Innovative SOUNDS CARDS - for lesson introductions!

Post by **debbie** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 9:14 pm

SOUNDS CARDS

In the throes of modelling lessons in a top junior class, it suddenly occurred to me that I would like to have a distinct 'visual aid' to illustrate the 'focus sound' for my lesson introductions.

Whilst the teacher has various choices of GRAPHEME FLASH CARDS to display on the 'main teacher's board' for lesson introductions, I realised that there is no equivalent card to highlight the focus 'sound'.

I find myself beginning lessons along the lines of, "Today we are going to focus on the sound /.... / as in the word '_______'. Yesterday, we looked at the '____' grapheme for this sound, and today we are going to look at the '____' grapheme."

....or words to that effect.

As I wanted the SOUNDS CARDS to tie in with other Phonics International resources, I have given the 'sounds' side of the cards a background colour the same as the left hand column of the ALPHABETIC CODE OVERVIEW CHARTS and the left hand column of the GROUPING THE SPELLING ALTERNATIVES POSTERS.

Being mindful of the use of printer ink, however, I have also provided a second version of the SOUNDS CARDS where the sounds have an all-white background.

Where possible, it is great if teachers can work with a main 'magnetic' whiteboard for their lesson introduction - in which case the SOUNDS CARDS could be laminated and sticky-backed magnetic tape could be used to make an excellent visual aid.

Alternately, teachers can laminate the SOUNDS CARDS and blu-tac the cards to the main teachers' board.

Phonics International full-programme users can find this innovative new resource at the top of unit 2.

I look forward to hearing from people as to whether they think this is a useful addition to the Phonics International programme!

Post by **debbie** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 9:17 pm

These cards look really great when they're laminated.

It occurred to me that it is worth printing them on pale yellow paper using the 'white background' ('no fill' background) version - instead of printing the version with pale yellow on the left 'sounds' side - especially if you have a lot of classes in your school needing a whole set per class!

Post by **debbie** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:18 pm

I've now printed these cards on to pale yellow paper and laminated them. This leads to a perfectly acceptable result and saves on all that yellow ink.

I do think the 'yellow' is quite important in that this ties up with other resources where 'sounds' have a pale yellow background.

One could argue that students do not need to see the notation for 'sounds' and that they only need to see the written 'graphemes'.

This is probably true of the youngest of learners - but I find that key stage one (infants) and older students are perfectly able to understand the notation which means 'sounds' (within the slash marks) and the symbols which are code for the sounds (the letters and letter groups which are sometimes referred to as 'graphemes').

I think the pale yellow backgrounds on the resources help to distinguish when a teacher means 'sounds' and when a teacher is referring to the graphemes.

Teachers, in any event, can decide whether they want to use any form of reference to 'sounds' on their MAIN TEACHING BOARD.

As this IS a new resource - and developed because I myself kept writing the notation for sounds in my lesson introductions, this resource is still, in effect, in the process of being trialled.

If anyone decides to use this new resource as I have described (in the main teacher-led lesson introduction) and has any view on using the SOUND CARDS, please do share your experiences.