Fun With Phonological Awareness

Phonological awareness, manipulating sounds in language, is a critically important predictor of reading success. As the Red Cluster works on furthering their reading skills, the teachers have found fun ways to keep students engaged and excited.

For example, in Room 202, taught by Head Teacher Jordan Thaler and Assistant Teacher Sophie Nick, the students began a reading lesson with phonological awareness activities to get their minds (and bodies) moving. During this activity, students were tasked with segmenting a word and “jumping out” each sound (e.g., flag = f.l.a.g.). Ms. Thaler would give the student a word, ask them to repeat it, and then they would jump from spot to spot as they worked to sound out the word.

“The colors of the seat spots were those of an Elkonin box, which reminded students to listen for initial (green), medial (yellow), and final (red) sounds. By getting their whole bodies involved, too, I was able to increase engagement and capitalize on a variety of learning styles,” added Ms. Thaler.

As the activity went on, students could choose to challenge themselves, and continue to increase the difficulty level of the words. Some students even wanted to start at “super hard” words like mask or slug, and then go further beyond! This multisensory activity kept students ready to learn, as many of them would wait enthusiastically for their turn, or even try to go twice. The classroom had an air of excitement about it, and after each student finished, they would have a smile and a sense of accomplishment.