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Learn about rhyming and play games with your favorite PBS KIDS characters like Super Why, Elmo, and WordGirl!

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Learning words that rhyme can be a fun and engaging way to improve your vocabulary, language skills, and phonological awareness. Rhyming words share similar sounds at the end of the word, which can help with pronunciation and creative writing. Here are some examples of words that rhyme:

Remember that these are just a few examples, and there are countless rhyming words in the English language. You can explore rhyming dictionaries or engage in activities like reading poetry, singing songs, or playing word games to expand your repertoire of rhyming words.

In the game Words that Rhyme, young learners are introduced to the concept of rhyming and learn to build sounds and word relationships. Specifically, the children will be looking for end rhymes, with three pairs of rhyming words on each screen. Rhyming is an important skill to master, as it sharpens auditory awareness and heightens a child's ability to play with words and use them with more precision.
Once you click through the OK button to begin playing the game, it takes you through the brief instructions, which encourages you to look for three pairs of rhyming words on each page. Pictures show up on the screen with words at the bottom of each like digital flashcards. If the child does not know the word, they simply press the auditory button on the left of each word and it will be read aloud to them. Locate two rhyming words on the screen, and click once on each to pair them up as a correct rhyme.
Once you click a correct pair, the narrator will announce that A rhymes with B, and whisk the cards away. Incorrect matches get a slightly harsh sound and a "This is incorrect." statement. A timer does continuously tick up as you play, bringing more and more screens of matching rhyming words. The words begin simply, with only three letter simple words being used, but it quickly amps up with each subsequent screen if they are able to handle it. Learning rhyming skills is an essential skill to have and can be practiced here while employing other senses along with it.

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Rhyming Words | Rhyming Words For Kids | Phonics Games | Turtle Diary

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Partners in Rhyme is an online game for young toddlers about rhyming words. It helps them build sound and word relationships. In this game, kids get a set of words,

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By: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation

Learning to read begins well before the first day of school. When Ron and Donna tell nursery rhymes to their baby, Mia, they are beginning to teach Mia to read. They are helping her to hear the similarities and differences in the sounds of words. She will begin to manipulate and understand sounds in spoken language, and she will practice this understanding by making up rhymes and new words of her own. She will learn the names of the letters and she will learn the different sounds each letter represents. As she gets a little older, Ron and Donna will teach her to write letters and numbers that she will already recognize by their shapes. Finally, she will associate the letters of the alphabet with the sounds of the words she uses when she speaks. At this point, she is on her way to learning to read!

When she tries to read books with her parents, at school, and on her own, Mia will learn how to learn new words by sounding them out. With more practice, she will begin to recognize familiar words easily and quickly, and she will know the patterns of spelling that appear in words and the patterns of words as they appear in sentences. She will be able to pay attention not just to the letters and words, but to the meanings they represent. Ultimately, Mia will be able to think about the meaning of the text as she reads.

Where does phonological awareness fit into this process?

Key to the process of learning to read is Mia's ability to identify the different sounds that make words and to associate these sounds with written words. In order to learn to read, Mia must be aware of phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest functional unit of sound. For example, the word cat contains three distinctly different sounds. There are 44 phonemes in the English language, including letter combinations such as /th/.

In addition to identifying these sounds, Mia must also be able to manipulate them. Word play involving segmenting words into their constituent sounds, rhyming words, and blending sounds to make words is also essential to the reading process. The ability to identify and manipulate the sounds of language is called phonological awareness.

Adams (1990) described five levels of phonological awareness ranging from an awareness of rhyme to being able to switch or substitute the components in a word. While phonological awareness affects early reading ability, the ability to read also increases phonological awareness (Smith, Simmons, & Kameenui, 1995).

Many children with learning disabilities have deficiencies in their ability to process phonological information. Thus, they do not readily learn how to relate letters of the alphabet to the sounds of language (Lyon, 1995). For all students, the processes of phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness, must be explicitly taught.

Children from culturally diverse backgrounds may have particular difficulties with phonological awareness. Exposure to language at home, exposure to reading at an early age, and dialect all affect the ability of children to understand the phonological distinctions on which the English language is built. Teachers must apply sensitive effort and use a variety of techniques to help children learn these skills when standard English is not spoken at home (Lyon, 1994).

How is phonological awareness taught?

To teach phonological awareness, begin by demonstrating the relationships of parts to wholes. Then model and demonstrate how to segment short sentences into individual words, showing how the sentence is made up of words. Use chips or other manipulatives to represent the number of words in the sentence. Once the students understand part-whole relationships at the sentence level, move on to the word level, introducing multisyllable words for segmentation into syllables. Finally, move to phoneme tasks by modeling a specific sound and asking the students to produce that sound both in isolation and in a variety of words and syllables.

It is best to begin with easier words and then move on to more difficult ones. Five characteristics make a word easier or more difficult (Kameenui, 1995):

1. The size of the phonological unit (e.g., it is easier to break sentences into words and words into syllables than to break syllables into phonemes).

2. The number of phonemes in the word (e.g., it is easier to break phonemically short words such as no, see and cap than snort, sleep or scrap).

3. Phoneme position in words (e.g., initial consonants are easier than final consonants and middle consonants are most difficult).

4. Phonological properties of words (e.g., continuant such as /s/ and /m/ are easier than very brief sounds such as /t/).

5. Phonological awareness challenges. (e.g., rhyming and initial phoneme identification are easier than blending and segmenting.)

Examples of phonological awareness tasks include phoneme deletion ("What word would be left if the /k/ sound were taken away from cat?"); Word to word matching ("Do pen and pipe begin with the same sound?"); Blending ("What word would we have if we blended these sounds together: /m/ /o/ /p/?"); phoneme segmentation ("What sounds do you hear in the word hot?"); phoneme counting ("How many sounds do you hear in the word cake?"); and rhyming ("Tell me all of the words that you know that rhyme with the word cat?") (Stanovich, 1994).

Beginning readers require more direct instructional support from teachers in the early stages of teaching. This is illustrated in the following example: The teacher models the sound or the strategy for making the sound, and has the children use the strategy to produce the sound. It is very important that the teacher model the correct sounds. This is done using several examples for each dimension and level of difficulty. The children are prompted to use the strategy during guided practice and more difficult examples are introduced. A sequence and schedule of opportunities for children to apply and develop facility with sounds should be tailored to each child's needs, and should be given top priority. Opportunities to engage in phonological awareness activities should be plentiful, frequent, and fun (Kameenui, 1995).
References
References

Adams, M.J. (1990) Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Kameenui, E.J. (Winter, 1996). Shakespeare and beginning reading: The readiness is all. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 27 (2).

Lyon, G. R. (1995). Toward a definition of dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 45, 3-27.

Lyon, G.R. (1994). Research In Learning Disabilities at the NICHD. Technical document. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

Smith, S.B., Simmons, D.C., & Kameenui, E.J. (February, 1995). Synthesis of research on phonological awareness: Principles and implications for reading acquisition. (Technical Report no. 21, National Center to Improve the Tools of Education). Eugene: University of Oregon.

Stanovich, K.E. (1994). Romance and reality. The Reading Teacher, 47, 280-291.

A companion digest, #E539, and a companion ERIC minibibliography are available on request. ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced and disseminated. This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. RR93002005. The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the Department of Education.

The ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, The Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive Reston, VA 22091

ERIC Digest #E540 December 1995

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Beginning Reading and Phonological Awareness for Students with Learning Disabilities

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LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children will find authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading difficulties, speech and related disorders.

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Rhyme is a super-worthwhile skill for children, and whether you have 2 minutes or 20, you can always find some way of sneaking in some fun rhyme games!

What is rhyme, and why is it so important? Rhyme is the repetition of certain sounds in two or more words, such as cat and bat, bear and stare, and broke and joke. And rhyme is important because it helps kids to develop phonological awareness-or their ability to hear, identify, and manipulate sounds in words. We really need kids to be able to hear sounds in words so that they will be able to read words on the page down the road.

So what are the 3 best rhyme games for kids? Take a look:

1. Rhyme Challenge: Whether you are in the car, walking home from school, or sitting poolside, Rhyme Challenge is an easy game that requires no set-up, clean-up, or materials whatsoever. We often play it in the car or sometimes even at the dinner table.

For Rhyme Challenge, one person chooses a word and says, I challenge you to think of as many rhymes as you can for "cat" (or any word). And the next player says as many words as he can that rhyme with that word. Both players keep count. I try to model saying the given word with the rhyming word so my little ones stay on track with rhymes (Cat, bat. Cat, hat. Cat, mat. . . ), but this isn't necessary for older kids.

My kids love any challenge, so adding rhyme to the mix just ups the fun - and the learning.

Also try:

Having one person choose a word then take turns saying just one rhyming word, one right after the other.

Speed rounds," where we yell out rhyming words as fast as we can. Or, you can do "slow rounds" - it really depends on the day.

2. Rhyme Any Time: Sometimes I'll pull out the magnetic letters and put a word on the refrigerator, like "cat" or "top" or "bake." Then, any time I'm in the kitchen-making lunches, cooking dinner, whenever-and a child wanders in, I'll say "Hit me with a rhyme on the fridge." And from there, we have a quick rhyme game.

Depending on the child, I may say:

How many words can you create that rhyme with the word on the fridge?

Let's say all of the rhyme words together.

Now you choose a starting word, and we'll rhyme with yours.

Let's make some sentences using as many of those rhyme words as we can.

Making solid comparisons like this-and isolating individual sounds this way-is a great way of developing phonological awareness for little ears.

3. Rhyme Go Fish!: Rhyme Go Fish! is just like the old Go Fish! game we all love, except that this version uses rhyme words on cards.

This game is great for emerging readers who already have a handful of sight words and early word families down.

To play Rhyme Go Fish! all of the cards are placed in the "pond" and each player takes five cards. After checking to see if anyone has any rhyming pairs, the game begins.

Player one asks the player to his left, Do you have a word that rhymes with "men?" Player two reads her words and determines whether she has a match or not. If she does, she hands it to the first player. If not, she says, Nope! Go Fish! Play continues until the first player has no cards in his hand.

What rhyme games does your family like to play? Share your thoughts on the Scholastic Parents Facebook page, or find me on Twitter @teachmama, and let's continue the conversation!
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Check out bloggers Amy Mascott and Allie McDonald's book, Raising a Rock-Star Reader: 75 Quick Tips for Helping Your Child Develop a Lifelong Love for Reading. Get expert advice and learn new strategies for your young readers.

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Make any time a good time for rhyme games.

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What are accommodations?

Accommodations are alterations in the way tasks are presented that allow children with learning disabilities to complete the same assignments as other students. Accommodations do not alter the content of assignments, give students an unfair advantage or in the case of assessments, change what a test measures. They do make it possible for students with LD to show what they know without being impeded by their disability.

How does a child receive accommodations?

Once a child has been formally identified with a learning disability, the child or parent may request accommodations for that child's specific needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act states that a child's IEP (Individualized Education Program) team - which both parent and child are a part of - must decide which accommodations are appropriate for him or her. Any appropriate accommodations should be written into a student's IEP.

Here are some examples of possible accommodations for an IEP team to consider, broken into six categories:

Presentation:

Provide on audio tape

Provide in large print

Reduce number of items per page or line

Provide a designated reader

Present instructions orally

Response:

Allow for verbal responses

Allow for answers to be dictated to a scribe

Allow the use of a tape recorder to capture responses

Permit responses to be given via computer

Permit answers to be recorded directly into test booklet

Timing:

Allow frequent breaks

Extend allotted time for a test

Setting:

Provide preferential seating

Provide special lighting or acoustics

Provide a space with minimal distractions

Administer a test in small group setting

Administer a test in private room or alternative test site

Test Scheduling

Administer a test in several timed sessions or over several days

Allow subtests to be taken in a different order

Administer a test at a specific time of day

Other

Provide special test preparation

Provide on-task/focusing prompts

Provide any reasonable accommodation that a student needs that does not fit under the existing categories

Should accommodations have an impact on how assignments are graded?

School assignments and tests completed with accommodations should be graded the same way as those completed without accommodations. After all, accommodations are meant to "level the playing field," provide equal and ready access to the task at hand, and not meant to provide an undue advantage to the user.

What if accommodations don't seem to be helping?

Selecting and monitoring the effectiveness of accommodations should be an ongoing process, and changes (with involvement of students, parents and educators) should be made as often as needed. The key is to be sure that chosen accommodations address students' specific areas of need and facilitate the demonstration of skill and knowledge.

To find specific technology for particular accommodations, go to Tech Matrix . Choose a subject area and /or a learning support need. The matrix will generate a list of products to consider.

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individuals with disabilities education act

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The National Center for Learning Disabilities presents examples of accommodations that allow students with learning disabilities to show what they know without giving them an unfair advantage. Accommodations are divided into the following categories: how information is presented to the student, how the student can respond, timing of tests and lessons, the learning environment, and test scheduling.

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Alphabats - Rhyming Words is a fun word game that helps students practice phonemic awareness. Kids click on the bats’ bellies to hear the words, then match the words with rhyming sounds. After matching 6 words correctly, players get to help the bats collect fireflies.

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Rhyming Picture Books + FREE Downloadable List

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If you’re looking for the best rhyming picture books, you’re in the right spot! Our library list makes it easy to incorporate rhyming into read-aloud time.

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Available on
Step-by-Step Learning Path

"Love the progressive activities! I don't have to take the time to search for activities for my 3-year-old, and my 5-year-old just follows along when she's playing by herself... So I know everyone's doing the right things for their ages!" -Crystal, mother of 3- and 5-year-old girls
computers, tablets, and smartphones!

The Reading Curriculum Includes:

Uppercase and lowercase letter recognition

Phonics

Rhyming words and word families

More than 450 books and beginning readers

Sentence structure

Parts of speech

ABCmouse.com's reading curriculum spans the entire range of early reading, from learning the names of each letter and the sounds they represent to being able to read books, starting with a few words on a page and gradually advancing to paragraphs.

The curriculum for first grade also includes writing and language skills, such as sentence structure and punctuation, parts of speech, and practice with writing genres.

ABCmouse.com's reading curriculum spans the entire range of early reading, from learning the names of each letter and the sounds they represent to being able to read books, starting with a few words on a page and gradually advancing to paragraphs.

The curriculum for first grade also includes writing and language skills, such as sentence structure and punctuation, parts of speech, and practice with writing genres.

The Math Curriculum Includes:

Recognizing and counting numbers 1-120

The base ten system

Place value

Addition and subtraction

Names and attributes of 2D and 3D shapes

Length, time, and money measurement

The Math Curriculum Includes:

Recognizing and counting numbers 1-120

The base ten system

Place value

Addition and subtraction

Names and attributes of 2D and 3D shapes

Length, time, and money measurement

ABCmouse.com teaches numbers, addition and subtraction, shapes, patterns, measurements, and more! Our games and creative activities make math fun while giving young learners the practice they need to build a strong foundation for success.

The Science and Social Studies Curriculum Includes:

The body and health

Plants and animals

Weather, climate, and the seasons

Earth's environments

Maps

Regions of the United States

The Solar System

Matter and its properties

Science and Social Studies

ABCmouse.com's science and social studies curriculum helps children understand the world they live in and inspires curiosity.

Science and Social Studies

ABCmouse.com's science and social studies curriculum helps children understand the world they live in and inspires curiosity.

The Art & Colors Curriculum Includes:

Primary and secondary colors

Shades of colors

Paint-by-number activities

Number and letter dot-to-dots

The Art & Colors Curriculum Includes:

Primary and secondary colors

Shades of colors

Paint-by-number activities

Number and letter dot-to-dots

ABCmouse.com's unique drawing and painting program gives children of all ages the opportunity to use lines, shapes, and colors to create original works of art. Games, books, paint-by-number activities, and puzzles teach children to name and use a variety of colors.

"My daughter loves this site! She has learned so much more than I thought she could learn at her age. ABC's are her favorite things to do, and since I started her on this website she has learned to read words well above her age level." -Morgyn, mother of a 2-year-old girl

"My child absolutely loves everything about this site, and I see improvement in her counting and color association already. I think this site is fantastic." -Father of a 3-year-old girl

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Available on Step-by-Step Learning Path "Love the progressive activities! I don't have to take the time to search for activities for my 3-year-old, and my 5-year-old just follows along when she's playing by herself... So I know everyone's doing the right things for their ages!"

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Raz-Kids

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Beginning Consonant Sounds With Clifford | Scholastic

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Provides practice with beginning consonant sounds, including identifying initial consonants and matching letter sounds to their corresponding letters.

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Join a game of kahoot here. Kahoot! is a free game-based learning platform that makes it fun to learn – any subject, in any language, on any device, for all ages!

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Sight words instruction is an excellent supplement to phonics instruction. Phonics is a method for learning to read in general, while sight words instruction increases a child's familiarity with the high frequency words he will encounter most often.

Use lesson time to introduce up to three new words, and use game time to practice the new words.

A sight words instruction session should be about 30 minutes long, divided into two components:

Sight Words Lesson - Use our Teaching Techniques to introduce new words and to review words from previous lessons - 10 minutes

Sight Words Games - Use our games to provide reinforcement of the lesson and some review of already mastered sight words to help your child develop speed and fluency - 20 minutes

Video: Introduction to Teaching Sight Words

2.1 Introduce New Words

When first beginning sight words, work on no more than three unfamiliar words at a time to make it manageable for your child. Introduce one word at a time, using the five teaching techniques. Hold up the flash card for the first word, and go through all five techniques, in order. Then introduce the second word, and go through all five teaching techniques, and so on.

This lesson should establish basic familiarity with the new words. This part of a sight words session should be brisk and last no more than ten minutes. As your child gets more advanced, you might increase the number of words you work on in each lesson.

2.2 Review Old Words

Begin each subsequent lesson by reviewing words from the previous lesson. Words often need to be covered a few times for the child to fully internalize them. Remember: solid knowledge of a few words is better than weak knowledge of a lot of words!

Go through the See & Say exercise for each of the review words. If your child struggles to recognize a word, cover that word again in the main lesson, going through all five teaching techniques. If he has trouble with more than two of the review words, then set aside the new words you were planning to introduce and devote that day's lesson to review.

Note: The child should have a good grasp of - but does not need to have completely mastered - a word before it gets replaced in your lesson plan. Use your game time to provide lots of repetition for these words until the child has thoroughly mastered them.

2.3 Reinforce with Games

Learning sight words takes lots of repetition. We have numerous sight words games that will make that repetition fun and entertaining for you and your child.

The games are of course the most entertaining part of the sight words program, but they need to wait until after the first part of the sight words lesson.

Games reinforce what the lesson teaches.
Do not use games to introduce new words.

NOTE: Be sure the child has a pretty good grasp of a sight word before using it in a game, especially if you are working with a group of children. You do not want one child to be regularly embarrassed in front of his classmates when he struggles with words the others have already mastered!

Introduce new sight words using this sequence of five teaching techniques:

1. See & Say - A child sees the word on the flash card and says the word while underlining it with her finger.

2. Spell Reading - The child says the word and spells out the letters, then reads the word again.

3. Arm Tapping - The child says the word and then spells out the letters while tapping them on his arm, then reads the word again.

4. Air Writing - A child says the word, then writes the letters in the air in front of the flash card.

5. Table Writing - A child writes the letters on a table, first looking at and then not looking at the flash card.

These techniques work together to activate different parts of the brain. The exercises combine many repetitions of the word (seeing, hearing, speaking, spelling, and writing) with physical movements that focus the child's attention and cement each word into the child's long-term memory.

The lessons get the child up to a baseline level of competence that is then reinforced by the games, which take them up to the level of mastery. All you need is a flash card for each of the sight words you are covering in the lesson.

Of course, every child will make mistakes in the process of learning sight words. They might get confused between similar-looking words or struggle to remember phonetically irregular words.

Use our Corrections Procedure every time your child makes a mistake in a sight words lesson or game. Simple and straightforward, it focuses on reinforcing the correct identification and pronunciation of the word. It can be done quickly without disrupting the flow of the activity.

Do not scold the child for making a mistake or even repeat the incorrect word. Just reinforce the correct word using our script, and then move on.

Q: Progress is slow. We have been on the same five words for a week!
A: It is not unusual to have to repeat the same set of words several times, especially in the first weeks of sight words instruction. The child is learning how to learn the words and is developing pattern recognition approaches that will speed his progress. Give him time to grow confident with his current set of words, and avoid overwhelming the child with new words when he hasn't yet become familiar with the old words.

Q: Do I really need to do all five techniques for every word?
A: Start out by using all five techniques with each new word. The techniques use different teaching methods and physical senses to support and reinforce the child's memorization of the word. After a few weeks of lessons, you will have a sense for how long it takes your child to learn new words and whether all five exercises are necessary. Start by eliminating the last activity, Table Writing, but be sure to review those words at the next lesson to see if the child actually retained them without that last exercise. If the child learns fine without Table Writing, then you can try leaving out the fourth technique, Air Writing. Children who learn quickly may only need to use two or three of the techniques.

Q: How long will it take to get through a whole word list? I want my child to learn ALL the words!!!
A: That depends on a number of factors, including frequency of your lessons as well as your child's ability to focus. But do not get obsessed with the idea of racing through the word lists to the finish line. It is much, much better for your child to solidly know just 50 words than to "kind of" know 300 words. We are building a foundation here, and we want that foundation to be made of rock, not sand!

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Sight words instruction is an excellent supplement to phonics instruction. Phonics is a method for learning to read in general, while sight words instruction increases a child's familiarity with the high frequency words he will encounter most often. Use lesson time to introduce up to three new words, and use game time to practice the new words.

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Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of words. The levels of phonological awareness are, from simplest to most complex: syllables, onset-rime, and phonemes. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words. We know that a student's skill in phonological awareness is a good predictor of later reading success or difficulty. Find out what parents and teachers can do to help children develop this critical literacy skill.

Refresh your classroom instruction! Try the Phonological and Phonemic Awareness module in our free, self-paced online course, Reading 101: A Guide to Teaching Reading and Writing.

Featured partner: National Association for the Education of Young Children

Watch a reading expert work one-on-one with K-3 students, helping them master basic reading skills.

Find out about the early building blocks of learning to read and the importance of reading aloud.

Professional Development Webcasts

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Phonological awareness is the ability to recognize and manipulate the spoken parts of words. The levels of phonological awareness are, from simplest to most complex: syllables, onset-rime, and phonemes. Phonemic awareness is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.

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Reading Doctor | Apps for teaching kids to read and spell

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Why is decoding so important?

Decoding allows children to recognise the thousands of words they have already heard but never seen in written form - it creates a bridge between spoken and written language that facilitates self teaching. Without the ability to self-teach, students are at a great disadvantage in learning to read. Difficulty with decoding skills is a hallmark of the struggling reader.

Which Reading Doctor® apps help with developing decoding skills?
Apps for teaching basic decoding skills
The following Reading Doctor® teaching tools help students to understand how to decode simple words with consistent letter-sound patterns (CVC, CCVC and CVCC words such as 'cat, stop' and 'list'). These tools are recommended for teaching decoding skills to beginning readers (aged 4-8) as well as to older, struggling readers. For more information about how each app helps you to teach decoding skills, please click on the links:

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Decoding - Reading Doctor | Apps for teaching kids to read and spell

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Decoding allows children to recognise the thousands of words they have already heard but never seen in written form - it creates a bridge between spoken and written language that facilitates self teaching. Without the ability to self-teach, students are at a great disadvantage in learning to read.

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By Elaine Cheesman, Ph.D.

Using iPads for literacy instruction opens up many stimulating opportunities. These tablet computers are portable, easy to use, and there are countless "educational" iPad applications, or apps, available. Finding high-quality apps, though, poses a daunting challenge not recommended for the faint-hearted. This search can take hundreds of hours and waste more than a few dollars.

It can be challenging to locate worthwhile apps that reinforce literacy instruction in phonological awareness, phonics (reading and spelling), vocabulary, morphology, text comprehension, and written expression. This article will help locate apps for teachers, parents, and students-apps that are fun, easy to use, and (don't tell the kids!) educationally sound!

A forthcoming article in Perspectives will expand upon the advantages of using iPads in the classroom and provide additional information on iPad Assistive Technology. (To learn more about Perspectives, click here.)
What are the advantages of tablet computers?
Unlike desktop computers, tablet computers, such as the iPad (and iPhones) are lightweight, portable, and kid-sized. The long battery life means they can be used at home, in school, in trains, planes, and automobiles-literally any place where one can sit down. iPads start instantly and can be closed in the middle of an activity at a moment's notice. Most apps are reasonably priced, and range from free to about $25, although some specialty apps (e.g., for Speech and Language Pathologists) can be quite expensive.
What should I look for in a good app?
A good app is educationally sound, versatile, and worth the price. Here are a few considerations.

Intended user:Is the app meant for students to use independently or with a teacher or parent? Teacher-utility apps are meant for teachers to use in planning or delivering instruction.

Breadth and depth: Is the content accurate and research-based? Are activities varied, with multiple levels of complexity? Is there scaffolding to support learners of different abilities?

User-friendliness: Is it intuitive? Can the user move easily between tasks? How do teacher-utility apps improve teaching quality or save time and effort? Are oral or written instructions readily available? Do web-links enhance the content?

Images and sound: Are the illustrations, graphics and sound attractive and engaging? Do they enhance content, or detract from it?

: Is the feedback timely, specific, and motivating? Is feedback delivered at multiple levels?

Engaging: Do the activities promote involvement? Are there motivating goals and attractive rewards? Are activities interactive and challenging and do they involve problem solving? Are student apps fun and enjoyable, compelling students to want to use them again and again?

Some worthwhile apps to consider
The following apps have been carefully selected to meet most of the criteria outlined above. Each is identified by the app name, developer, iTunes URL, intended audience, content, and a brief description. All are affordable for the teaching professional or parent.

1. SoundLiteracy
Developer: 3D Literacy, LLC
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/soundliteracy/id409347075?mt=8
Teacher utility; Phonemic awareness, Phonics (spelling), Morphology
User(s): Teacher with student
Sound Literacy is a large, well-organized collection of electronic "tiles." It includes blank tiles for phonemic awareness activities; graphemes-individual letters and consonant and vowel clusters such as sh, ng, igh, aw for phonics activities; and morphemes-prefixes, suffixes, Latin roots, and Greek combining forms-for advanced word study activities. It also includes sound charts for consonant and vowel phonemes. Teachers with Apps named it one of the 12 Best Apps for Special Needs of 2012.Disclosure: A portion of all proceeds benefits The International Dyslexia Association.

2. Beginning Sounds Interactive Game
Developer: Lakeshore Learning Materials
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/beginning-sounds-interactive/id465479183?mt=8
Phonological Awareness
User: Student independent
Students match pictures that share the same beginning sound. If the child makes an incorrect choice, the picture re-circulates for another try.

3. Letter Find
Developer: Matthew Thomas
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letter-find/id437458019?mt=8
Alphabet (letter naming)
User: Student independent
Letter Find challenges young children to identify a pre-selected lowercase letter when it is among many other letters. Children tap on the letter, which turns green and provides a pleasant sound if correct, and red with a buzzer sound if incorrect. The negative feedback, though, is quite amusing to some children, who persist in responding incorrectly to hear the buzzer.

4. LetterSchool
Developer: Boreaal
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/letterschool/id435476174?mt=8
Alphabet, Handwriting, phoneme-grapheme correspondences
User: Student independent
This app provides three progressively more challenging ways to practice writing numerals and manuscript letters-both lowercase and capital forms-in three different typefaces (Handwriting Without Tears, D'Nealian, or Zaner-Bloser). Each of the three practice activities includes immediate, explicit, and engaging feedback. The app is very intuitive; children as young as three learn to use the activities with minimal instruction. However, very small children may not have sufficient finger strength to do the most difficult activities without parental assistance. The introduction to the letter includes a keyword picture and sound, which present the most common short vowel and consonant sounds with only two exceptions: The keyword for the letter u is "unicorn" and for x, "xylophone." The benefits of the letter formation practice make this a very worthwhile app!

5. Starfall Learn to Read
Developer: Starfall Education
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/starfall-learn-to-read/id551817261?mt=8
Phonics (decoding and spelling); interactive book (decodable)
User: Student independent
This app mirrors the decoding and spelling activities in Starfall.com. It includes making words from common rimes (e.g.,at in cat, ake in cake), sorting one-syllable words by syllable type, games for matching words and pictures, decodable stories, and engaging cartoon videos explain phoneme-grapheme correspondences. The speech is a child's voice, with excellent and accurate pronunciation.

6. Word Wizard - Talking Movable Alphabet & Spelling Tests for Kids
Developer: L'Escapadou
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-wizard-talking-movable/id447312716?mt=8
Phonics (spelling)
User: Teacher with student; student independent
This app is appropriate for both spelling practice in teacher-directed small groups or for independent practice using pre-set lists of words: CVC words, high frequency words, and common content words (numbers, colors). Settings are easily changed to suit the purpose of the activity; for example, when touching each letter, a human voice speaks either the sound (good for single letter-sounds) or name of the letter (appropriate for digraphs). A unique feature is that "naughty" words are transformed instantly into "oops."

7. abc PocketPhonics: letter sounds & writing + first words
Developer: Apps in My Pocket Ltd
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/abc-pocketphonics-letter-sounds/id299342927?mt=8
Alphabet (letter naming, handwriting), Phonics (spelling)
User: Student independent
This app provides individualized spelling instruction in a carefully sequenced progression of consonant and vowel sounds, starting with single letters and progressing to consonant and vowel digraphs. Players sign in by name, enabling the app to track individual progress. A human voice pronounces the phonemes (e.g., /kw/) and then prompts the player to trace the grapheme (e.g., qu,) that represents the sound. After reading and writing isolated phoneme-grapheme associations, the player uses known graphemes to spell words, sound-by-sound (e.g., quit). The correct response rewards the player with a comical illustration of the word's meaning. The app includes digraph ng, unvoiced th (with) and voiced th (then), a rare and welcome feature in phonics apps! However, the app could be improved with a more animated and less monotone voice.

8. PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Developer: Loud Crow Interactive Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/popout!-tale-peter-rabbit/id397864713?mt=8
Vocabulary, Comprehension; interactive book (literature)
User: Teacher or parent with student; student independent
This award-winning interactive book is one of several produced by Loud Crow Interactive , a company that converts children's literature and comic books to an electronic form that truly enhances the text and vocabulary, a rare feature among interactive books. InThe Tale of Peter Rabbit, a pleasant British voice reads the narrative, while the app highlights each spoken word. At the end of the page, one can tap on any word to hear it pronounced again. Like the other Pop Out books produced by Loud Crow Interactive (The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, The Night Before Christmas), the interaction mirrors the original pop-out effects as it reinforces rich vocabulary (e.g., the animation and text illustrates how Peter squeezed under the gate.). Loud Crow also produces Goodnight Moon, several Boynton books (e.g., Barnyard Dance! Moo, Baa, La La La!), Charlie Brown stories (e.g., It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown), and the first-ever, fully interactive comic book app, Marvel's the Avengers: Iron Man - Mark VII).

9. Word Wit
Ballpoint Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-wit/id456036161?mt=8
Vocabulary
User: Student independent
Designed for English-Language Learners, or native-speaking middle school students and older, Word Wit makes it fun and easy to learn the difference between frequently confused words (e.g.,affect/effect). It presents sequential activities that include explanations, quotes, and quizzes designed to deepen one's understanding. Wrong answers cycle back for added practice. One can look up words individually, or let the app randomly select word pairs for you.

10. Inspiration Maps
Developer: Inspiration Software, Inc.
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inspiration-maps/id510173686?mt=8
Written Composition
User: Teacher with student; student independent
Inspiration Maps is a portable version of the popularInspiration composition software; it helps organize topics for writing or studying with graphic organizers. It includes dozens of pre-made templates in a variety of forms, both expository (e.g., compare and contrast) and narrative.

How can I search for worthwhile apps?
New apps arrive on the market almost daily. Several websites have good lists and reviews. First, search the websites below. Next, do a web search using the name of a specific app. Results may provide additional reviews and movies of the app in action on www.youtube.com. Next, go to the developer's web site for more information and user reviews. Finally, go to the app store. Pay attention to the poor reviews as well as the positive ones! Use your expertise to critically evaluate the content; many apps described as reinforcing "phonemic awareness" actually dealt with phonics (letter-sound correspondences) or phonological awareness (syllables and rhyming tasks).

Excellent lists and reviews can be found at these sites:
Your recommendations are encouraged!
If you would like to recommend an app, send me the information via email at: DrECheesman@Gmail.com. Include:

(a) the name of the app
(b) the developer
(c) the URL
(d) the intended user (student, student-teacher, or teacher utility)
(e) the domain (phonological / phonemic awareness, phonics-both reading and spelling-, fluency, vocabulary, morphology, text comprehension, written expression.
(f) a short description.
Dr. Elaine Cheesman teaches at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The courses she developed are among the nine university programs officially recognized by the International Dyslexia Association for meeting the Knowledge and Practice Standards for Teachers of Reading. Copyright © 2013 International Dyslexia Association (IDA). We encourage sharing of Examiner articles. If portions are cited, please make appropriate reference. Articles may not be reprinted for the purpose of resale. Permission to republish this article is available from info@interdys.org.

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iPad Apps for Literacy Instruction - International Dyslexia Association

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By Elaine Cheesman, Ph.D. Using iPads for literacy instruction opens up many stimulating opportunities. These tablet computers are portable, easy to use, and there are countless "educational" iPad applications, or apps, available. Finding high-quality apps, though, poses a daunting challenge not recommended for the faint-hearted.

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#Stayathome - Alphablocks Level One | Letter Sounds | #HomeSchooling

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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Jump to navigation Jump to Content

The study of how the aspects of language structure are related to the ways words are formed from prefixes, roots, and suffixes (e.g., mis-spell-ing), and how words are related to each other.

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Jump to navigation Jump to Content The study of how the aspects of language structure are related to the ways words are formed from prefixes, roots, and suffixes (e.g., mis-spell-ing), and how words are related to each other.

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When little ones start learning to read, one of the important skills they'll need to develop is decoding. But what is decoding, and how do you teach it? Read on to learn all about decoding strategies and get lots of teaching activities.

What is decoding?

Put simply, decoding is the ability to sound out letters and understand the words they make up. A new reader needs to recognize each letter, determine the sound it makes, then put all those sounds together smoothly to say and recognize the word. The process goes slowly at first, but as kids build their skills, decoding becomes automatic, leading to reading fluency.

The theory of the science of reading puts it like this: Decoding (D) x Language Comprehension (LC) = Reading Comprehension (RC). When you learn about decoding, you'll hear some common phrases like phonics, phonemic awareness, phonemes, segmenting, and blending. You may also encounter concepts like symbol imagery and concept imagery, since connecting mental images with letters and words helps students retain information.

All of these skills work together to create confident readers, and kids can practice them using these decoding strategies and activities. ( Learn about finding good decodable texts for reading practice here.)

1. Have fun with phonics

Phonics is a key part of decoding, and there are so many fun activities kids can do to learn diagraphs, phonemes, and other letter sounds and blends.

Learn more: Fun Phonics Activities and Games for Early Readers at We Are Teachers

2. Hang a decoding poster

Our free printable poster has a variety of decoding strategies all in one place. Hang it in your classroom, or pass out copies to students to take home as reminders when they're reading with their families.

Get it: Decoding Strategies Poster at We Are Teachers

3. Hunt for letter sounds in decodable books

Have students hunt for words with target letter sounds (e.g., short I) in a decodable book. Then have them share the words they find with a partner. Tip: For more ideas, check out the built-in review and family engagement ideas at the end of the decodable book linked below.

Try it: Tim by Dona Herweck Rice, a free decodable book from Focused Phonics by Teacher Created Materials

4. Play hide-and-seek with words

For younger kids, place a letter manipulative into a covered box, and ask them to reach in and feel the letter. Based on what they feel, what letter do they think it is? For older kids, lay out an entire word in the box, and see if students can reach in and "feel" out the word.

5. Draw your words

People remember pictures. When you're introducing new words to students, ask them to draw an image that has meaning to them that goes with the word they're learning. Even creating an image in their head has benefit, but asking them to draw an image around a word on paper can be more fun-and more valuable.

6. Twist pool noodle letters

These pool noodle letter beads are so much fun, and they're so easy to make! Slide them onto a tube of construction paper, then twist and turn them to form new words. Have students name each letter and sound it out with the beads spaced apart, then push them together and say the entire word.

Learn more: Use Pool Noodles To Teach Phonics at We Are Teachers

7. Build words with letter tiles

First give students a worksheet with pictures of short I words. Say the names of the pictures using the onsets and rhymes (e.g., Say, "/h/ /ip/" for "hip") and have students point to the pictures that match the words as you say them. Then have students identify the sound that is the same in each word (e.g., /i/). Finally, have students build these words on sound boxes using letter tiles.

Try it: Free Printable Concept Card and Letter Tiles from Focused Phonicsby Teacher Created Materials

8. Slide beads to practice segmenting

Bead slides are popular decoding strategies because they're easy to make and simple to use. As a student says a word out loud, they slide a bead along for each syllable. This helps them segment words, breaking them down into more manageable parts.

Learn more: Bead Slides at Marvelous Multiagers

9. Write in shaving cream

Here's another classic decoding activity: shaving cream writing! Spread the shaving cream on desks (they'll be squeaky clean afterward!), trays, or even windows. Then have kids write letters and words, sounding them out as they go.

Learn more: Write in Shaving Cream at Gift of Curiosity

10. Take a mind picture

Show students a letter card and have them say it out loud, along with the sound it makes. Then, have them trace the letter with their finger. Finally, ask them to "take a picture of it" in their minds, and take the card away. Now ask them to write the letter themselves, either on paper or in the air (see below).

Get it: Printable Alphabet Cards at Prekinders

11. Write in the air

Writing letters in the air helps kids learn to "image," or see, the letter in their heads. The experts at Lindamood-Bell recommend doing air-writing in lowercase letters, since that's what we see most often when we read. Their research indicates that developing symbol imagery by writing in the air is more productive than writing on a piece of paper.

Learn more: Write in the Air at First Grade Smiles

12. Blend with musical plates

Write word endings on paper plates and lay them out in a circle. Then, give each kid a card with a word-starting blend written on it. Start up the music, and let kids dance around the circle until it stops. When it does, they match up their card with the plate in front of them, and sound it out to see if they've made a real word. If not, they're out, and the game continues until you have one winner. (Unlike musical chairs, don't remove plates after each round.)

Learn more: Musical Plates at Just Cara Carroll

13. Read left to right

Use classic stoplight colors to help students remember to read letters from left to right. It seems like a simple concept to experienced readers, but it's harder for some students to master than others.

Learn more: The Literacy Nest

14. Flip the vowels

One of the trickier parts of decoding is understanding that vowels can make different sounds, depending on the word. Practice the concept by "flipping" the vowel sounds from long to short and then seeing how the word changes. Then when kids are reading new words, they can try both vowel sounds and see which makes more sense.

Learn more: Finally in First

15. Meet the Chunky Monkey

"Chunking" words breaks them into parts kids already know or find easier to sound out. This cute song to the tune of Yankee Doodle can remind students of this strategy.

Learn more: Tejada's Tots

16. Put together word puzzles

Breaking words into smaller chunks is the first step. After that, kids have to be able to put them back together to form the whole word. Simple puzzles like these help them visualize both parts of the process.

Learn more: I Heart Teaching Elementary

17. Make word-building folders

This clever little kit means kids can practice their decoding strategies just about anywhere. They build words using letters and blends, then write them out. Finally, they draw an illustration of the word, helping them use imagery to remember.

Learn more: Lucky Little Learners

What are your favorite decoding strategies to use with emerging readers? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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17 Effective Decoding Strategies and Activities for Emerging Readers

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Decoding is one of the key parts of the science of reading. Learn more and get effective decoding strategies to use with emerging readers.

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Teachers.Net - TEACHERS - Education resources, Teacher chat, lesson plans, teaching jobs. Teachers.Net for the most active teacher chatboards & teacher chatrooms, featuring thousands of teaching jobs, over 150 teacher mailrings and over 150 teacher chatboards, and live teacher chat 24 hours a day. Teachers.Net lesson bank offers over 3000 free lesson plan and curriculum and teacher project ideas. Our reference desk and library and teacher tools help teachers fully embrace today's opportunities. Lesson plans and teaching tools, searchable teacher job listings and teaching career resources, reference desk and curriculum tools. Teachers - make Teachers.Net your homepage today!

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Teachers.Net - TEACHERS - Education resources, Teacher chat, lesson plans, teaching jobs. Teachers.Net for the most active teacher chatboards & teacher chatrooms, featuring thousands of teaching jobs, over 150 teacher mailrings and over 150 teacher chatboards, and live teacher chat 24 hours a day.

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A teacher's education never ends. New research, state standards, and curriculum changes require teachers who are informed, energized, and responsive. Learn the characteristics of excellent reading teachers and the knowledge and skills required to teach reading effectively. More "

Explicit strategy instruction is at the core of good comprehension instruction. Browse our Strategy Library to print graphic organizers and to learn more about the range of research-based strategies for teaching comprehension, vocabulary and writing. More "

Teaching reading is a complex process, but we now know a lot about effective adolescent literacy instruction, including how to identify at-risk children and how to intervene effectively. The articles in this section offer information on what effective instruction looks like in the classroom and strategies to increase student engagement and motivation. More "

Featured Author: David Lubar is the author of lots of short stories and novels. This former video game programmer connects with his adolescent audience through a shared love of adventure and explosions. More "
See our library of guided discussions and themed booklists "
Families play a huge role in how well students do in school. The following articles explain the importance of teachers and parents working together on behalf of kids. Also included are examples of programs that specifically attempt to make the link between home and school. More "

In this era of data-driven decision-making, the education community is using research to guide policy about reading instruction. In this section we highlight a sample of the most relevant reports. More "

Note: Links in this section may take you to other websites.

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research and reports on adolescent literacy

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A teacher's education never ends. New research, state standards, and curriculum changes require teachers who are informed, energized, and responsive. Learn the characteristics of excellent reading teachers and the knowledge and skills required to teach reading effectively. More " Explicit strategy instruction is at the core of good comprehension instruction.

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There are many wonderful benefits to having students create portfolios--one is the enhancement of critical thinking skills which results from the need for students to develop evaluation criteria. You can also use these criteria to evaluate their work and engage in self-reflection about their progress.

Additionally, students are pleased to observe their personal growth, they tend to have better attitudes toward their work, and they are more likely to think of themselves as writers.

The payoff for using portfolios becomes concrete when students discover they can earn college credit and, in some cases, skip a freshman writing class by creating a top-notch writing portfolio while they are still in high school.

Before proceeding with assigning a portfolio, familiarize yourself with the rules and credit requirements for such a project. There's little point in requiring this work from students if they're not properly credited or don't understand the assignment.

A working portfolio, often a simple file folder containing all the student's work, is helpful when used in conjunction with the evaluation portfolio; you can start it prior to deciding what you'll require in the evaluation portfolio and thus protect work from being lost. Arrangements must be made, however, to store folders in the classroom.

Students at all levels generally become proud as they watch their work accumulate--even students who rarely work will be amazed to see five or more assignments that they actually finished.

First, you must decide on the purpose of your student's portfolios. For example, the portfolios might be used to show student growth, to identify weak spots in student work, and/or to evaluate your own teaching methods.

After deciding the purpose of the portfolio, you will need to determine how you are going to grade it. In other words, what would a student need in their portfolio for it to be considered a success and for them to earn a passing grade?

The answer to the previous two questions helps form the answer to the third: What should be included in the portfolio? Are you going to have students put in all of their work or only certain assignments? Who gets to choose?

By answering the above questions, you are able to start student portfolios off on the right foot. A big mistake some teachers make is to just jump into student portfolios without thinking through exactly how they are going to manage them.

If done in a focused way, creating student portfolios will be a rewarding experience for both student and teacher.

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How to Get Started with Student Portfolios

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There are many wonderful benefits to having students create portfolios--one is the enhancement of critical thinking skills which results from the need for students to develop evaluation criteria. You can also use these criteria to evaluate their work and engage in self-reflection about their progress.

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Phonological awareness & Phonemic awareness activities

It has taken a while but we have finally completed our Phonological Awareness Activities Packet. This packet has been a huge undertaking but we wanted to accomplish a few things with it:

1. Align the phonemic awareness activities on this page below with the Common Core Standards.

2. Create new phonemic awareness activities for the standards we did not have existing activities for.

3. Put all the activities in one download!

What we ended up with is a 58 page Phonological Awareness Activities Download.
The file was so large that we could not upload it to our Download Central Page so we placed it in Katie's TpT Store. Here are some sample pics for you. Click any pic to enlarge.

This is our favorite part about the new download! You'll get a 30-page phonological awareness progression for ways to help your students at the word, syllable, and sound level. Simply cut the page down the middle, punch a whole in the corner, and bind with a metal ring! It's perfect to do with your students when you have a few free minutes...and it's super handy. Click to enlarge the pics.

Head on over to Katie's TpT Store to purchase this packet for just $3 or keep scrolling down for all of our FREE phonemic awareness activities.

Want an easy and effective way to track multiple students' phonological awareness skills? Print off this template! List the names of students in the left hand column and place check marks under the skills when a child has mastered them!

Syllable: Phonemic Awareness Activities

Using different items such as hand clappers, drums, or tennis rackets you can have children determine the number of syllables in a given word. For example, you would tap a drum two times for the word "sister" because it has two syllables. For increased difficulty, tap the drum (any number of times) and have your child think of a word that contains that same number of syllables.

Using the lyrics to "Hickety Pickety," have your child say, clap the syllables, and whisper their name to you.

Write the names of students in your classroom or members of your family. Have you child color a smiley face for each syllable in a given name and make a tally mark for each syllable.

Copy a "Classroom Syllable Graph" for each student in your classroom. Say the name of a student and have them color a square above the correct number of syllables. A fun way to combine phonemic awareness activities and math practice!

Help your child find items in different rooms in your home. Sort them by syllables. Write words (or draw pictures) for each object.

Beginning & Ending Sounds: Phonemic Awareness Activities

Tell your child you are going to teach them a song that will help them discover new words by taking off parts (sounds) of the word. Teach this song and let them fill in the last word. After a few verses using new words, invite the children to sing along. Other possible words to use include:

Beginning Sounds: boat (oat), farm (arm), meat (eat), bus (us), sled (lead), hand (and), & sit (it).

Ending Sounds: hammer (ham), soap (so), little (lit), meat (me), & boat (bow).

Segmenting & blending: phonemic awareness activities

Use these sound boxes to help children segment sounds in words. Simply print, laminate, and cut in half each card. Place one game chip under each box. Students say the name of each picture and then push up a chip for each sound in that word. Great for small group instruction!

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Give students a word with 1-4 phonemes (sounds). Have them stand up and touch their head, shoulders, knees, and toes as they are saying the sounds in words. For example, the word "cat" would be /c/ (head), /a/ (shoulders), and /t/ (knees). A great active, phonemic awareness activity for helping students with segmenting!

Tell your child that you are going to teach them a song that will help them hear all of the sounds in a word. Teach this song and let them blend the sounds together to make a word. Sing the song a couple times, substituting a new word each time. Scroll down on this page to open a list of words with 4-6 phonemes (sounds) for ideas!

Place the cards face-up in random order on a flat surface. Have your child put the pictures together. Say a sound for each picture part while slowly sliding the parts away from each other. Then have your child say a sound for each picture part while slowly sliding the parts together. Once they are back together, say the whole word and continue with other picture cards

Using the above template, write words with 1-5 sounds in the left-hand column. Have students count how many sounds they hear in each word and write that number in the middle column. Give your child 5 bean bags and place a basket in front of them (distance depends on their ability to throw). Children throw a bean bag for each sound they hear in a given word. A point is received for each bean bag that makes it into the basket. (Make sure your child is saying the sounds they hear as they throw the bean bag). When they are finished throwing, have them count up their points to determine the grand total.

Place a green, yellow, and red mat on the floor (in that order). Begin by giving your child a word with 1-3 sounds. Have your child say the sounds they hear as they jump from mat to mat. For increased difficulty, move the mats so they are further apart.

This template can be used similar to those of Elkonin boxes for segmenting words into sounds. Give your child a word with 1-5 sounds and have them move a token into a box for each phoneme. It's a good idea to use different colored tokens and make sure your child is moving from left to right, just as if they were reading a word.

Have your child look at each picture and determine the number of sounds in that word. Color a box for each sound.

Here you will find a list of short and long vowel words with 4-6 phonemes (sounds). Before you use this list with your child/class, make sure they have mastered segmenting 1-3 phoneme words. These words can be used with the following phonemic awareness activities for segmenting:

This segmenting activity is easy to do and it doesn't require any materials but your hands! Have your child/class place their hands together. Give them a word. Each time they hear a sound in a word, have them say it and move their hands further apart.

This is the same concept as the segmenting activity above, only using silly putty to stretch the sounds in words. Using the silly putty helps children to visualize words that have a few sounds and words that have many sounds. (Children really get excited when they find words with many sounds, causing the silly putty to break apart).

This way of stretching words is great for students who like movement! Use a yoga mat and begin by explaining that it's important to stretch your body before you can stretch your brain. Give your child a set of directions to stretch their body. For example, tell them to slowly touch their toes, reach high in the air, place arms out to the side, and roll their head slowly. Once they have stretched their bodies, they are ready to stretch words! A fantastic multi-sensory phonemic awareness activity.

Using inexpensive night lights is a great way to help children learn to say sounds in words. Line up the night lights and say a word. Have your child say the sounds in the word as they turn the lights on. Repeat this process with the same word, but have your child say the sounds while they turn off the night lights. (It's always a good idea to teach your child to work from left to right! This typically is best to do in the small group setting when working on 1-4 phoneme words).

Using magnetic bingo chips and a cut-apart egg carton, place a chip in each slot. Give your child a word with 1-6 phonemes and have them pick up a chip while they say each sound. Like in the previous activity, it's best to teach your child to work from left to right.

Rhyming: Phonemic Awareness activities

Rhyme Time Bingo

Check out our new rhyming bingo game to play with children in the small group setting or at literacy centers. Directions are attached!

Want a fun way to help children learn to rhyme? Try this game with 2-4 children...Great for small group instruction and centers! Directions are attached.

By cutting and laminating the following cards, you can provide a fun and easy way to help children increase their rhyming skills.

Each week and new chant or poem is introduced. Students practice reading these poems through various activities and send them home each Thursday to share with family members.

Mystery Bag

Using an old book bag filled with random objects is a great way to help children with rhyming. Find things that are of meaning to you or place objects in the book bag that will make them laugh. See how many words you can think of that rhyme with that object, even if it is not a real word!

Track your class student rhyming progress using the "Rhyming Groups Folder". Glue the following four tabs on the inside of a manila folder, laminate, and use Post-Its to move individual students' rhyming progression.

Can't Hear/Can't Produce Rhymes

Can Hear/Can't Produce Rhymes

Can Hear/Can Produce Some Rhymes

Can Hear/Can Produce Rhymes Consistently

Learning the Difference between letters, sounds, syllables, & sentences: phonemic awareness activities

By enlarging and laminating this template your students can determine the letters, sounds, and syllables in new words you are working on in the classroom. (Kinkos is a great place to have documents enlarged). This helps children visualize that some words might have a lot of letters, but not a lot of sounds and vice versa.

Letter, Sound, Syllable, Word, & Sentence Poster Template

Cut out the cards and glue each to the top of a large poster. Provide your students/child with old magazines and newspapers. Help them cut out uppercase and lowercase letters, sounds, syllables, words, and sentences and glue of the appropriate poster. For "sounds" and "syllables" have your child use pictures of objects. Cut the objects according to the number of sounds and syllables. For example, the word "cat" would be cut into three pieces to represent the sound /k/ /a/ /t/. A great multi-sensory phonemic awareness activity.
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Free downloads for phonemic awareness activities

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Reading is the single most important educational skill your students will learn. Understanding the organization and meaning of text and instruction in both phonics and literature is essential to helping young children read. By understanding the prerequisite skills for reading, teachers can build a solid foundation for their students to learn and succeed in school. Here are some ways to create appreciation of the written word, develop awareness of printed language, teach the alphabet, develop phonological and phonemic awareness, teach the relation of sounds and letters, teach children how to sound out words and to spell words, and help children develop fluent, reflective reading.

Create Appreciation of the Written Word

Share stories with children and invite them to explore a story's magic.

Share informational texts and invite children to wonder about the new ideas presented.

Take every opportunity to point out the ways in which reading is essential to the communications of everyday life (e.g., on labels, instructions, and signs).

Develop Awareness of Printed Language and the Writing System

Make sure students know how books are organized. They should be taught the basics about books-that they are read from left to right and top to bottom, that print may be accompanied by pictures or graphics, that the pages are numbered, and that the purpose of reading is to gain meaning from the text and understand ideas that words convey.

Read to children from books with easy-to-read large print. Use stories that have predictable words in the text.

Use "big books" to help children notice and learn to recognize words that occur frequently, such as a, the, is, was, and you.

Label objects in your classroom.

Teach the Alphabet

A strong predictor of the ease with which a child learns to read is his or her familiarity with letters of the alphabet. This familiarity is a critical building block for learning to read.

It is important to go beyond knowing the names of letters. Students must also develop a sense of the purpose of letters.

Help them notice the letters in the print that surrounds them and that you share with them every day.

Engage the students in activities that will help them learn to recognize letters visually.

Help students learn to form the letters and encourage them to embellish their work with their names and with other first attempts at writing.

Develop the Students' Phonological Awareness

In listening and speaking, we pay attention to the meaning of language rather than to its sound. To learn to read, however, students must be taught to attend to the sounds, or phonology, of language. This is necessary for them to understand how speech is represented by print. Children with learning disabilities need special help in learning to develop such phonological awareness.

Model and demonstrate how to break short sentences into individual words. For example, use the sentence "Frogs eat bugs," and demonstrate with chips, cards, or other manipulatives how the sentence is made up of three words and how the order of the words matters. Using manipulatives to make sentences, play with each word and put it in order.

Develop students' awareness of the sounds of individual words by asking them to clap out syllables and to listen for and generate rhymes.

Once children are comfortable in playing games with words, syllables, and rhymes, move onto phonemic awareness.

Develop Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic awareness refers to an understanding that words and syllables are comprised of a sequence of elementary speech sounds. This understanding is essential to learning to read an alphabetic language. The majority of children with reading disabilities fail to grasp this idea.

In teaching phonemic awareness, the focus of all activities should be on the sounds of words, not on letters or spellings.

Use strategies that make phonemes prominent in children's attention and perception. For example, model specific sounds, such as /s/ in the word sat, and ask children to produce each sound in isolation and in many different words until they are comfortable with the sound and understand its nature.

Begin with simple words and simple challenges, e.g., listen for initial /s/ in sat, sit, sip, and sad . . . or for long /e/ in me, see, bee . . . .

Teach students to blend phonemes into words. Begin by identifying just one phoneme, e.g., /m/-ilk, /s/-at, working gradually toward blending all the phonemes in words, e.g., /s/-/a/-/t/.

Teach students to identify the separate phonemes within words, e.g., what is the first sound of soup? What is the last sound of kiss? Beginning phonemes are easier to identify than final phonemes.

Once students are comfortable listening for individual phonemes, teach them to break up words, into component sounds, e.g., /m/-/oo/-/s/= "moose".

Create a sequence of segmenting and blending activities to help students develop an understanding of the relationship between sounds in words.

Provide children with more support when first teaching a task. For example, model a sound or strategy for making the sound, and have the children use the strategy to produce the sound. Model and practice several examples. Prompt the children to use the strategy during guided practice, and gradually add more examples. As the students master these skills, provide less teacher-directed instruction and more practice and challenge.

Make teaching phonological awareness a top priority. Opportunities to engage in phonological awareness activities should be plentiful, frequent, brief, and fun.

Phonemic awareness is essential for learning to read, but it is not enough by itself. It must be coupled with instruction and practice in learning the relationship between letters and sounds.

Teach the Relation of Sounds and Letters

Students should learn the letters of the alphabet and discriminate each letter from the other, because each stands for one or more of the sounds that occur in spoken words.

When presenting each letter, model its corresponding sound and have children produce the sound themselves. For children with learning disabilities, the teaching activities must be explicit and unambiguous.

At first, teach and work with only a few letter-sound correspondences that have high utility in many words (e.g., /m/ in man, mad, him, and ham). Postpone teaching less frequently occurring letters until students have a firm understanding of how left-to-right spellings represent first-to-last sounds (alphabetic understanding).

Teach Children How to Sound Out Words

After students have mastered a few letter-sound correspondences, teach them to decode words or sound them out. Begin with small, familiar words. Teach the children to sound out the letters, left to right, and blend them together, searching for the word in memory.

Model sounding out the word, blending the sounds together and saying the word. The ability to sound out new words allows children to identify and learn new words on their own.

Give children stories containing words that reflect the letter-sound patterns that have been taught, and encourage them to sound out words whenever they are uncertain.

Help children learn spelling conventions, such as the use of final /e/ to mark long vowels, by comparing and contrasting lots of examples.

Teach Children to Spell Words

Teach children to spell words by sounding their letters one by one. Model the sounding and spelling process for children as they spell.

Begin with short words children can sound out, because these words follow regular spelling conventions, e.g., cap, bat, and sit instead of cape, bait or sight.

Begin with simple words that do not contain consonant blends, e.g., ham and pan instead of slam and plan.

Encourage students to use spelling knowledge and strategies regularly in their own writing.

Introduce spelling conventions systematically. Begin with words that exemplify the most frequent and basic conventions, and provide support and practice to help students generalize from these words to others. The goal is to help them see the spelling conventions in the words.

Use words in which letter-sound correspondences represent their most common sounds (e.g., get instead of gem).

Develop a sequence and schedule of opportunities that allow children to apply and develop facility with sounds and words at their own pace. Specify what skills to assess and when to assess them so that you will know when to move on. Take into account each student's background knowledge and pace in moving from sounding out to blending words to reading connected text.

Help Children Develop Fluent, Reflective Reading

Help children learn to read fluently by requiring them to read new stories and reread old stories every day.

Help children extend their experience with the words, language, and ideas in books by interactively reading harder texts with them and to them every day.

Relate information in books to other events of interest to children, such as holidays, pets, siblings, and games. Engage children in discussion of the topics.

In both stories and informational texts, encourage wondering. For example, "I wonder what Pooh will do now?" "How do you think the father feels ?" or "I wonder what frogs do in the winter? Do you think that's a problem? Why?"

Model comprehension strategies and provide students with guided assistance.

Point out how titles and headings tell what a book is about.

Help students identify the main ideas presented in the text, as well as the supporting detail. Graphics help to reveal main ideas, and the relationship between text and graphics helps students understand what they are reading.

Point out unfamiliar words and explore their meaning. Revisit these words frequently and encourage students to use them in their own conversations.

Show children how to analyze contextual clues to figure out the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Research shows that most vocabulary growth comes from learning new words in reading.

ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education

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Reading is the single most important educational skill your students will learn. Understanding the organization and meaning of text and instruction in both phonics and literature is essential to helping young children read. By understanding the prerequisite skills for reading, teachers can build a solid foundation for their students to learn and succeed in school.

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By: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation

Learning to read begins well before the first day of school. When Ron and Donna tell nursery rhymes to their baby, Mia, they are beginning to teach Mia to read. They are helping her to hear the similarities and differences in the sounds of words. She will begin to manipulate and understand sounds in spoken language, and she will practice this understanding by making up rhymes and new words of her own. She will learn the names of the letters and she will learn the different sounds each letter represents. As she gets a little older, Ron and Donna will teach her to write letters and numbers that she will already recognize by their shapes. Finally, she will associate the letters of the alphabet with the sounds of the words she uses when she speaks. At this point, she is on her way to learning to read!

When she tries to read books with her parents, at school, and on her own, Mia will learn how to learn new words by sounding them out. With more practice, she will begin to recognize familiar words easily and quickly, and she will know the patterns of spelling that appear in words and the patterns of words as they appear in sentences. She will be able to pay attention not just to the letters and words, but to the meanings they represent. Ultimately, Mia will be able to think about the meaning of the text as she reads.

Where does phonological awareness fit into this process?

Key to the process of learning to read is Mia's ability to identify the different sounds that make words and to associate these sounds with written words. In order to learn to read, Mia must be aware of phonemes. A phoneme is the smallest functional unit of sound. For example, the word cat contains three distinctly different sounds. There are 44 phonemes in the English language, including letter combinations such as /th/.

In addition to identifying these sounds, Mia must also be able to manipulate them. Word play involving segmenting words into their constituent sounds, rhyming words, and blending sounds to make words is also essential to the reading process. The ability to identify and manipulate the sounds of language is called phonological awareness.

Adams (1990) described five levels of phonological awareness ranging from an awareness of rhyme to being able to switch or substitute the components in a word. While phonological awareness affects early reading ability, the ability to read also increases phonological awareness (Smith, Simmons, & Kameenui, 1995).

Many children with learning disabilities have deficiencies in their ability to process phonological information. Thus, they do not readily learn how to relate letters of the alphabet to the sounds of language (Lyon, 1995). For all students, the processes of phonological awareness, including phonemic awareness, must be explicitly taught.

Children from culturally diverse backgrounds may have particular difficulties with phonological awareness. Exposure to language at home, exposure to reading at an early age, and dialect all affect the ability of children to understand the phonological distinctions on which the English language is built. Teachers must apply sensitive effort and use a variety of techniques to help children learn these skills when standard English is not spoken at home (Lyon, 1994).

How is phonological awareness taught?

To teach phonological awareness, begin by demonstrating the relationships of parts to wholes. Then model and demonstrate how to segment short sentences into individual words, showing how the sentence is made up of words. Use chips or other manipulatives to represent the number of words in the sentence. Once the students understand part-whole relationships at the sentence level, move on to the word level, introducing multisyllable words for segmentation into syllables. Finally, move to phoneme tasks by modeling a specific sound and asking the students to produce that sound both in isolation and in a variety of words and syllables.

It is best to begin with easier words and then move on to more difficult ones. Five characteristics make a word easier or more difficult (Kameenui, 1995):

1. The size of the phonological unit (e.g., it is easier to break sentences into words and words into syllables than to break syllables into phonemes).

2. The number of phonemes in the word (e.g., it is easier to break phonemically short words such as no, see and cap than snort, sleep or scrap).

3. Phoneme position in words (e.g., initial consonants are easier than final consonants and middle consonants are most difficult).

4. Phonological properties of words (e.g., continuant such as /s/ and /m/ are easier than very brief sounds such as /t/).

5. Phonological awareness challenges. (e.g., rhyming and initial phoneme identification are easier than blending and segmenting.)

Examples of phonological awareness tasks include phoneme deletion ("What word would be left if the /k/ sound were taken away from cat?"); Word to word matching ("Do pen and pipe begin with the same sound?"); Blending ("What word would we have if we blended these sounds together: /m/ /o/ /p/?"); phoneme segmentation ("What sounds do you hear in the word hot?"); phoneme counting ("How many sounds do you hear in the word cake?"); and rhyming ("Tell me all of the words that you know that rhyme with the word cat?") (Stanovich, 1994).

Beginning readers require more direct instructional support from teachers in the early stages of teaching. This is illustrated in the following example: The teacher models the sound or the strategy for making the sound, and has the children use the strategy to produce the sound. It is very important that the teacher model the correct sounds. This is done using several examples for each dimension and level of difficulty. The children are prompted to use the strategy during guided practice and more difficult examples are introduced. A sequence and schedule of opportunities for children to apply and develop facility with sounds should be tailored to each child's needs, and should be given top priority. Opportunities to engage in phonological awareness activities should be plentiful, frequent, and fun (Kameenui, 1995).
References
References

Adams, M.J. (1990) Beginning to read: Thinking and learning about print. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Kameenui, E.J. (Winter, 1996). Shakespeare and beginning reading: The readiness is all. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 27 (2).

Lyon, G. R. (1995). Toward a definition of dyslexia. Annals of Dyslexia, 45, 3-27.

Lyon, G.R. (1994). Research In Learning Disabilities at the NICHD. Technical document. Bethesda, MD: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

Smith, S.B., Simmons, D.C., & Kameenui, E.J. (February, 1995). Synthesis of research on phonological awareness: Principles and implications for reading acquisition. (Technical Report no. 21, National Center to Improve the Tools of Education). Eugene: University of Oregon.

Stanovich, K.E. (1994). Romance and reality. The Reading Teacher, 47, 280-291.

A companion digest, #E539, and a companion ERIC minibibliography are available on request. ERIC Digests are in the public domain and may be freely reproduced and disseminated. This publication was prepared with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under contract no. RR93002005. The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the Department of Education.

The ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, The Council for Exceptional Children, 1920 Association Drive Reston, VA 22091

ERIC Digest #E540 December 1995

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Beginning Reading and Phonological Awareness for Students with Learning Disabilities

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LD OnLine is the leading website on learning disabilities, learning disorders and differences. Parents and teachers of learning disabled children will find authoritative guidance on attention deficit disorder, ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysnomia, reading difficulties, speech and related disorders.

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Types of Struggling Writers

Just like our students, not all struggling writers are the same. Some students struggle with writing because they are stuck for ideas. You know the kid...the one who proclaims, "I don't know what to write," then shrugs and stares blankly at you. Those are also often the students getting up to get another drink of water and staring at a blank page. These students struggle with getting started and knowing what to write about.

Other students struggle because their writing is disorganized and lacks structure. These students will often write, but their writing is disorganized and hard to follow. They often claim to be finished with a writing assignment before it is truely complete.

Finally, another group of students struggle with writing because they feel disconnected from the assignment. They may feel it is not relevant to them or they may not have the background knowledge or expertise to write on the topic.
With a little scaffolding and support, there are many strategies you can implement into your writing instruction to help support your struggling writers.
Stuck for Ideas
When students struggle with coming up with ideas about what to write about, try the following scaffolding tips:
1. Share Ideas before writing

Students orally share ideas before writing (with a peer, as a whole group, or even record ideas using a technology device) - This gets their creative juices flowing. Students who struggle with coming up with their own ideas might get inspired by their classmates' thoughts. Having students share ideas also helps to solidify and ground the idea so it isn't lost.

2. Collaboratively write

This is an opportunity for the whole class to get involved. Instead of having students start writing on their own, first, collaboratively write together as a class. Have different students share ideas to create a collaborative writing sample. This demonstrates for struggling writers how to approach the assignment and it provides them with ideas of what to write about.

3. Use sentence starters

These are really helpful for triggering ideas in struggling writers. Often times a student will say, "I don't know what to write about," and a sentence starter can help guide them with their writing.

4. Writing Warm-up

Writing warm-ups are great to help students get their creative juices flowing. They are also helpful to encourage students to write down their thoughts. Using a writing warm-up like Power Writing or Freewriting: (where students write without stopping or without worrying about spelling or grammar) their ideas can flow and they don't have to deal with writing paralysis.

5. Pre-writing

This is a critical step for helping struggling writers construct ideas. Using tools like brainstorms or Focus Storms, help students quickly get as many ideas as possible. The blank page can be daunting to a young writer who struggles with coming up with ideas. Brainstorming is a powerful tool to help writers flush out all the ideas and then a Focus Storm helps them to organize and fine-tune their ideas. This is also helpful because it is a visual for students to see that they have lots of ideas. If students ever get stuck for ideas, they can refer back to their brainstorm and focus storm.

Disorganization and Lack of Structure

This was one of my biggest struggles as a young writer. I had lots of ideas, but I rarely put them together in a coherent fashion. Instead, my writing was a disorganized, jumbled mess. Many young writers struggle with this aspect of writing, and these scaffolding tips are a best practice when teaching young students. Whether it is a paragraph or an essay, these strategies help support struggling writers in elementary school.

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12 Strategies to Support Struggling Writers in Elementary - TeachWriting.org

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Just like our students, not all struggling writers are the same. Some students struggle with writing because they are stuck for ideas . You know the kid...the one who proclaims, "I don't know what to write," then shrugs and stares blankly at you. Those are also often the students getting

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Elementary District Writing Assessment - David Douglas School District

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Elementary District Writing Assessment Plan: 2 Performance Tasks per Year 1st Task (Fall): The first writing assessment is embedded into the completion of the "Launching Writer's Workshop" unit for all grade levels. Use as an instructional teaching tool to scaffold students into the writing process. Teach/use Oregon Scoring Guide.

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Rhyming Games | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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Rhyme is found in poetry, songs, and many children’s books and games. Most children also love to sing and recite nursery rhymes. Words that can be grouped together by a common sound, for example the ”-at” family — cat, hat, and sat — can be used to teach children about similar spellings. Children ca…

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

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Kindergarten phonics activities for reading: CVC words

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Grade Level: Kindergarten

Note on grade levels: Every child is different. You may chose to work on these skills in a preschool setting or you may wish to do a bit of review on these skills in Grades 1-3 (especially during and after summer holidays).

1. Introduction

2. Ideas on the order in which to present the letters

3. General ideas (ideas that cover all the consonants)

4. Activity pages for particular consonants

5. Itsy Bitsy books for particular consonants

6. Activity pages - mixed review

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Note on grade levels: Every child is different. You may chose to work on these skills in a preschool setting or you may wish to do a bit of review on these skills in Grades 1-3 (especially during and after summer holidays).

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A vowel letter can represent different vowel sounds: hat [hæt], hate [heit], all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni].

(Одна гласная буква может передавать разные гласные звуки: hat [hæt], hate [heit], all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni].)

The same vowel sound is often represented by different vowel letters in writing: [ei] they, weigh, may, cake, steak, rain.

(Один и тот же гласный звук часто представлен разными гласными буквами на письме: [ei] they, weigh, may, cake, steak, rain.)

Open and closed syllables

(Открытые и закрытые слоги)

Open syllable: Kate [keit], Pete [pi:t], note [nout], site [sait], cute [kyu:t].

Closed syllable: cat [kæt], pet [pet], not [not], sit [sit], cut (the neutral sound [ə]).

Vowels and vowel combinations

The vowels A, E, I, O, U, Y alone, in combination with one another or with R, W represent different vowel sounds. The chart below lists the vowel sounds according to the American variant of pronunciation.

(Гласные A, E, I, O, U, Y по отдельности, в комбинации друг с другом или с R, W передают различные гласные звуки. В таблице ниже указаны гласные звуки согласно американскому варианту произношения.)
Note 1: The letter Y
The letter Y can function as a vowel or as a consonant. As a vowel, Y has the vowel sounds [i], [ai]. As a consonant, Y has the consonant sound [y] (i.e., a semivowel sound), usually at the beginning of the word and only in the syllable before a vowel.

[i]: any, city, carry, funny, mystery, synonym;

[ai]: my, cry, rely, signify, nylon, type;

[y]: yard, year, yes, yet, yield, you.
Примечание 1: Буква Y
Буква Y может функционировать как гласная или согласная. Как гласная, Y имеет гласные звуки [i], [ai]. Как согласная, Y имеет согласный звук [y] (т.е. полугласный звук), обычно в начале слова и только в слоге перед гласной.

[i]: any, city, carry, funny, mystery, synonym;

[ai]: my, cry, rely, signify, nylon, type;

[y]: yard, year, yes, yet, yield, you.
Note 2: Diphthongs
A diphthong is one indivisible vowel sound that consists of two parts. The first part is the main strong component (the nucleus); the second part is short and weak (the glide). A diphthong is always stressed on its first component: [ au], [ o u]. A diphthong forms one syllable. American linguists usually list five diphthongs: [ei], [ai], [au], [oi], [ou].
Примечание 2: Дифтонги
Дифтонг это один неделимый гласный звук, который состоит из двух частей. Первая часть главный сильный компонент (ядро); вторая часть короткая и слабая (скольжение). Дифтонг всегда имеет ударение на первом компоненте: [ au], [ o u]. Дифтонг образует один слог. Американские лингвисты обычно приводят пять дифтонгов: [ei], [ai], [au], [oi], [ou].
Note 3: The sound [o]
The sound [o] is short in British English. In the same words in American English, the sound [o] is a long sound colored as [a:]. This sound is often listed as [a:] in American materials for ESL students. In some words, there are two variants of pronunciation in AmE: [o:] or [o].

[o]: lot, rock, rob, bother, bottle, college, comment, document, modern, popular, respond, John, Tom;

[o:] or [o]: gone, coffee, office, borrow, orange, sorry, loss, lost, want, wash, water.
Примечание 3: Звук [o]
Звук [o] краткий в британском английском. В тех же словах в американском английском, звук [o] долгий звук, окрашенный как [a:]. Этот звук часто дается как [a:] в американских материалах для студентов ESL. В некоторых словах два варианта произношения в AmE: [o:] или [o].

[o]: lot, rock, rob, bother, bottle, college, comment, document, modern, popular, respond, John, Tom;

[o:] или [o]: gone, coffee, office, borrow, orange, sorry, loss, lost, want, wash, water.
Note 4: The neutral sound
Transcription symbols for the neutral sound are [ʌ] (caret) in stressed syllables (fun, son) and [ə] (schwa) in unstressed syllables (about, lesson). In American ESL materials, the neutral sound is often shown as [ə] (schwa) in both stressed and unstressed syllables.
Примечание 4: Нейтральный звук
Символы транскрипции для нейтрального звука: [ʌ] (caret) в ударных слогах (fun, son) и [ə] (schwa) в безударных слогах (about, lesson). В американских материалах ESL нейтральный звук часто дается как [ə] (schwa) и в ударных, и в безударных слогах.

Read more about vowel letters and sounds in Spelling Patterns for Vowels in the section Writing.

Прочитайте еще о гласных буквах и звуках в статье Spelling Patterns for Vowels в разделе Writing.

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английские гласные

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гласные звуки

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буквосочетания гласных

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A vowel letter can represent different vowel sounds: hat [hæt], hate [heit], all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni]. (Одна гласная буква может передавать разные гласные звуки: hat [hæt], hate [heit], all [o:l], art [a:rt], any ['eni].) The same vowel sound is often represented by different vowel letters in writing: [ei] they, weigh, may, cake, steak, rain.

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Rhyming Worksheets & Teaching Resources | Teachers Pay Teachers

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Browse Rhyming resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Did you know that rhyming is one of the best predictors of how easily a child will learn to read? That's because good rhymers are better equipped to notice that rhyming words often have shared letter sequences, such as all in , and which in turn gives them a considerable head start in learning to read.

What Is Rhyming?

That may seem like a silly question, but it can be difficult to explain the concept of rhyming to a child who just doesn't "get it." Here's a simple definition. When two words sound the same at the end, like duck and truck, they rhyme.

Most children enjoy hearing and participating in rhyming activities, and when they are exposed to rhyming, they usually pick it up naturally. But if your child isn't good at rhyming yet, don't worry! There are many things you can do to help.

Does Your Child Know How to Rhyme?

Use this simple test to find out whether your child knows how to rhyme. If your child needs help in this critical area, read on to discover how to teach your child to recognize and produce rhyme.

Three Stages of Rhyming Ability

It's helpful to know that children don't just start off rhyming. In fact, they generally go through three stages. In the order of easiest to hardest, those stages are:

Hearing and recognizing rhyme are important skills your child must master before he can produce rhyme, so be sure to focus on these skills first. Modeling can be a great way to help your child hear rhyme.

Here's an example of modeling: "Duck and truck rhyme! They both end with uck! Say it with me: uck-uck, duck, truck!"

But hearing rhyme is just the beginning. The activities below were designed to help you teach your child all three stages of rhyming!

5 Simple Ways to Teach Rhyming

Read rhyming picture books together.

There are hundreds of great rhyming books, and this Rhyming Picture Books Library List is a good place to start. As you read, occasionally point out words that rhyme. ("Oh, and rhyme! They sound the same at the end. .")

Play "Get Out of the Wagon" with your child.

"Get Out of the Wagon" is a popular Stage 2 rhyming game. In this downloadable activity, three word cards-like , and -are placed in a wagon. The child determines which word doesn't rhyme and tells it to "get out of the wagon."

Share nursery rhymes with your child.

Nursery rhymes are conducive to reciting again and again. After your child knows the nursery rhymes, let him fill in the rhyming words to work on Stage 2. On this downloadable library list, you'll find some wonderful nursery rhyme collections to enjoy together.

Play "What's in My Bag?" with your child.

Once your child can successfully recognize rhymes, this activity will help him learn to produce rhymes (a Stage 3 skill). Just fill a bag with several common household items ( here are some ideas) and you're ready to play "What's in My Bag?"

Play "Dinner Time" with the whole family.

For more advanced Stage 3 rhyming, download this fun "Dinner Time" game. But make sure to play "Dinner Time" with the whole family. It's guaranteed to provide lots of giggles for kids and parents alike!

The Bottom Line on Teaching Rhyming to Your Child

It may not happen overnight, but with repeated exposure, your child will learn to rhyme. Most importantly, keep your rhyming practice fun and light-it shouldn't feel like a "lesson" to a young child.

Is there a rhyming activity that your child enjoys? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.

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Photo credit: Rachel Neumann

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Programs that teach thoroughly, so your child can succeed amazingly

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Match the Rhyming Objects!: Foundations for Phonemic Awareness

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Breaking the Big Words Part 2: (VC/CV with Open) Syllable Division Video Series

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Here's what you need to know about decoding, and why it's so important for reading.

Many people think decoding happens when kids start to know which sound each letter makes. But there's more to it than that.

Decoding happens when kids use their knowledge of letter-sound relationships to correctly pronounce written words. That includes more than just knowing the sounds individual letters make. Kids need to know concepts like letter patterns, too.

Letter patterns are groups of letters that appear together in words and make a sound that doesn't match up with reading each letter sound individually.

Take for example, the letter pattern - tion, which is at the end of many words. It sounds like "shun." Knowing that pattern can help kids decode words they haven't seen before, like "option" or "caption."

Some kids pick up on these relationships on their own. Most kids learn it through explicit instruction in the classroom.

Avoid COVID Slide with tips and tools designed to help your child return to the classroom.

The process of decoding lets kids figure out most words they've heard but have never seen in written form. (Decoding relies on the rules of phonics. Kids need to memorize words that don't follow those rules.) Decoding also helps kids sound out most words they're not familiar with at all. It's partly an auditory process, and partly a visual one.

Decoding starts with the ability to match letters and their sounds. But it also involves being able to take apart the sounds in words (segmenting) and blend sounds together. When kids can do both, they can sound out words. Beginning readers start with decoding one-syllable words, and then they work their way up to longer ones.

Problems with decoding usually become apparent when kids start learning to read. But signs can surface earlier, when kids are tuning in to the sound structure of words.

That's because they have trouble identifying the individual sounds that make up words. So when they get to kindergarten, certain reading activities might not make sense: activities that involve blending sounds to make words, segmenting words into individual sounds, and matching sounds to letters.

Tries to guess what a word is based on the first sound or two.

Tries to guess what a word is based on context.

Reads very slowly because it takes a long time to make sense of the letters.

Has trouble understanding or remembering what's read because it takes so much time and effort to figure out each word.

How to Help Kids Build Decoding Skills at Home

If the teacher says your child is struggling with vowels, you can focus on those. For example, spell out bat with magnetic letters, and then ask what happens if you substitute an i for the a.

As your child's class moves through the alphabet, look for those letters and sounds in everyday life. For example, point out ch and sh words in the mail that comes to the house, on signs, in books that you read together, or in the magnetic letters on the fridge.

There are also computer games and apps to help kids with reading skills.

Decoding requires identifying individual sounds that make up words.

It helps kids sound out words they're not familiar with.

Specialized instruction and lots of practice can help kids get better at decoding.

About the Author

About the Author

Kate Kelly

has been writing and editing for more than 20 years, with a focus on parenting.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Kelli Johnson, MA

is an educational speech-language pathologist, working with students from early childhood through 12th grade.

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Here's what you need to know about decoding, and why it's so important for reading. Many people think decoding happens when kids start to know which sound each letter makes. But there's more to it than that. Decoding happens when kids use their knowledge of letter-sound relationships to correctly pronounce written words.

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Exercise, Rhyme and Freeze | Rhyming Words for Kids | Exercise Song | Jack Hartmann

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Rhyming Games | Classroom Strategy | Reading Rockets

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Rhyme is found in poetry, songs, and many children’s books and games. Most children also love to sing and recite nursery rhymes. Words that can be grouped together by a common sound, for example the ”-at” family — cat, hat, and sat — can be used to teach children about similar spellings. Children ca…

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What Rhymes with this Picture?: Exploring Rhymes Orally and in Writing

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Rhymes.net is a unique online dictionary that contains a huge collection of rhyme entries for almost any given word in English - collaboratively assembled by contributing editors.

Use our rhyming words database to find rhymes for your poetry, lyrics or rapping - Our dictionary is divided by syllables and can be rated, heard using voice pronunciation and even translated to many common and not so common languages.

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Rhymes.net is a unique online dictionary that contains a huge collection of rhyme entries for almost any given word in English - collaboratively assembled by contributing editors . Use our rhyming words database to find rhymes for your poetry, lyrics or rapping - Our dictionary is divided by syllables and can be rated, heard using voice pronunciation and even translated to many common and not so common languages.

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In the 1970s, James Asher, a psychology professor at San Jose State University, created a ground-breaking second language program that completely shifted the way children learn new languages. His program, "Total Physical Response Learning (TPR)," transformed language lessons into fun interactive games and activities students would love.

He found that using commands, such as "sit-down" or "jump", in another language, sped up the rate at which children learn. Association of a new word with a movement or action strengthens memorization of a language. Unlike many other types of learning, Total Physical Response Learning activities are easy to incorporate in any classroom for a variety of age groups. Parents can easily play these games with their children at home as well, and even begin to pick up the language themselves.

TPR Storytelling

Regardless of age, everyone loves a good story, especially children. Teachers that incorporate a new language into their classroom story-times are subtly but effectively exposing their students to brand new words and language concepts. Whether a fairytale, adventure, or silly comedy, an effective TPR story always incorporates a specific recipe:

Enjoyable characters students can relate to

A specific plot/story direction

A good moral lesson

A healthy blend of the students' native language as well as new second language vocabulary and terms

Creative descriptions

Listener interactions (having the listeners "act out" certain story elements-hand motions, facial expressions, word repetition, etc.

Second Language "Simon Says"

An old standby, Simon Says is still a timeless game many children love. It combines a healthy mental challenge with fun energetic body movements. Children have an easier time incorporating new words into their vocabulary when their whole body is being used as a learning tool. Start the game with basic native language words (i.e. "spin," "raise one hand," "pat your head"). Then, throughout the game, begin to incorporate new second language terms.

Demonstrate the new words yourself. For example, to teach a new French term, say " Sautez trois fois! " and demonstrate the action by jumping three times. After your students watch, repeat the term again and have them do it with you. Throughout the game, repeat this command and action. By the second or third repetition, the children should be familiar enough with the sound and association to instantly perform the command. The friendly competition within this game will also motivate the children to listen and learn as quickly as they can.

Treasure Hunt

Searching for new objects and "hidden treasures" throughout the classroom is an easy way to help build teamwork among the students using their natural curiosity and problem-solving abilities. By mixing in foreign-language descriptive terms such as color, size, and quantity, students begin learning a large variety of adjectives for their new language.

Begin the game with very simple terms. If teaching Spanish, begin by using color terms such as " (yellow), (white) (red). Demonstrate each new word with a group of the appropriately colored objects before the game. Hide the objects around the room without the students watching. After they return, give them a command like "Find They'll scatter about the room and find objects of the appropriate color. Go through the color list several times and watch the game speed up as the associations become stronger.

To increase the difficulty, use the game to teach quantity. Demonstrate each number with specific groups of objects such as three balls, one hat, or five blocks. Repeat the numbers with different objects, each matching the appropriate numbers. Begin the game by asking for (two). Continue the game, repeating and reinforcing each number with a visual representation of the amount. By the end of the game, students will have a healthy and growing grasp of both number properties as well as what these numbers are in the second language.

Action Songs

Similar to TPR storytelling, songs are a great way to introduce a new language. The tune of the song, mixed with hand or body motions, creates natural memorization. Use simple songs such as "Head and Shoulders," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," or popular nursery rhymes. Because these songs are already familiar to many children, the new word associations will form quickly. Sing the songs in the native language first and begin gradually replacing certain words with the second language. Continue replacing more and more words. With time, children will be able to sing the songs in either language with ease.

We, as adults, learn new languages slowly, but children pick them up with ease, almost automatically, without thinking about 'the difficulty' involved. They are master learners, master puzzle-piece connectors, hungry for new knowledge and skills. Allowing them the tools to learn a new language unlocks their potential and feeds their natural curiosity. By far, Total Physical Response Learning is one of the most fun and effective ways for children to master a second language. For more information on this classroom practice and for TPR activity ideas, please today.

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Total Physical Response Learning: 4 of the Best Second Language Activities - Tessa International School

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In the 1970s, James Asher, a psychology professor at San Jose State University, created a ground-breaking second language program that completely shifted the way children learn new languages. His program, "Total Physical Response Learning (TPR)," transformed language lessons into fun interactive games and activities students would love.

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Total Physical Response (TPR) is a method of teaching language or vocabulary concepts by using physical movement to react to verbal input. The process mimics the way that infants learn their first language, and it reduces student inhibitions and lowers stress.

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Name of Activity:
Find the Rhyme!
Academic content:

Language Arts

Purpose of Activity:

Students will understand rhyming words.

Prerequisites:

Student must have prior knowledge of rhyming and locomotor skills.

Suggested Grade Level:

Materials Needed:

12 cones, 12 sets of 3 index cards (In each set of 3, each index card should have one word with all three cards rhyming. A set of three cards should not rhyme with another set of three cards.) Rhyming sets: 1. Blue Clue Flu 2. Sun Fun Run 3. Fine Line Mine 4. Rug Bug Slug 5. Time Lime Rhyme 6. Ring Sing Sling 7. Leg Beg Egg 8. Snow Show Know 9. Black Crack Slack 10. Meet Treat Greet 11. Test Best Guest 12. Soon Moon Bloom

Physical activity:

Locomotor Skills (running, walking, skipping, jumping, galloping) and Nonlocomotor Skills (stretching, turning, etc)

Description of Idea

Cones should be scattered throughout the gym and one note card from each set of rhyming words should be taped to a cone. Students should be scattered throughout the room, starting in their personal space. Pass out the remainder of the note cards to each student (there should be two students for each card). Call out a locomotor skill (skip, jump, run, walk, hop, or gallop). Students should begin doing the locomotor skill while looking at the different index cards on the cone to find the cone that rhymes with the card they are holding. The first student to find the cone should get on a low level and the second student to get to the cone should get on a high level. After completing the task all children switch cards and the activity begins again but with a different locomotor skill.

Variations:

Put pictures on the index cards so younger students or struggling readers can practice their rhyming. For older age groups, you can change the difficulty of the words so that they rhyme, but do not look the same (Ex:sleigh and bay). For older grades, you could use the same activity but instead of using rhyming words you could use prefixes and suffixes. Students could have the meaning of a prefix or suffixes written on an index card and then they have to find the prefix or suffix that matches their meaning (prefixes and suffixes would be taped to the cones. The students would have the meaning cards in their hands, then they would do a different skill activity, such as jump rope, once they find the match. You could also use a different skill activity at each cone).

Assessment Ideas:

Students can work with a partner. One student can say a word, and the other student can say a word that rhymes with that word. The rhyming words can be recorded on a worksheet to turn in at the end of class.

Teaching Suggestions:

Extensions for lesson:

1. Put two hula-hoops at each cone, and make the students find their rhyme match and then hula-hoop.
2. Put two jump ropes at each cone, and make the students find their rhyme match and then jump rope.
3. Put two basketballs at each cone, and make the students find their rhyme match and then dribble the basketball using proper technique.
4. Put six scarves at each cone and let the students juggle once they find their matching cone.
5. Put four poly spots at each cone - in a square formation. Once students find their matching cone, they must stand on opposite poly spots and practice jumping by jumping from poly spot to poly spot.

Submitted by Katie Drennon in Anderson, SC. Thanks for contributing to PE Central! Posted on PEC: 7/14/2011.

Viewed 58176 times since 5/2/2011.

Find the Rhyme!

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PEC: Lesson Plans for Physical Education

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Find the Rhyme! Language Arts Students will understand rhyming words. Student must have prior knowledge of rhyming and locomotor skills. 12 cones, 12 sets of 3 index cards (In each set of 3, each index card should have one word with all three cards rhyming.

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Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs. Whether teachers differentiate content, process, products, or the learning environment, the use of ongoing assessment and flexible grouping makes this a successful approach to instruction.