Each day at the beginning of our ELA (English/Language Arts) block, we participate in a structure called Multi-Sensory Phonics. This approach to phonics instructions allows for all students to participate in instruction in modes that meet all sensory needs (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic). Each day, we participate in a three-part drill, a routine that we are very used to doing! Part 1 The first part of the drill is reviewing the sounds that we have already learned. This involves me holding the cards as students say the sound together as a group, followed by the name of the letter. By practicing the sounds and letters each day, I have seen TREMENDOUS growth and improvement in the class' letter and sound recognition. Repetitive modeling and practice has supported the kids' improvements in mastering the kindergarten standard of knowing all letters and sounds in the alphabet! Here is an example of what the cards look like. Consonant letters are white, while the vowels are in pink for the kids to know that vowels are special when forming words. HerePart 2 The second part of the drill involves students practicing the writing of the sounds that they hear. In phonics and writing, much of what students write is based upon what they hear. This is normal, and absolutely encouraged! Spelling and rules of spelling will come later--what is most important is understanding the correlation between hearing sounds and encoding them onto paper. The kids are given a pencil box of sand (which is their favorite) and are waiting to listen to the sound I say. I only say a sound that we have learned in order to create errorless learning. After the sound is said (for example, /a/), students will write and say the letter and sound with the sand ( A says /a/). I watch and listen to see students. If some make a mistake, I follow up immediately with the correct letter and writing. We follow this up with 7-10 sounds. The example below shows how C and K both say the same sound. Part 3 The final part of our drill takes all knowledge of sounds and puts them together to form words. The sound cards are now put onto a blending board for students to see the CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) word. The pink cards always go in the middle to show that all words need a vowel in them. With blending right now, I model the word by saying the sounds in a long, stretched word, then follow up with saying the word. The words are in both real and nonsense format, allowing for students to really focus on the sounds rather than guessing at the word and incorrectly saying it. We practice by my modeling, their repeating and me switching cards to substitute sounds to make new words. The kids are doing a fantastic job of doing it on their own! The three part drill is a fantastic way of helping kids understand the relationship between letters and sounds in order to read and write. This is a fantastic intervention in supporting all kids where they are at in their reading while providing extra practice for mastery.
Here's your homework: Practice reading basic words with your child at home. Ask them to blend the word and say what the word is, and to say if it is a real or make-believe word. Comment below with what you notice when your child is reading! Here's a good list of words: cat, lad, cod, kim, hag, lag, mog, dod, hid. Happy Reading! :)
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January 2018
AuthorI sing, dance, and laugh my way through life! I love to teach, but my desire is to always learn more. I am truly blessed with the life I have! Categories |