A Bridge Between Phonemic Awareness and Phonics

Auditory/Oral Activities  Clapping Words into Syllables  Articulating Words Slowly using Picture Cards

 Materials:  Phonemic Analysis Cards with 2-4 Boxes, one box per phoneme (not per letter)  Picture Cards for Words with 2-4 phonemes

 Model the Task  Say Word Slowly  Push Counters into Boxes While Segmenting Sounds

 Share the Task with the Child  Be sure the child understands the task  Work Toward Independence Still An Auditory/Oral Task - Not Yet Writing Words

 Once the Child Controls the Task, the Teacher and Child Work Together to Record Sounds in Sound Boxes  Steps to Take:  Articulate Words Slowly  Push Counters into Boxes  Write the Letter Sound in the Corresponding Box

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 Have the student run his/her finger under the word slowly and blend the phonemes to say the word.  Completing the Boxes = Phoneme Segmentation  Reading the Word = Phoneme Blending

 Questions to Ask:  What can you hear?  How could you write it?  Where will you put it?  What else can you hear?  Do you know a word that starts/ends like that?  Building on Learning:  At first, accept sounds in any order  Work toward sequencing sounds in order, left to right  When the task is secure, move to letter boxes  Ultimately the student will work without the boxes

 Continuous consonants (such as f, l, m, s) are easier to hear.  Clipped consonants (such as b, c, d, p, t) are harder to hear.  Vowels can be tricky – provide the letter for the child if necessary.  Separating the sounds in blends can be tricky (such as b-l, p-r, s-t). Assist with the articulation to help the child hear the individual sounds.  Digraphs (sh, ch, th, wh) and vowel combinations (ee, ea, oa) are recorded in the same box.

 Clay, M.M., (2005). Literacy Lessons Designed for Individuals. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.  Joseph, L.M., (1999). Word boxes help children with learning disabilities identify and spell words. The Reading Teacher, 52, 4:  konin_boxes