Phoneme Deletion

 

Definition: The ability to omit the beginning, middle, or ending sound from a word and recognize the word that remains.

 

What’s My Word (Delete a sound version)

(small and/or whole group)

Object: Students hear and say words when a sound is taken away.

 

To Teach:

-        Start by telling your students, “Today we are going to play a take-away game, but instead of using numbers like in math, we’re going to take away sounds.  When I say, ‘What’s my word?’ you will say the new word.”

-        The teacher selects word pairs that will be used.  It is usually wise to start with 3-phoneme words.

-        The teacher demonstrates by saying the word cat.  The students repeat the word cat. 

-        The teacher says, “Take away the /c/ sound.  What’s my word?”

-        Students respond with at.

-        The teacher and students repeat words and/or sounds as needed.

-        Play continues with the teacher giving new word pairs.

 

Variations:

-        The teacher may vary this game by saying the word cat and then saying the word at and asking what sound was taken away.  Students would respond with /c/.

-        Deleting sounds in the middle and at the end of words is another variation.

-        Nonsense words may also be used, but remember, they are more difficult.

 

http://www3.ksde.org/sfp/rdgfirst/natl_rdgfirst_conf_2006/rauth_stuart_sound_instr_phonemic_awareness_k1.ppt#335,62,Phoneme Deletion  What’s My Word?   Take-Away-A-Sound Version

 

 

Good Bye Block

(small group)

Object: Practice phoneme deletion by manipulating blocks.

 

To Teach:

-        Give each student 3 blocks.

-        Show the students 3 blocks that are adjacent to each other and tell them that these blocks represent the word meat.  Students say, “meat.”

-        Point to the first block (the one on your right – the students’ left) and say /m/.  Point to the next block and say /ē/.  Point to the last block and say /t/.  Explain that each block stands for one sound.

-        Separate the first block from the others (leave the second two blocks connected) and show them that you are looking at and hearing /m/ pause /ēt/.  Remove the /m/ block completely saying, “Goodbye /m/” and show them that the remaining word is eat.

-        The level of difficulty may be increased using more sounds and blocks.

 

http://www3.ksde.org/sfp/rdgfirst/natl_rdgfirst_conf_2006/rauth_stuart_sound_instr_phonemic_awareness_k1.ppt#337,64,Phoneme Deletion Good-Bye, Block

 

Word Pairs

 (whole group)

With the class seated in a circle, explain that sometimes when you take a sound away from a word, you end up with a totally different word. To give students an example, say, "f-f-f-f-ear," elongating the initial consonant, and have students repeat after you. Then say, "ear" and have students repeat. Ask the class if they can determine which sound has been taken away, repeating the words for them as needed (for example, "f-f-f-f-ear ... ear ... f-f-f-f- ... ear ... ear"). Through this activity, students learn that the presence or absence of an initial phoneme results in different words. In this way, students can begin to separate the sounds of words from their meanings.

Variations

• To help students notice that the initial sound makes a big difference in the words' meanings, ask them to use each word in a sentence.
• Call students to line up by saying their first names without the initial sound (for example, [J]-onathan). Students have to figure out whose name has been called and what sound is missing.

Source: Adams et al. (1998).

 

This website has a phoneme deletion game:

http://www.professorgarfield.org/Phonemics/pumpkin_patch/pumpkin_patch.html

 

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Word

 

(whole group)-teach:

 

Twinkle, twinkle, little word,

What's the new word to be heard?

If I take off the first sound,

What new word will now be found?

Take the /p/ right off of pout.

Now the new word sounds like _____ (out)

 

Twinkle, twinkle, little word,

What's the new word to be heard?

If I take off the first sound,

What new word will now be found?

Take the /c/ right off of cold.

Now the new word sounds like ____ (old).

 

After a few verses using new words, invite the children to sing along.  Other possible words to use:  bus, meat, sled, hand, fit, win, ball, farm, boat.

 

Vary the calling out of the new word by calling on just the girls, then just the boys, or calling on a student sitting on one side of the room, then one sitting on the other side.  (from Sounds in Action by Yvette Zgonc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phoneme Substitution

 

Definition: The ability to substitute a new sound for the beginning, middle, or ending sound of a word to make a new word

 

Silly Sound Switch

(whole or small group)

Objective: Students take familiar phrases and substitute sounds to make a silly phrase.

 

To teach:

-        Say, “Today we are going to take a phrase from a song (nursery rhyme or book) and make a silly sound switch.

-        The teacher pre-selects the phrase that will be used.  Think of a phrase that is repeated or is memorable.

-        The teacher demonstrates by saying, “Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream” and students repeat.

-        The teacher next says, “Let’s switch a new sound for the /b/ in boat.  Let’s try /g/.  What’s the new phrase?”

-        Students respond, “Row, row, row your goat, gently down the stream.”

-        Play continues with the teacher and students giving new sounds for the identified word in the phrase and saying the phrase with the silly switch.

 

Variations:

-        The teacher may vary this game by switching the sound for several identified words instead of just one.

-        Switch sounds at the end of identified word/words.

-        Another variation is to turn identified word/words into nonsense words.  Remember they are more difficult.

 

http://www3.ksde.org/sfp/rdgfirst/natl_rdgfirst_conf_2006/rauth_stuart_sound_instr_phonemic_awareness_k1.ppt#340,68,Phoneme Substitution Silly Sound Switch

 

 

Trading Places

(small group)

Object: Students practice phoneme substitution by manipulating blocks.

 

To Teach:

-        Give each student 5 or 6 blocks.

-        Put 3 blocks together and tell the students that these blocks represent the word tack.  Students say tack.

-        Point to the first block (on your right – students’ left) and say /t/.  Point to the middle block and say /ă/.  Point to the last block and say /k/.

-        Explain to the students that each block stands for one sound.

-        Show the students that you can substitute or “trade places” with some of the blocks.  Hold a block in your hand and call it /s/.  Model the process of removing the /t/ and replacing it with /s/.  Now the word is sack.

-        Students should practice with the teacher many times before being expected to do this individually.

-        After students have worked on initial sounds, other lessons may move on to Trading Places with final sounds.

-        Medial sounds (ex. changing cup to cap) should also be practiced.

 

Note: After the students understand phoneme manipulation, the natural progression for integrating phonemes and phonics would be replacing the plain blocks with alphabet tiles.

 

http://www3.ksde.org/sfp/rdgfirst/natl_rdgfirst_conf_2006/rauth_stuart_sound_instr_phonemic_awareness_k1.ppt#342,70,Phoneme Substitution Trading Places

 

 

The Name Game

(whole group)

http://www.freereading.net/index.php?title=Phoneme_Substitution%2C_Name_Game

1.     This is a quick activity to use when lining children up for lunch or a bathroom break. Before introducing the game, select one letter sound you want children to work with. For example, use the sound /p/. When you call a child to line up, replace the first sound of his name with /p/.

2.    It is time to go to lunch. Listen for me to call your name, and then you may line up. Listen closely. I am going to change the first sound of your name! Today I am going to use the sound “/p/.”

3.    Listen for your name. Pill. Puzy. Parah. Pob.

4.    Now it is your turn. Let’s all call Jan to line up. Ready. Give children a chance to call out the answer together. Very good. Let’s keep going.

5.    Allow the class to finish calling out the names.

6.    Repeat this activity every day with different letter sounds. As children progress, use blends and digraphs such as /ch/, /sh/, and /th/. (Digraphs)

 

 

Cock-a-doodle-moo! (phoneme substitution)

 

(whole group)

 

Use the book, Cock-a-doodle-moo! by Bernard Most for phoneme substitution as a whole group activity.  Since the rooster in the book has lost his voice, other animals try to help by saying, Mock-a-moodle-moo, etc.  After reading, think about how other animals not mentioned in the book might say the words.  For example, how would a goat say, "Cock-a-doodle-doo."  In addition, ask such questions as, What if the situation were altered, and the pig tried to teach the cow to oink?  What might the cow's attempt at oinking sound like?  Plastic animals can be placed in a center with the book, and the children can retell the story and play with the sounds as they manipulate the plastic animals. (from RT, vol. 54, No. 2, 10/00)

 

 New Names! 

            (whole group)

  The teacher holds up a picture card.  The students identify the first sound of the card.  They then use that sound to start their name.  Example -  the card is of a dog.  The students identify the /d/ and then go around and say their name with that sound.  Mark would be "Dark", Kimberly would be "Dimberly" and so on.  (whole group activity)

 

 

Clap if You Know

 

1.   Say a short vowel word, such as pan.  Then say, "pad," substituting the final sound with /d/.  The students have to figure out what sound you added.

 

2.  When a student thinks s/he knows the answer, s/he claps 3 times.  Call on that student.  If the answer is incorrect, another student may guess. 

 

3.  Tell the students that sometimes the new word will be a nonsense word.

 

4.  So that everyone has an opportunity to think of the answer, allow some wait time after saying the two words.  Tell the students they may not clap until after you clap once.  Allow about 5 seconds to elapse before you clap.

 

Possible words and final-sound exchanges to use:

 

pan-/d/-pad

club-/f/-cluf

mitt-/s/-miss

run-/g/-rug

hot-/p/-hop

men-/b/-mob

tape-/l/-tale

teen-/k/-teek

rake-/t/-rate

cat-/n/can

pin-/b/-pib

club-/f/-cluf