Make a Change

Phoneme Awareness Procedure 1. Write a word on a large card or whiteboard . Make sure the word is written large enough so the initial letter can be covered with a new letter that is easily seen by everyone in the group . 2. Pronounce the word with children . Ask them to repeat the word . Then, ask them to say only the first sound in the word . 3. Display several sticky notes, each of which has a single letter written on it . Invite a child to select one of the sticky notes . Encourage all children to say the sound the letter represents . Respond enthusiastically to their accurate responses, or gently remind them of the sound if they need support . 4. Ask the child to place the sticky note over the initial letter in the word . Have children say the new word . Provide support as needed . 5. Remove the sticky note, and have children tell you the original word . Place and remove the sticky note several times, and have children say each word as you show the initial letter . 6. Invite another child to select a different sticky note to place over the initial letter in the word . Continue with other sticky notes for a few minutes or as long as it holds children’s attention . Differentiate or Extend ▲ If children are unable to identify the sound that the letter represents, support them by telling them the sound . Then, have them try to blend the sounds to form the word . ▲ Extend this activity with other word families . See the table on the next page for suggestions . Make a Change Objective Students will isolate a phoneme in a word, substitute initial phonemes in a word, blend phonemes, and match phonemes to letters . Overview Use this activity once children have shown an interest in printed words and have some knowledge of letter-sound correspondences . The teacher presents a word from a word family, such as hat from the -at family . Children change the word by placing a new letter over the initial letter in the original word . Then, they say the new word . Materials large 4” × 6” sticky notes with letters written on them; word cards or a whiteboard and marker School-Home Connection Make a large word card and several sticky notes with appropriate letters available for children to sample sampleshare with family members .