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"...the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language.

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Phonics is the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Children's reading development is dependent on their understanding of the alphabetic principle - the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language.

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ELA Resources

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My favorite thing about teaching ELA is getting students excited about reading! When a student is frustrated that independent reading time ...

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Helping struggling readers takes extra care and attention - since every child's brain is different, every solution is slightly different too. While some children may struggle to remember the sounds letters make, other students may skip lines of text, not remember sight words, forget to use picture clues...

These 10 simple strategies are easy ways to begin helping your struggling readers take big steps forward right away.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links.
Analyze the Assessment

An important first step in helping struggling readers is figuring out what they already know to determine what to teach next.

This simple reading assessment is a great place to start or you can use the test required by your district.

Look for patterns and clues in the data.

Do any strengths or weaknesses jump out at you? For instance,

Does the child read a page from left to right, top to bottom?

Does she correctly recognize the first letter sound in words?

Does she stop at that first sound and guess the rest of the word or does she continue sounding out the remaining letters?

Does she look at pictures for clues when she comes to unfamiliar words?

Does she recognize sight words?

Go Back to the Basics

Some struggling readers didn't develop a strong foundation of pre-reading skills the first time around so it's critical to go back and reteach them. They need:

Print awareness - knowing how to read a book and understanding that letters make words

Phonological awareness - being able to hear the sounds in words

Letter recognition - identifying the name and sound of letters

Building Print Awareness

My favorite way to teach kids the ins and outs of reading a book is to think out loud.

Just like the name suggests, you SAY all of the things that you normally THINK.

For instance, when you open to the first page of a book, you would explain that readers always start sounding out the word in the upper lefthand corner of the page first so that's where you'll begin too.

Then you'd point to that first word and sound it out.

(You can see a video of me modeling the think out loud strategy HERE.)

Developing Phonological Awareness

Hearing sounds in words helps children see sounds in written text later.

For instance, being able to rhyme sets children up for success reading word families. If a child can hear the sound pattern in cat, hat and sat, then she's more likely to see the -at spelling pattern at the end of those words.

Similarly, helping children stretch words into distinct letter sounds and then put them back together again like the sound box activity below helps them combine letter sounds to read written words later.

Letter Recognition

Trying to read when you know just some of the letters is like trying to bake a cake without all of the ingredients.

Kids must have the ABCs down pat.

Help students learn upper and lowercase pairs with this batch of free alphabet clip cards.

Or work on letter sounds with some colorful rainbow puzzles.

Go Multi-Sensory

Whenever possible, make activities multi-sensory.

Give visual learners an alphabet chart to help them the letter sounds associated with a word that starts with them.

Karate kick, frog leap and stretch as you practice spelling sight words for those kinesthetic students. // This Reading Mama

Have children hunt for alphabet letters or sight words in squish and seek bags ...

There are so many fun ways to make reading practice hands-on and multi-sensory. For 30 of our favorite sight word games, grab our best selling activity pack HERE!

Keep It Simple

When a student is falling behind, it can be tempting to try to pick up the pace and cover a lot of information quickly.

But for many struggling readers, it's important to keep them from getting overwhelmed.

Focus on one skill at a time ( digraphs, for example) and learn it deeply.

Then, when children show mastery, move on to the next strategy, making sure to keep the first skill fresh by periodically reviewing it.

Pre-teach

If you know that students are going to struggle with several words in a text, pre-teach them.

Write down the words on separate sentence strips.

Looking at one card at a time, work together as a group to sound out the word and then draw a simple picture next to it to help children remember what it says.

When children come to those words in their text, refer to the cards as a tool for figuring it out.

Read. A LOT.

This probably seems like a no brainer but as the old saying goes, "Practice makes perfect." The more students read, the better they become at it.

Encourage students to read books at their "just right" reading level but also give them opportunities to work with an adult and read slightly more challenging books so that they have the chance to safely stretch themselves too.

Quick Check Up

If you haven't already ruled out any visual, hearing and speech difficulties that might be preventing children from seeing, hearing or saying words correctly, be sure to get that in the works.

If you don't have a school nurse or speech and language specialist in your building, encourage parents to schedule a check up with their child's doctor.

Build Confidence

Many children don't like to read because they think they just aren't good at it.

Help build children's confidence by calling them readers. For instance you might say, "First grade readers, please line up at the door for recess" or, "Super star readers, it's time to put away your books please."

Point out students' success with quick compliments. "I like the way you pointed underneath each word that you read" or "You did a wonderful job looking at the first letter of that word to figure out what it said."

And when you're reading with small groups, consider choral reading (reading at the same time just like singers sing in a choir) or echo reading (having children repeat the words after you). Knowing that you are reading with them instead of listening to them can be just the ticket for some students to overcome their nerves.

Motivate

And finally, make reading practice fun! It seems simple, right?!

Read funny early reader books like the Elephant and Piggie series or Jan Thomas' "What Will Fat Cat Sit On?".

Help kids see reading as entertainment instead of work by reading out loud to them.

And turn reading lessons into games! These word work activities are always popular and kids love these beginning sound games.

The Ultimate Guide to Teaching Kids How to Read

Want a step-by-step map for teaching kids how to read?! Hop over and check out our ultimate guide HERE.

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10 Ways to Help Struggling Readers - Playdough To Plato

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Helping struggling readers takes extra care and attention - since every child's brain is different, every solution is slightly different too. While some children may struggle to remember the sounds letters make, other students may skip lines of text, not remember sight words, forget to use picture clues...

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For children ages 2-8 years old

10 Levels. Over 850 lessons.

9,000+ learning activities

Reading & Language Arts

Math

The World Around Us

Arts & Colors

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Covers everything from letters and sounds to reading full sentences.

• Designed in collaboration with leading academics.

• Complements all synthetic phonics programmes used in schools.

• Computer version is 100% free.

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The game has been funded by the Usborne Foundation, a charity set up to support initiatives to develop early literacy.

Our mission is to help as many children learn to read as possible. The computer version is 100% free and we put profits from the app back into the Usborne Foundation, to continue to create new and exciting ways for children to learn.

The charity was founded by Peter Usborne MBE and his children, Nicola and Martin, one of the world's leading children's book publishing companies and Children's Publisher of the Year 2012. He was previously one of the founders of the magazine Private Eye.

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The game has been funded by the Usborne Foundation, a charity set up to support initiatives to develop early literacy. Our mission is to help as many children learn to read as possible. The computer version is 100% free and we put profits from the app back into the Usborne Foundation, to continue to create new and exciting ways for children to learn.

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Intervention Strategies for Struggling Readers

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Intervention Strategies for Struggling Readers

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Personalized learning for struggling readers can be timesaving and easy to execute. Finding patterns and honing in on students' reading skill deficits will quickly point educators to the appropriate intervention. In " Timesaving Strategies for Selecting Interventions for Struggling Readers," Cindy Kanuch, Reading Specialist at Calhan Elementary School, presented tips on working to address skill deficits in the most efficient and effective manner, which in some situations can help students improve in as soon as one to two weeks.

The various components of reading-oral language, phonological/phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, background knowledge, comprehension, and comprehension for cognitive processing-relate in that they all build upon each other. When testing for a skill deficit, is it important to identify the precise lowest skill level with which a student struggles, and begin remediation from there. "Just as you would never build a house on an unstable foundation, you can't build reading without stable foundational skills," Cindy said. She also noted that it saves time to narrow interventions to focus on a single skill at a time, otherwise it may be too much for the student to take on.

Each deficit requires a different remediation; by taking the time to determine the underlying cause, efficiency can be increased and faster results achieved. For troubles with oral language, educators can make sure the language used in the classroom is robust and plentiful so students can hear and use informal and academic language as much as possible. They can do this by listening to audiobooks, such as those from Learning Ally, or by participating in "turn and talks" and answering discussion questions with partners, which gets all students involved. For interventions in phonics, Cindy recommended syllable coding. For older students she makes up complicated nonsense words for syllable coding to ensure her students don't just happen to know the words from memory.

Students struggling with fluency can do chunking and phrasing exercises with cards that contain phrases to learn to read multiple words at a time, instead of word by word. They can also do exercises that involve reading with expression, like playing "read it like a..." where students must read text like different characters (vampire, pirate, etc.). They can also play "guess my punctuation," where one student reads a text and the rest of the class should be able to correctly guess the punctuation in the sentence. To boost students' vocabulary, educators can teach roots, prefixes, and suffixes. Students can also play games like the "multiple meaning web" and "shades of meaning" to become more familiar with synonyms and similar words.

Out of the many intervention strategies she provided, Cindy concluded with four important takeaways to keep in mind. Save valuable instructional time by analyzing your struggling students' assessment data and error patterns to determine the most foundational skill deficits, and build up from there. Focus your interventions on a precise skill deficit for maximum instructional efficiency. Teach strategies and skills that can be widely applied, like phonics expectations, syllable types, roots, and affixes. Make sure the intervention you choose is remediating the desired deficit. Find all of Cindy's tips and timesaving strategies here.

This broadcast was hosted by edWeb.net and sponsored by Learning Ally.
WATCH THE EDWEBINAR RECORDING
This article was modified and published by eSchool News.
About the Presenter
Cindy Kanuch is the reading interventionist at Calhan Elementary School. She has provided literacy interventions for K-12 students for over 10 years. Cindy is on the board of the Rocky Mountain Branch of the International Dyslexia Association, a member of the Academy of Orton-Gillingham at the Associate level and is a Certified Academic Language Practitioner (working to become a Certified Academic Language Therapist). She is the 2016 recipient of the inaugural Winslow Coyne Reitnouer Excellence in Teaching Award. Cindy's current concentration is training teachers to efficiently and effectively identify and remediate reading and spelling deficiencies for both dyslexic and non-dyslexic students.
Join the Community
Empowering Struggling Readers is a free professional learning community that provides educators, administrators, special educators, curriculum leaders, and librarians a place to collaborate on how to turn struggling readers into thriving students.

Learning Ally is a leading ed-tech, nonprofit proven to transform the lives of struggling readers. We provide access to grade-level content to bridge the gap for students with learning differences who can cognitively comprehend the information but read below grade level. Our high-quality, human-read audiobooks coupled with a suite of teacher resources is a cost effective solution for your school.

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Easy Intervention Strategies for Struggling Readers - edWeb

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Personalized learning for struggling readers can be timesaving and easy to execute. Finding patterns and honing in on students' reading skill deficits will quickly point educators to the appropriate intervention.

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If you're looking for some free phonics clip cards, you're in the right place! Here, you'll find over 100 of them...all FREE!

I just love clip cards, don't you? They can be used over and over again, they can easily be made self-checking {read more about this below}, and they help learners work on those fine motor muscles important for writing at the same time. Woohoo!

*This post contains affiliate links.
Click on the images or links with the phonics card cards to find them on my blog.

Phonics Clip Cards

Grab some plastic clothespins {easier to open} or wooden clothespins {harder to open} and you're ready for kids to clip and learn!

To make these clip cards self-checking* with answers on the back, simply draw a happy face, dot, or star on the back where the answer should go. Once learners have clipped the card, they can flip it over and check their answers. This makes them great for a center or independent activity!

*Note: Some of the bundled clip cards have been made into self-checking cards for you. I'll indicate where you can find these in the post.

Rhyming Word Clip Cards - Yes, I know rhyming doesn't exactly fit under "phonics", but these cards build phonological awareness, a vital reading skill! Learners clip the one picture on the card that DOESN'T belong. This is great for as an extra challenge to kids who already have rhyming down.

Beginning Sounds Clip Cards {Trace & Clip} - These free clip cards review letter recognition, handwriting AND letter sounds. Woohoo!

You can find more Beginning Alphabet Sound clip cards that I created over at Free Homeschool Deals.

Ending Blends Clip Cards - Hearing ending blends can be very tricky for some learners. These picture-based clip cards are challenging, yet doable for practicing this skill.

Magic e Clip Cards - If you're working on magic e {sometimes called sneaky e or silent e}, these magic e clip cards are a fun way to practice. These clip cards are a part of our larger Self-Correcting Magic e Clip Cards pack.

Clip the Same Vowel Sound - Instead of focusing on vowel patterns, learners are to clip the same vowel SOUND. These clip cards review short vowels, bossy r vowels, long vowels {CVCe and vowel teams}, diphthongs and some sight words. Great for review!

Even More Phonics Clip Cards

Find these extra alphabet clip cards in the bundle pack of Learning the Alphabet.

Find word family clip cards in each unit of Learn to Read.

Hop over to The Measured Mom and find even more clip cards for phonics & more!

Enjoy!
~Becky

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100+ FREE Phonics Clip Cards - This Reading Mama

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If you're looking for some free phonics clip cards, you're in the right place! Here, you'll find over 100 of them...all FREE! I just love clip cards, don't you? They can be used over and over again, they can easily be made self-checking {read more about this below}, and they help learners work on those fine ...

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Teachers Pay Teachers
Purrfectly Passionate About Teaching
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/First-Grade-Phonics-Reference-Information-Sheet-4018783

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This Reading Mama
https://thisreadingmama.com/what-is-word-work/

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Prefix and Suffix Songs were created so children and adults could better understand prefixes and suffixes. An educational sing-a-long video written and sung by power whole brain mentor teacher, Sunday Heppner. Teachers and parents are encouraged to have their students/children sing-a-long. Music is a great way to get kids involved in learning English concepts that are usually boring.

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Grade 1. Language, Spelling educational game: Match color pencils as you learn prefixes.

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Words that have blends and digraphs can be a little tricky for kiddos. Typically kids are ready for them when they can read {and spell most} CVC words. Reading and spelling words with blends and digraphs requires kids to listen very closely to each individual sound in words {called phonemes.} And sometimes it helps to have a little extra support to do this.

*This post contains affiliate links.

Blends and Digraphs - What Are They?

Blends and digraphs can be tricky for adults, too. I probably get asked about 1-2 times a month what they are and what the difference is between the two. So, let's stop for a moment and explore both. To do so, I have two "posters" I created for Set 4 of the BOB Books that can help to clarify the difference. FREE links are included to the posters below.

Blend = TWO LETTERS {occasionally three letters}, PUT TOGETHER, AND YOU HEAR BOTH SOUNDS. {You can download this poster in this post.}

Some examples of beginning blends are bl-, sc-, or gr-. Blends can also be at the end of words, such as - nd, -st, or -mp. I like to start with words that have EITHER a beginning OR ending blend, but NOT both when introducing blends. For example, a word like stump contains a beginning blend {st-} and ending blend {-mp} and may be too difficult for a child just learning about blends.

Digraph = TWO LETTERS, PUT TOGETHER, AND YOU HEAR ONE SOUND. {You can download this poster in this post.}

Some common digraphs are ch, ph, sh, th and wh. Some digraphs can be found at the beginning or end of words {such as sh, th, and ph} while others, like kn, are typically only found at the beginning. When I introduce digraphs, I also focus on either the beginning digraphs or the ending digraphs, not words that have both.

Common Blends and Digraphs Chart for Kids

My Kindergartner {NJoy} does a good job of reading blends and digraphs in words for the most part, but he isn't consistently spelling them in his writing just yet. Blends have been easier for him, as they typically are {because you can hear both sounds}, than digraphs.

So, I created a 1-page reference chart of blends and digraphs for him to give a little support when needed. {The free download is at the end of this post and contains a color chart and a black/white chart.}

Ways to Use the Chart

1. Introduce the chart. The first thing I did was review blends and digraphs with him by talking about what they sound like {blends make two individual sounds and digraphs make one sound.} We looked at each image and he named them. We listened for the blend or digraph in the word.

2. Play a sound game. For this game, I asked him to bring one of his favorite small toys. I said, "We're going to play a listening game. I'm going to say a word that starts the same as one of these words. You need to listen to the word, then find the picture {starting with either a blend or digraph} on the chart that starts with the same sound(s).

"For example, if I said plate, you would say that word slowly, p-l-a-t {making long a sound} and listen for the first sounds you heard. Hmmm...sounds like p-l, so you would put the toy on the plane in the chart because it also starts with p-l." I followed up with two more examples and by the third example, he was answering for me, so I knew he was ready to try.

We played this listening game for about 10 rounds. The digraphs were definitely trickier for him, as expected. We will play this game another time.
3. Use it during writing OR reading time as a reference to remember sounds.
This comes in handy especially during writing time for my little guy. I am absolutely blown away at how he has learned to crack the code of phonics in his reading. And I've been amazed at his spelling, too, but spelling almost always lags behind reading, as I explain in my ebook, Teaching Kids to Spell.

So, he can use it as a reference when spelling words. Just like in our listening game {#2}, when he gets to a word that has a blend or digraph, he can find the corresponding picture on the chart to help him spell {like in the word snowman.}

4. Display it at his desk. I have displayed his chart where he can easily see it and access it, if he needs. I think this is an important step that we sometimes forget. Instead of throwing it away {or placing it in a "done" pile}, make sure it's accessible to kids. If you're a classroom teacher, a reading or writing folder would be a great place for the chart. Or perhaps at a reading or writing center area.

More Resources for Young Readers/Spellers

>>Download our FREE Blends and Digraphs Chart HERE.<<

~Becky

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Words that have blends and digraphs can be a little tricky for kiddos. Typically kids are ready for them when they can read {and spell most} CVC words. Reading and spelling words with blends and digraphs requires kids to listen very closely to each individual sound in words {called phonemes.} And sometimes it helps to have a little extra support to do this.

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A critical step in learning to read is immediately connecting a word with the thing it defines. Your kid can get valuable practice with that skill with Roly's phonics quiz. Your early reader hears vowel and consonant sounds and matches them with objects whose words contain those sounds. It's awesome phonics practice and awesome phonics fun at the same time!

Grade

Subject

View aligned standards

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Letter Sound Game | Game | Education.com

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A critical step in learning to read is immediately connecting a word with the thing it defines. Your kid can get valuable practice with that skill with Roly's phonics quiz. Your early reader hears vowel and consonant sounds and matches them with objects whose words contain those sounds.

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Roll a Word Phonics Dry Erase Activity - Fantastic Fun & Learning

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By · This content may contain affiliate links. In our domino math activity I shared how we love to use dry erase markers to get a lot of practice on specific skills without going through a ton of paper. But dry erase activities aren't just for math, there are a ton of ways to use them for reading instruction too.

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Digraphs | Phonics Song for Children | Phonemic Awareness | Jack Hartmann

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**TPT FEATURED FREEBIE, 10/14!**

This is a fun project that takes about 20-30 minutes per book, designed for kids Pre-K -

1st. Students learn a new consonant digraph each book by coloring

pictures containing the targeted digraph and tracing over the letters as they occur in words.

Each book is a single sheet of paper divided into 8 sections.

When the student has completed coloring the sections, the paper is folded into a "book" that he/she can take home.

CONCEPTS:

There are 5 common digraphs covered, including: ch, ph, sh, th, wh

INCLUDED:

* 5 Mini Books

* Instructions

You may also like:
Vowel Digraphs Minibooks Early Sounds Articulation Bundle Alphabet Mini Books Bundle Consonant Blends Mini Books Phonics Mini Readers: Short Vowels

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TPT FEATURED FREEBIE, 10/14!**This is a fun project that takes about 20-30 minutes per book, designed for kids Pre-K - 1st. Students learn a new consonant digraph each book by coloringpictures containing the targeted digraph and tracing over the letters as they occur in words.Each book is a single...

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• Kindergarten through 2nd Grade
• Compatible on tablets, iPads, and computers
• Students can work at home or school
• Provides teachers with detailed reports
• Personalized exercises
• Advanced Collaboration & group pairings

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Lalilo by Renaissance | Practice and instruction on Foundational Literacy skills

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Sign up and invite parents remotely for home access to phonics and reading lessons.

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https://www.cde.ca.gov/be/st/ss/documents/elaccsswordversion.doc

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Each video:
• Alphabet recognition
• Letter-sound correspondence
• Upper and lowercase correspondence
• Vowel or consonant identification
• Consonant beginning or ending sounds
• Vowel beginning or medial sounds

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This collection of Alphabet songs is a powerful tool to help children become successful readers. Each of our Alphabet songs includes alphabet recognition, on...

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Phonics anchor charts and blends charts are a great way to teach difficult concepts to beginning readers. Keep them around the classroom, and your students will be able to use them independently for increased confidence and learning!

Here are 20 blends and phonics anchor charts we love.

Source: 1 and 2 With Mr. Su

Students will love putting words to the test both with a silent e on the end and without. Have students hold up a floating e so they recognize both words.

2. Hard and Soft C

Source: Mrs. Jones's Class

The different sounds made by the letter C can definitely be tricky to understand. You might have your students help you create this anchor chart, coming up with words that fall into both categories.

3. Row Your Boat

Source: Shining and Sparkling in First Grade

We like how this anchor chart puts vowel digraphs that make the same sound side by side.

4. Explaining Consonant Blends

Source: Consonant Blends/The Inspired Apple

When you work on consonant blends, have students compare each letter's sound individually. Then have them pay close attention to what happens when they blend together.

5. Beginning Blends

Source: The Mall-ard Kindergarten Marquee

The best part of this chart is that you can add blends as you introduce them in class.

6. Double E Tree

Take one single concept, like the double e, and come up with every single word that it applies to.

7. Vowel Pairs

Use this anchor chart to help define the rule, and then encourage your students to come up with their own examples to add.

8. Recipes for Blends

Source: Smitten With First

A cute analogy that will encourage students to try different letters together, creating and testing their own word "recipes" too.

9. It's Owl Right

Source: Mrs. Jump's Class

This cute owl chart shows students the many words that contain an "ow" sound, whether it's spelled "ow" or "ou."

10. The Many Ways to Spell the Long A Sound

Source: Hello Literacy

One of the trickiest things about phonics for students to learn is how the same sound can be spelled lots of different ways. It helps to see side-by-side examples, like in this anchor chart that describes the different spellings of the long A sound.

11. Bring in the Blender

Source: Tales of a Teacherista

Put the current blends you are studying "in the blender." Cute!

12. The H Brothers

We love how this anchor chart creatively shows the different sounds digraphs containing the letter H make.

13. The Bandit Y

Source: First Grade Fresh

Try this anchor chart to help your kids learn how tricky Y can be!

14. Pairs, Digraphs, and Diphthongs

Source: Mrs. Gillespie's Thoughts

What are the differences between these vowel pairs, anyway?

15. Sounds of G

Source: Glitzy in 1st Grade

Is it a hard G? Is it a soft G? Students will easily learn the difference between the two and get great examples too.

16. Ow vs. Oa

This chart shows the differences between words that contain a long O sound. We like how the beginning and ending blends are highlighted too.

17. Phonics Charts for Every Digraph

Source: The Inspired Apple

We love the idea of creating different phonics charts for each digraph you are studying and adding words as you learn them.

18. Lesson From a Pirate

Source: Mrs. A's Kindergarten

Get your pirate voice ready because you're definitely going to want to use it when you go over words with "ar" in them.

19. Long I Storytelling

Source: Tied Up With String

It's fun to write a class story or poem using a certain sound as many times as possible.

Practice saying "Bossy R" words with your students. It really helps them to hear it said out loud.

Love these phonics charts? Check out our anchor charts archive for even more subjects and grades!

Plus, watch this video to see these phonics charts up close!

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20 Perfect Anchor Charts To Teach Phonics and Blends

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Phonics anchor charts and blends charts are a great way to teach difficult concepts to beginning readers. Keep them around the classroom, and your students will be able to use them independently for increased confidence and learning! Here are 20 blends and phonics anchor charts we love.

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Phonics instruction helps kids learn the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Children are taught, for example, that the letter b represents the sound /b/, and that it is the first letter in words such as bubbles, ball, and baby. These Phonics Apps for Kids help kids practice with basic phonics skills, including recognizing the letters of the alphabet, alphabet matching, and word building.

The Best Phonics Apps for Kids
Oz Phonics
This app is filled with fun games that work on letter-to-sound and sound-to-letter skills which are necessary skills for helping your child learn how to decode and work out new words.

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Alphabet Sounds Word Study
Based off of the 'Words Their Way' approach through sorting, finding, spelling, and writing words. This amazing app has four levels of interactive play that work on beginning, middle, ending, and diagraph/blend sounds. This is the perfect app for younger kids!

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hip hop hen: abc flashcard songs
Teach sounds and diagraphs with fun songs using this app! 'abc flashcard songs' has been specifically devised for children to learn the phonetic alphabet as well as new vocabulary with 35 interactive phonic songs.

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The Joy of Reading
The Joy of Reading is a comprehensive collection of 9 multi-level games that are designed to encourage early reading. An array of colourful animals supports the child according to their readiness as they are exposed to systematic and explicit instruction in phonemic awareness and phonics.

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Montessori Letter Sounds
Montessori Letter Sounds works off of four stages for kids: I-Spy Games, Letter Sounds, Mix-n-Match, and Sound it Out. In each step, children will find a learning activity and a game to help them put their learning into practice. Self-correction is encouraged throughout the app to increase self-confidence. The system keeps track of marbles won by each player. Marbles are used to unlock games and levels and to stimulate learning.

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ABC House
Expose your child to the world of everyday objects! This award-winning ABC Series teaches children new words through sight, sound & touch. Let them iron a shirt, use a kettle, fluff a pillow & more through beautiful pictures, lively videos, and interactive scenes.

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Rosetta Stone® Kids Lingo Letter Sounds
My kids love this simple, but well-executed app! This preschool learning game reinforces English reading skills while simultaneously introducing a new language. It's a fun way to help make your child a stronger, more confident reader.

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Wee Sing & Learn ABC
Great music. Great characters. Great learning! Kids will love interacting with the animated characters while learning letters and beginning to read. Every letter of the alphabet has its own special song.

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Eye Spy Touch
Based on the popular classic car game 'I spy with my little eye' - Eye Spy Touch is perfect for developing thinking skills while on the move. Your child will learn phonics skills, logic & reasoning, memory skills & matching and they will develop their reading and listening abilities.

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Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read - Preschool Alphabet and Letter Sounds
Learn to Read Pre-K is the first level of Hooked on Phonics' digital reading program. Part-musical-variety-show, part-interactive-game, and all fun, it's an amazing app that will keep everyone laughing and learning-all the way from Ankle to Zither.

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Have a favorite Phonics App that we missed? Share it with others in the comments!

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Phonics instruction helps kids learn the relationships between the letters of written language and the sounds of spoken language. Children are taught, for example, that the letter b represents the sound /b/, and that it is the first letter in words such as bubbles, ball, and baby.

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♫ Fun and Fast Short Vowel Phonics Song "aeiou" with actions. (Grade 1)♫

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Play Dough for Guided Reading or

Intervention Phonics Practice

It is a universal law that children love all things colorful, messy, and different. Anything they can feel and squish between their fingers is instant engagement. That's why when things started to get dull and monotonous, I loved pulling out the play-dough. This works best in a one-on-one setting (intervention, rti pull-outs, tutoring, etc.) or small groups during guided reading. I will warn you that I would not do this whole-group unless your class is extremely well trained at following directions (if so, then you are a magician! 🌟Please teach me your ways.).

For optimal teacher-sanity and minimal rainbow carpet, here is how to set expectations and procedures for the activity. The first time will take longer, and you probably won't get to practice very many words. BUT IT IS WORTH IT to take your time and clearly explain procedures the first time. The clearer and more thorough you are with the instructions, the smoother the activity will go. Try this activity several times, and soon the students will be familiar with the procedures and you will be amazed at how many words you can get through, and the students stay engaged the whole time!

Below the lesson set-up and procedures are some practice variation ideas so you can use this activity to teach a variety of phonics patterns. Students love to get creative and come up with new ideas on how to represent the words with play-dough. Have fun with it!

Cheap Cookie Trays (I got mine for $2 each at Walmart)

Play-Dough (these colors from Amazon are fun, and they come in perfect individual "serving" size)

Magnetic Letters (love these Amazon, or these for a bigger class set)

*If you want to go low material and prep, just have a white board and dry erase marker for each student. Students can write the words on their white boards and then use the play-dough to decode them.

Write a list of phonics patterns and words you want to cover for the lesson. It is best to only focus on 1 or 2 phonics patterns a day, with about 5 or 6 practice words total. You can get in more as the students become quicker with the routine.

For each student, have one cookie sheet and a baggie of plastic letters you will be using.

OR, if you are using whiteboards, have a whiteboard, dry erase marker, and eraser (I use tissues) for each student.

Setting Behavior Expectations:

Before you bust out the play-dough, set clear expectations to avoid a rainbow-colored free-for-all extravaganza. Model each step yourself (giving yourself materials) and show them how you expect them to follow the expectations. Tell the students:

1. I will hand each one of you a tray (or white board, or paper in page protector). Keep the tray flat on the table in front of you.

2. You will each get a baggie of letters (or dry erase marker). Keep it next to your tray and do not open it until tell you.

3. You will also get 1 ball of play-dough. You will keep it in the corner of your tray (or whiteboard, or paper). This will be your play-dough storage area. Only touch this when I tell you to.

BEFORE YOU HAND OUT STUDENT MATERIALS!

Make sure you model the WHOLE activity before you hand out student materials, because sorry teach, play-dough usually beats teacher in student attention contests. 💁

1. I will show you a word on my board, like this (place or write letters of the first word on your board).

2. When I say go, you will then make (or write) the word on your board, then fold your hands and look at me. We will wait for everyone to have their word made.

3. When I say go, you will roll 3 (or however many you need for your word) small balls of play-dough, and place one ball under each letter. Fold your hands and look at me when you are done (make 3 small balls and put them under each letter of your example word, and then fold your hands).

4. As a group, we will sound the word out together by pressing on the ball under each letter as we say its sound. Then we will say the whole word together and fold our hands (press on each ball of play-dough as you say the sounds of each letter in your example word, then say the whole word and fold your hands).

Pass Out Student Materials:

Remind students of the expectations to "keep their tray or whiteboard flat, their letters or markers next to it on the table, and their play-dough ball in the corner of their board. Always keep your hands folded while waiting for instructions. Wait for me to say go before you make a word or get your play-dough balls."

Hand out student materials and praise students who quickly follow the expectations.

1. Make or write the first word, or phonics pattern, on your board, then have the students make it on their board.

2. Let students get their balls of play-dough to place under the letters.

3. Sound out the word together by pressing on each ball as you say the sound of each letter.

4. Then have the students say what the word is.

You can use a strategy similar to the "Chunking" strategy, but first I like to have them separate the words with a vertical snake, just to help them recognize what words the compound word is made up of. Then have students place a snake under each "small" word, and smush the snakes as they read them. Again, explain that recognizing the smaller words that compound words are made up of can help us read faster than sounding out the word.

Those are just a few fun ideas to add some color 🌈and engagement to your phonics small group lessons or reading interventions. It is amazing what magic and excitement a little ball of play-dough can bring to your classroom! 🌟

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Play Dough for Guided Reading or Intervention Phonics Practice It is a universal law that children love all things colorful, messy, and different. Anything they can feel and squish between their fingers is instant engagement. That's why when things started to get dull and monotonous, I loved pulling out the play-dough.

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The Vowel Song: Long and Short Vowel Sounds

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The Vowel Song: Long and Short Vowel Sounds

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The Vowel Song: Long and Short Vowel Sounds | English Songs | Scratch Garden

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Unlock the Magic of Reading with Phonics Games

Understanding the world of words and sounds can be a thrilling journey for young learners. At its core, this journey involves a technique that educators and parents have trusted for decades: phonics. In the realm of phonics, a variety of interactive and enjoyable tools have emerged-phonics games. So, what are these games, and how do they differ from phonetics games? Let's dive in!

Why Choose Phonics Games for Your Child?

Games for Phonics: More Than Just Fun

Games on phonics are not merely about entertainment. They are structured tools designed to make the learning process engaging. These games utilize sounds, letters, and word recognition techniques to build a solid foundation for reading.

The Power of Interaction with Phonics Game

A regular phonics game often involves interaction. Whether it's on a computer, a tablet, or a board game, children have the chance to actively participate, make choices, and receive immediate feedback, making game phonics an effective learning method.

The Difference between Phonics Games and Phonetics Games

At first glance, the terms phonics and phonetics might seem interchangeable. However, there's a distinct difference:

Phonics: This is a method of teaching reading and writing by developing learners' phonemic awareness. Phonics games specifically aim to teach kids the sounds associated with letters and letter combinations.

Phonetics: Phonetics deals with the study of sounds in human speech. Games associated with phonetics are more concerned with understanding and recognizing all speech sounds. So, when we speak of phonics games not phonetic games, we are emphasizing the focus on teaching reading.

The distinction is essential. For children just stepping into the world of reading and writing, phonics games are the more suitable choice.

Features of Effective Phonics Games

Variety in Phonic Games

A wide array of phonic games exists, catering to different learning styles. From digital games to physical board games, the choices are vast. Some games might focus on letter-sound associations, while others may emphasize blending sounds to form words.

Engaging and Rewarding

A successful phonics game captures a child's attention. It provides challenges and rewards that motivate the child to keep playing and, by extension, keep learning.

Progressive Learning

Top-quality games for phonics should offer progressive levels, ensuring that as the child masters one level, they can move on to more challenging tasks.

Relevance to Age

It's crucial for phonic games to be age-appropriate. What captivates a preschooler might not necessarily hold the attention of a second-grader.

Exploring Phonics Games on Kizphonics

For a curated selection of phonics games, visit Kizphonics. They offer a diverse range of games tailored to various age groups, ensuring that your child gets the best tools for their reading journey.

FAQs: All About Phonics Games

1. What are phonics games?

Phonics games are interactive tools designed to teach children the sounds associated with letters and combinations of letters. They help kids build a foundation for reading.

2. How do phonics games differ from phonetics games?

While phonics focuses on teaching reading by developing learners' phonemic awareness, phonetics is about the study of sounds in human speech. Phonetics games are more concerned with understanding all speech sounds.

3. Are digital phonics games better than traditional board games?

Both digital games and traditional board games have their merits. Digital games can offer more interactive features and immediate feedback, while board games can promote social interaction. It's about finding what best suits your child's needs.

4. How often should my child play phonics games?

Regular exposure is beneficial. You could incorporate phonics games into daily or weekly routines, ensuring your child has a mix of playtime and structured learning.

5. Where can I find quality phonics games?

You can explore a vast collection of games tailored for different age groups on Kizphonics.

Conclusion: Games with Phonics - A Launchpad to Literacy

In the end, it's all about nurturing a love for reading in children. Phonics games, with their engaging and interactive nature, serve as a bridge, making the journey of learning to read not just essential but enjoyable. So, as you embark on this adventure with your young one, remember, it's not just about the destination but the joy of the journey. Embrace the world of phonics games and watch your child's literacy skills soar.

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Phonics Games for Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade Reading Games

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Phonics Games by Level, Preschool Reading Games, Kindergarten Reading Games, 1st Grade Reading Games, 2nd Grade Reading Games. Covering, Letters of the Alphabet, Short Vowels, Beginning and Ending Consonants, Long Vowels, Vowel Digraphs, S Blends, R Blends, L Blends, R-controlled Vowels, Special Vowels, Diphthongs and more..

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Learn to Read | Phonics for Kids | Writing Made Easy

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BLOG: keepingupwithmrsharris.com

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Browse over 370 educational resources created by Keeping Up with Mrs Harris in the official Teachers Pay Teachers store.

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When 2 Vowels Go Walking | Phonics Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann

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Educator Resources & Technology Training - Google for Education

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Discover numerous educator resources including technology training for teachers, courses, certifications and professional development for educators.

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Professional Development - California Teachers Association

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Make a Double "ee" Eel to Practice Phonics! | Activity | Education.com

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Here's a rainy day phonics craft project for you and your first grader. Reel in those double "ee" words on this do-it-yourself eel!

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Benefits:
• FREE Educators account
• Exclusive classroom code
• FREE trial for families and teacher discount after trial
• Access over 35,000 digital books
• Create class roster
• Assign reading content to students
• Set reading goals
• Create quizzes

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1st Grade Learning Glued Sounds-am,-an, and  -all

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1st Grade Learning Glued Sounds-am,-an, and  -all

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1st Grade Phonics Learning Glued Sounds: -am, -an, & -all!

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Do your students struggle with spelling? Students need extra reinforcement learning specific spelling patterns. The glued/welded spelling patterns of 'am', 'an', and 'all' can be very challenging for elementary students. This collection of activities and resources will help your students learn these...

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1st Grade Phonics and Chunk Spelling Curriculum Term 1

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First grade phonics, chunk spelling, and word study program materials for Term 1. 9 weeks of materials included. A great companion resource for teachers who love Words Their Way. → → Save $$$ buying this as part of the year long 1st Grade Word Play Phonics curriculum!← ← TERM 1: 9 weeks of instru...

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How to Teach Phonics to First Graders-For Parents

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How to Teach Phonics to First Graders-For Parents

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Children who are in first grade or going to first grade during the new school year tend to have already learned some phonics in kindergarten and preschool. For these children, the building blocks for phonics and basic reading skills might already be in place. When planning to teach phonics to first graders, remember it's important to continue polishing and expanding on these bits of knowledge. You should review concepts that have already been taught and work on newer concepts that are about to be taught in the child's classroom.

Since you've likely already spent a good deal of time on basic phonics skills, your child probably has a strong foundation of basic phonics concepts such as single letter sounds and rhyming words. With this foundation, there are plenty of new activities, games, and ways to exercise the knowledge and build onto it. This will allow your child to grasp new concepts and further explore the world of reading!

Kids will have loads of fun with Red Cat Reading books!

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Step #1 - Reviewing the Basics

Just because your child has learned something, doesn't mean that you can move on without doing a review from time to time to make sure that he or she has retained information. Reviewing can be simple - creating or downloading worksheets, going over flashcards, writing words, and reading books that he or she has already mastered. There are a great deal of workbooks on the market that are intended for reviewing skills that a child has already learned in school. These make great additions to homework assignments or during summer vacation. Pick up workbooks in both a kindergarten and a first-grade level, as they can help review the basics in case it is necessary, as well as gain some new skills.

Step #2 - Pick up some new books!

Whether you would enjoy spending hours pouring over library books, checking some out, and bringing them home, or you prefer to take your child to the bookstore to purchase a few new books, make sure that he or she is selecting books at their level. There are plenty of books out there that market themselves as "first time readers," and these can be valuable tools in your child's education. Since books can be expensive, check out some recommended reading lists or visit the library.

You can find many digital books for free at www.redcatreading.com.

Step #3 - Talk to your child's teacher

A conversation with your child's teacher can make a huge difference in your child's learning. Set up a specific meeting time with the teacher and go in to discuss what your child is currently learning and what they will be working on in the future. Talk about what kinds of books they will be working with, and ask for recommendations of stories and activities to use at home. This will ensure that you are working on the correct things and will be a fantastic help for the child's teacher as well!

Step #4 - Work together everyday

Make learning a fun activity, and part of your everyday routine! Since young children do well with a routine, make sure you try and stick with it as much as possible. Pick a certain time during the day to sit down together and work on reviewing and learning new concepts. Making the learning fun is also important - take your child to the grocery store and let them hold your shopping list, reading the list and directing you where to go next. When cooking or baking, ask your child to identify the next ingredient in the recipe.

Step #5 - Utilize Tablets and Smartphones

Tablets and smartphones can be helpful tools in your child's education, if the device is used correctly and for ideal periods of time. There are countless learning apps and videos available out there; many of them teaching phonics skills and reading.

Take a look at www.redcatreading.com and sign up for your FREE account! Your child can learn phonics on any digital device; with 10 different levels.

Get Your Free Account

If you are worried about your child having free access to the tablet and wandering the web or getting into apps you'd rather they didn't, many companies make specific tablets for young children. Also, almost every tablet comes equipped with a variety of parental controls that are vital for keeping kids safe! Allowing your child to use these devices for short periods throughout the day (while you are on an important phone call, for instance), can be a great tool for learning - and if you are worried about how often they use it, a lot of tablets also have a built-in timer for how long the child is permitted to access it.

Step #6 - Play games

Playing games with your children is the kind of thing that they will remember for years to come, and those memories will always be cherished. With the large amount of games available on the market that teach letters and reading, you should be able to find some great games that can hold your child's attention. Most toy stores carry a variety, and what you can't find in store, you can find online at different retailers.

Step #7 - Keep at it!

Teaching your child phonics skills and reading isn't going to happen overnight. It is a process that is going to take a great deal of time and devotion, so make sure to keep going! Use workbooks on a daily basis and help your child learn to sound out words. Keep reviewing what your child has learned, even when it seems as if he or she already has a good grasp on it. Practice is key at this stage!
While children who are going to first grade or who are already in first grade tend to already have a decent grasp on phonics skills, it is important to keep helping them along and providing them with new opportunities to learn. Reviewing, talking to your child's teacher, and reading together are the best tools that you have to help your child take this amazing journey into reading!
Kids will Learn to Read the Fast and Fun Way with Red Cat Reading!

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Children who are in first grade or going to first grade during the new school year tend to have already learned some phonics in kindergarten and preschool. For these children, the building blocks for phonics and basic reading skills might already be in place.