Sounds, Sounds, Everywhere!

Dear Blogger Friends,

Hope you are all doing well and are starting to enjoy the festivities of this holiday season! I absolutely looooooove this time of year! I am slowly wrapping up my circus unit (one more cute idea/freebie to come!) and have begun looking into my holiday activities (great ideas/freebies to come!). Seeing as though I am slightly in between units at the moment, I thought it would be nice to share something I do each day during my morning routine! 

As a cycle one teacher, my main focus is to help my students learn and improve upon reading and writing skills. I do so by having my students take part in many daily 5 and balanced literacy activities. Furthermore, I have a phonics routine! This can be done at the beginning of each day, during calendar time. Everyday, my students review the jolly phonics (b, s, t, etc...) sounds as well as other more difficult sounds (ee, ea, ough, ow, etc...). 

My bestie, Mrs. Leslie (I think I've mentioned her before, hehe), has so graciously shared some wonderful sound posters (free of course). 

These are displayed on the wall and a designated student (usually the V.I.P for the day, also courtesy of Mrs. Leslie!) points to the sounds and the students say each sound. We say "oo" as in "tooth," thus helping students remember the letters and sounds. More specifically, when they are reading or writing, we can refer back to the sounds cards. For instance, if a student wants to write the word "booth" and is stuck on the "oo" sound, I say: "oo, like in tooth!" The students usually refer to the sound posters and are then able to write the sound correctly. 

Click here to download Mrs. Leslie's Sound Posters

Click here to download Mrs. Leslie's V.I.P. Student

Another great freebie by Mrs. Leslie, is the mini sound chart. It is a great resource to have in writing folders and around the classroom for reference. It includes all the same sounds as the posters with the added bonus of fitting all on the same page! 

Click here to download Mrs. Leslie's Sound Chart

I have also made small sound cards that can be cut and used as flash cards. Once again, they include all the above sounds (bottom portion of the poster) and are without pictures. These are used after a certain knowledge of the sounds has been attained. It is a good daily practice for the sounds and can be sent home. I use these with my students who are having a little more difficulty remembering the sounds. A great tool to use when the resource teacher is in your classroom. Also fun to use when the students are in centers and you want to work one-on-one with a struggling student.

Click here to download  FREE Sound Cards

Hope these prove to be helpful for some of you out there! 

Be sure to continue to check out my blog and Mrs. Leslie's for more great ideas!