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.
Head Start Outcomes:
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: Guess My Word (/w/)
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ELA Focus Skills: Phonological Awareness (Beginning Sounds)
Tell children you are going to give them clues to help them figure out what word you are thinking of that starts with the /w/ sound. Say, See if you can guess what word I am thinking of.
- I’m thinking of an animal that begins with the /w/ sound. This animal says, “I’ll huff and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow your house in!” What is the name of the animal I am thinking of? (wolf)
- I’m thinking of something you can drink. You can swim in it, too. It begins with the /w/ sound. What is the word I am thinking of? (water)
- I’m thinking of a word that is part of a house. You can look through it and see outside. It begins with the /w/ sound. What word am I thinking of? (window)
- I’m thinking of a word that describes something I do to my dirty dishes. I use soap and water to do this. What word am I thinking of? (wash)
Invite children to think of other words that begin with the /w/ sound and think of clues for children to guess the word.
Adaptation: Have very young children point to a picture of the animal or object and you name it. Then ask the child to repeat the word.
English Language Learners: If English language learners have difficulty naming the object in English, have them name it in their home language. Say the word in English and have children repeat it.