green and speckled frogs (hold up 5 fingers on right hand)

Sat on a speckled log (place left arm parallel to the ground, with right hand above it and fingers waving)

Eating some most delicious bugs.

Yum! Yum! (rub belly)

One jumped into the pool (hold up 1 finger)

Where it was nice and cool (pretend to swim)

Then there were 4 green, speckled frogs (hold up 4 waving fingers)

Glub. Glub.
Repeat until there are no more "frogs" left.
Here's a version by The Kiboomers:

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

You can't have a list of preschool rhyming songs and fingerplays without this one!

The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the waterspout. (Use fingers as a climbing spider)

Down came the rain and washed the spider out. (Bring fingers down as rain, then spread hands for "out")

Out came the sun and dried up all the rain. (Hold arms above head in a sun shape)

And the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again. (Use fingers as a climbing spider)

Here's a version of The Eensy Weensy Spider from Super Simple Songs:

Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree

Five little monkeys swinging in a tree. (Place an arm up like a monkey tail hanging from a tree)

Teasing Mr. Alligator, "You can't catch me!" (Make silly faces)

Along comes Mr. Alligator, quiet as can be. (Place palms together, moving them back and forth as if swimming)

And SNAPS that monkey right out of that tree. (Clap hands together like an alligator's jaws)
Repeat until no more monkeys are left.
Here's a video version from The Kiboomers:

Open and Shut Them

This little tune is often used during transitions, especially when getting the kiddos settled for group or circle time.

You can check out Nancy Kopman's version here:
Related: Simple Rhyming Games for Preschoolers
Awesome Rhyming Songs for Kids

Again, these are some of my favorite rhyming songs for kids. I've used them with preschoolers, kindergartners, and elementary children.

There are so many amazing artists out there, but the ones I've listed below are the consistent favorites with the children I've taught over the years.

Rhyming with Jack Hartmann

The first artist that always comes to mind is Jack Hartmann! He has a lot of silly, fun, movable music for teaching children a variety of topics.

When it comes to rhyming, though, I LOVE Rhymin' to the Beat, Volume 1 and Rhymin' to the Beat, Volume 2.

They contain wonderful nursery rhymes done in different musical genres.

"Humpty Dumpty" is a favorite:

As is this rocked-out version of "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep":

And we can't leave the song "I Love to Rhyme" off of our list of rhyming songs:

Raffi's Rhyming Preschool Songs

Next up is Raffi's CD Singable Songs for the Very Young.

It has a variety of rhyming songs that my students have always loved.

Each group of my students seems to love when I make up my own versions of his "Willoughby Wallaby Woo" by including their names!

Here's The Kiboomers' version of that song, but you definitely need to listen to the original too!

"Mr. Sun" is another beloved favorite from Raffi:

And you cannot possibly forget the classic "Down By the Bay":

Dr. Jean's Rhyming Songs for Kids

Dr. Jean has a ton of kids' music available.

I think Dr. Jean Sings Silly Songs is full of fun rhyming songs for preschool and kindergarten kids.

You can check out Dr. Jean's website for more information about her.

Here's "Katalina Matalina":

Here's "Tiny Time the Turtle", a simply but fun rhyming song for the kids:

And of course "Over in the Meadow":

Here you can see a few of her fingerplays (but be sure to check out some of her awesome kids' music albums for more):

The Laurie Berkner Band

Another album that the kids and I love is from The Laurie Berkner Band.

As with the other artists on this list, pretty much everything by this group is awesome. My absolute favorite, though, is The Best of the Laurie Berkner Band.

When it comes to rhyming songs for kids, I highly recommend "We Are the Dinosaurs" . . . and so do the children!

"Victor Vito" is another one of our favorite rhyming songs for preschoolers:

And let's not forget "I'm Gonna Catch You":

Rhyming Songs from Greg & Steve

My last recommendation for rhyming music is Greg & Steve's Playing Favorites.

They feature classic songs with fun melodies that kids of all ages always seem to enjoy! "Down By the Bay" gets the kids singing in no time.

Here's the classic rhyming song for kids, "This Old Man" from Greg and Steve:

Even More Rhyming Songs

At your request, I found a few more videos of rhyming songs to share with the children.

You can find them below. Keep in mind, they're songs that you probably already know! (The rhyming topic appears to have affected my writing! 😉 )

"I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" from The Learning Station

"Once I Caught a Fish Alive" from LooLoo Kids

"Five Little Ducks" from Super Simple Songs

"Opposites" from Heidi

What are some of your favorite fingerplays and rhyming songs for preschool and kindergarten kids?

Preschool Teacher Resources

If you're looking for a way to save time planning (and what teacher isn't?!), pop over to Preschool Teacher 101. We have thematic lesson plans, math and STEM activities, and literacy activities . . . all done for you! For even more savings, be sure to take a look at our membership options.

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The Best Rhyming Songs and Fingerplays for Kids

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Songs and fingerplays are essential when it comes to how to teach rhyming to children. Here are some of our favorite fingerplays and rhyming songs for kids. Related: Why is Rhyming Important? "Clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere. Clean up, clean up, everybody do your share."

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Source of Image

Sentence segmentation is the analysis of texts based on sentences. In NLP analysis, we either analyze the text data based on meaningful words which is tokens or we analyze them based on sentences . To split the data to its main components i.e tokens we can do that through spaCy library as follows:

To follow with python code, please click on my Github.

As we see above, I split my text into tokens which are words, punctuations, and symbols by using the '.text' ,but If I want to split my text into sentences. I will use '.sents' generator as follows:

So as we can see, spaCy recognizes the end of each sentence and splits the above text by using the period symbol '.' as a sentence splitter.

To check if a specific word is the start of the sentence, there is an attribute in spaCy 'is_sent_start' that can test if the index of specific word is the start of the sentence or not as follows:

As we have seen previously that the index of the token 'jewelry' is 7 and when we check if the word 'jewelry' is the start of the sentence, spacy is able to recognize it and give it a true validation. But what about if I choose a different word that has an index of 5 for example. This word is 'high',how spaCy recognize this word as a start of the sentence or not?

Actually, spaCy recognized the word 'high' as a non-start of a sentence.But what about specifying the sentence index, can we say doc1.sents[0]? Let's see it in python:

As we see above, it gives me an error because 'sents' is a generator object and is not a list. To solve the problem, we simply say ' list(doc1.sents)[0]', as follows:

With including the 'sents' generator into a list, I was able to slice my text and collect the sentences according to its index place holder.

To see the above text as a list of sentences, it is better to use list comprehension as follows:

Above, my text was split into sentences because of 'sents' generators, and the sentences are elements of a list because of list comprehension. Now, I can collect the index of the start and end of any sentence of my text through start and end attributes as follows:

As we noticed above the first sentence starts at index zero with the token 'Online' and ends at index '7' which is the token 'Jewelry' which is the start of the next sentence and it is not a part of the first sentence. But what about the sentence ends with semi colon ';' ,can spaCy recognize the sentences? In other words, is there a way to customize my sentence analysis by choosing the type of a sentence splitter? Well, this possible.

When we process our document in spaCy as NLP object, there is a track of pipeline that the text is followed. It starts with tokenizer as a main step which is tokenizing the text into tokens, then it follows with a tagger which is giving tags to the words. These tags are actually defining the part of speech (POS) of each word on the text. The next step on the processing pipeline is the passer which is determining the relationship between the words(dependency).Then the step of entity recognizer which is determining the proper nouns of entities such as persons, organizations, countries,..etc. This track of nlp pipeline for processing the text is actually a default pipeline in which we can interfere and customize it with the track that fits our need.Each step of this track return the document, and it can be performed independently.

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Sentence segmentation is the analysis of texts based on sentences. In NLP analysis, we either analyze the text data based on meaningful words which is tokens or we analyze them based on sentences ...

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Segmenting Phonemes | Phonemic Awareness Song

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Sentence Segmenting Practice |  Phonological Awareness Activities

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Chim, Chimmy Chimpanzee - Sentence Segmentation

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Segmenting Phonemes | Phonemic Awareness Game

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Onsets and Rimes | Set 4 | Initial and Final Blends | Jack Hartmann

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Blending is the process of combining sounds together to create a word. For example, the word cat is made up of three sounds /c/-/a/-/t/ together these sounds produce the spoken word cat. Segmenting is the process of breaking a word down into its individual sounds. For example the word cat is made up of three sounds. You can break it down into its three sounds /c/-/a/-/t/. These sounds are referred to as phonemes, which are individual sounds. For example, the word cat is made up of 3 phonemes.

Foundational Skills

Both blending and segmenting are important reading and writing foundations. To read or decode a word, the reader must determine the letter(s) individual sound (phoneme) and blend these sounds together to read a word (Reading Rockets). To spell a word, an individual must break the word down into its sounds and then determine the letter(s) associated with the sound(s).

What makes blending and segmenting important?

Blending and segmenting are phonological awareness skills, which is the process of understanding that words are made up sounds and that those sounds work together to create words (Reading Rockets). Phonological awareness should be taught explicitly and is oftentimes a predictor of reading success. To learn how to read and spell, children must learn that words and language are made up of sounds and that those sounds are paired with letters that also match the sounds in speech (Adams, 1998 p. 1-2). Blending and segmenting are only a part of phonological awareness and there are many more skills that come before learning how to blend and segment such as recognizing and creating the spoken rhymes and blending and segmenting syllables (Reading Rockets). This blog focuses on the skills blending and segmenting.

Teaching your child to blend and segment sounds

Blending individual sounds (phonemes) together is a skill that children learn through modeling, guidance, and practice. When teaching a child how to blend, start with sounds and ask the child to blend the sounds together to create a word. Begin by using simple words with two to three sounds. For example, the individual sounds /c/-/a/-/t/ are blended together to create the spoken word cat. When engaging the child in blending practice, include a brief pause in between sounds so that the child understands that these individual sounds create a word. Here is an example video explaining the concept. When first teaching the child how to blend sounds, start with words that only have two to three sounds. Wait to progress to words with 4 sounds until you see that the child is consistently and confidently blending words with three sounds. There is no need to rush; you may find that this skill takes time and the child benefits from further guidance and practice. Physical representation can also help your child better understand how sounds blend together to create a spoken word. Consider using blocks, Legos, counters, or game pieces to represent the individual sounds (phonemes) and blending them together (Adams, 1998 p.71).

When teaching the child how to segment, begin by modeling how words are made up of individual sounds (phonemes) and that these sounds can be broken apart. As mentioned with blending, use simple words with two to three sounds to get started. Model how spoken words are made up of sounds. For example, the word cat is made up of three sounds, /c/-/a/-/t/. When engaging the child in segmenting practice, provide a brief pause between each sound so that the child understands these are individual sounds. Consider using the pound-tap-pound strategy as a way to show the child how a word can be separated into sounds. Watch a video modeling this strategy by clicking this link. If the child finds this to be somewhat difficult, continue to provide guidance and practice to help the child learn this skill. Using physical representation such as your fingers, blocks, counters, and Legos to show the child how words can be broken apart into their individual sounds (Adams, 1998 p.71). Continue this practice using simple words with only two to three sounds until you see that the child is confidently and consistently segmenting words with two to three sounds. Then, consider including words with 4 sounds.

ways to practice blending and segmenting with your child

Implementing blending and segmenting practice can become a part of your reading or reading instruction routine. Exercises that last only a few minutes can help the child create a strong foundation in blending and segmenting. Blending exercises can consist of an adult asking the child to blend sounds to create words. For example, you might say, "What word is made up of these sounds, /m/-/a/-/p/?" (repeat 2xs) The child would respond by blending the sounds together to create the spoken word, map. You can repeat this exercise by continuing to provide words with three sounds. It can be helpful for you to think of words that rhyme so that you can continue to come up with practice.

When practicing segmenting, use the pound-tap-pound strategy (as referred to above) to guide the child in segmenting a spoken word into its sounds. Before asking the child to segment a word, it can be very helpful to first model how to segment several words. For example, you might say,"I am going to break the word map down into its sounds /m/-/a/-/p/ there are three sounds in the word, map." After modeling a few examples, ask the child to begin practicing. For example, you might say, "Now it's your turn to break a word down into its sounds. Can you break the word tap into its sounds?" If the child shows that they need assistance, guide them and utilize the pound-tap-pound strategy to help the child visualize the number of sounds in the word.

Making learning fun

Incorporating imaginative play can make blending and segmenting engaging! Click the link for a butterfly finger puppet template. The child can create a butterfly finger puppet to help them blend and segment words. After the child has created the finger puppet, begin asking them to blend individual sounds (phonemes) to create words. Tell the child that their butterfly puppet is going to create words. For example, you might say, "Can you and your butterfly create a word from these sounds, /n/-/a/-/p/? (repeat 2xs) Then, the child might respond by pretending their finger puppet is saying the word nap.

This finger puppet can also be used to segment and tap the individual sounds (phonemes) in a word. For example, you might say, "Can you and your butterfly say and tap the sounds in a word that I say aloud? Say and tap the sounds in the word sit." The child might respond by segmenting the word and tapping the puppet as they say the sounds /s/-/i/-/t/.

Play a guess the word game to engage your child in blending sounds. Lay out picture cards of simple words such as: tree, bee, cat, mat, bell, shell, rake, cake. Explain to the child that you are going to say sounds aloud and that they must put those sounds together to create a word. Explain to the child that after you say the sounds, they must create the word and find the matching card (Reading Rockets). Say, "Okay, I am going to say some sounds aloud and you must blend those sounds together to create a word. Then, see if you can find a picture of that word. Let's get started. What word is made up of these sounds, /b/-/e/-/l/?" The child might respond by saying, "Bell!" and pointing to the picture of the word.

References

M. J. Adams, B. R. Foorman, I. Lundberg, & Beeler, T. (1998) Phonemic Awareness in Young Children

Blending and Segmenting Games, Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/blending_games

Phonological and Phonemic Awareness, Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading-basics/phonemic

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Blending and Segmenting - Cultivating Literacy

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Blending is the process of combining sounds together to create a word. Segmenting is the process of breaking a word down into its individual sounds. Both blending and segmenting are important reading and writing foundations.

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Onsets and Rimes | Set 1 | Digraphs | Jack Hartmann blending consonant digraphs

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Blending syllables into words | Learn about words and sounds | Learning videos for toddlers