Giving Your Child a Helping Hand: Teaching Phonemes the Right Way by: Lorie Duncan Speech Therapist Ohatchee Elementary

Understanding Terminology A phoneme- the smallest part of spoken language that makes a difference in word meaning A grapheme- the smallest part of written language that represents a phoneme in the spelling of a word. These may consist of one or multiple letters. (Center for the Improvement of Early Reading Achievement, 2001).

What is alphabet knowledge? “Alphabet knowledge is a simple concept, but an important step in your child’s literacy development. Alphabet knowledge is naming the letters of the alphabet and recognizing the letter symbols in print (Johnston, 2004). “ “Recognizing the alphabet is one of the most accurate predictors of early reading success (Johnston, 2004; Sayeski, Burgess, Pianta, & Lloyd, n.d.).” (An excerpt from http://mason.gmu.edu/~cwallac7/TAP/TEST/literacy/3.html)

Phonemic Awareness Children develop phonemic awareness skills as they learn that sounds are different from letters. They develop an awareness that sounds can be represented by letters!

How Do Children Learn Letters and Their Sounds? “Children learn the sounds of spoken language through listening, watching, imitating, and finally joining the verbal interactions of those who speak the language or languages of their home” (Montgomery, 2004). Children then learn letters and their corresponding sounds through explicit instruction provided by family and teachers and through daily exposure to these concepts!

I Know How to Say the Sounds of Letters….Don’t I? It may not be as easy as you think! There are 26 letters of the alphabet, but there are 43 phonemes in the English language! “Some consonant sounds are consistently represented by particular consonant letters,” while others such as “g’ and “c” vary (Montgomery, 2001).

What Does My Child Need to Know Before Kindergarten? According to the standards set forth by the state of Alabama, your child NEEDS to have the following skills of alphabet knowledge to be successful in kindergarten: Demonstrate awareness of letters in print (LL.P.19). Relate at least 10 letters to the specific sounds they represent (LL.P.20).

Phonemes that are Consistent These phonemes say one sound: b, d, f, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, v, w, z

Inconsistent Phonemes These consonants can make more than one sound: /c, g,/ And of course, then we have the vowels: a, e, I, o, u, and sometimes y The phonemes for x and q look like this: X=/ks/, q= /kw/

Features of Consonants Consonants have 3 features: Voice- Consonants have a voice or they are voiceless. When we add vibration to /s/ it becomes /z/! Place- This is where consonants are made in the mouth- front /d/, back /k/, bilabial (lips) /b/ Manner- How are they produced? Using an explosive puff of air (plosive= /p/), with air being released through the sides of the mouth (lateral= /l/), through the nose (nasal=/n/)

Kids Need Proprioception WHAT???? This big word just means being aware of how we use our teeth, tongue, and lips to make sounds. I can make my tongue stand up to say /l/, I push my lips together to say /m/!

Voiced/Voiceless Consonants These come in pairs or speech partners! G Z D B V Voiceless K S T P F

“Is your voice motor on?” Voice or No Voice? Have your child feel of their voicebox or larynx to see if there is any vibration when they make a letter sound… “Is your voice motor on?”

Watch that Southern Twang! Most of us are from the Deep South, so we’ll have to be careful not to add “uh” to the end of a phoneme production! When saying /b/, the sound is not “buh”! Say the sound quickly. Let’s practice…

Make every moment a teachable moment! Teachable Moments Make every moment a teachable moment! Driving down the road talking about the sounds of the letters on street signs, playing outside (Look at this pretty leaf! You know, leaf starts with /l/! Do you see anything else that starts with /l/?)

Fun Websites for Families www.starfall.com- Check out A,B,C’s, Learn to Read, and other fun activities! www.childfun.com- View information on family activities for the letter of the day, coloring pages, and family forums. www.learningplanet.com- Check out Planet Mom’s Alphabet ideas www.tempe.gov/youthlibrary/preschool/preschweb.htm- Go here for tons of fun educational sites for your preschooler!