- picture cards of objects that begin with “c,” “s,” “t,” “l,” “n,” “p”
MA Standards:
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.2.c: Identify the initial sound of a spoken word and, with guidance and support, generate several other words that have the same initial sound.
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.3.a: Link an initial sound to a picture of an object that begins with that sound and, with guidance and support, to the corresponding printed letter (e.g., link the initial sound /b/ to a picture of a ball and, with support, to a printed or written ”B”).
Head Start Outcomes:
Language Development/Receptive Language: Attends to language during conversations, songs, stories, or other learning experiences.
Literacy Knowledge/Phonological Awareness: Identifies and discriminates between sounds and phonemes in language, such as attention to beginning and ending sounds of words and recognition that different words begin or end with the same sound.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 8: Listen to, identify, and manipulate language sounds to develop auditory discrimination and phonemic awareness.
Word Play: What Sound Do You Hear?
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Skill Focus: Phonological Awareness, Speaking and Listening
Play a listening game to help children hear and recognize the sound at the beginning of words.
- Tell children you are going to revisit some of the beginning letter sounds they have learned. Ask children to say the word carrot with you. Ask, What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word carrot? Say, I’m going to show you some picture cards. Tell me what you see on the card. Then tell me what sound the word begins with.
- Show children picture cards, for example, seed, tree, leaf, needle (pine), pinecone, etc. After you show each card, ask children what it is. Then have them repeat the word while emphasizing the beginning sound. Ask, What sound does the word <l-l-l-leaf> begin with?
Educator Tip: Guided and independent letter, sound, and word practice continues to take place in center activities. It is helpful to set up the literacy center immediately after the direct instruction and repeat instruction before children work in the literacy center identifying letters.