Designing Phonics-Based Activities

Designing Phonics-Based Activities

• Listening Skills

• Speaking Skills

• Reading Skills

• Writing Skills

​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Success Criteria

By the end of this topic, I will be able to:

• Design and conduct a phonics-based activity focusing on the listening, speaking, reading and/or writing skills

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Types of Phonics-Based Activities (Blevin, 2016)

1. Rhyme, alliteration and assonance

2. Oddity task (phoneme categorisation)

3. Oral blending*

4. Oral segmentation (including counting sounds)*

5. Phoneme manipulation

6. Word building and word sorts*

7. Dictation*

8. Read-spell-write-extend*

9. Guided reading

10. Reading decodable stories*

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Oral Blending Routine (Blevin, 2016)

1. Introduce purpose of the activity

   • “We will be blending, or putting together, sounds to make words.”

2. Model (I do)

   • Say each sound in a word.

   • Model how to blend the sounds to make the whole word.

   • Start with two-letter words (e.g., am, is), progress to consonant–vowel–consonant (CVC) words (sat, man) starting with continuous sounds that can be stretched (e.g., /f/, /l/, /m/, /n/, /r/, /s/, /v/, /z/), progress to words that begin with stop sounds (e.g., bad), then progress to words beginning with consonant blends (e.g., slip).

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Oral Blending Routine (Blevin, 2016)

2. (Cont.) Model (I do)

   • You will progress as students begin showing consistent success with the current level of activity (different students progress differently).

   • The goal is to continually and gradually stretch students by introducing activities of slightly more complex skill demands.

   • “I am going to put sounds together to make a word. I’ll say each sound in the word. Then I will blend the sounds together to say the word. Listen: /s/, /a/, /t/, /sssaaat/, sat. The word is sat.”

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Oral Blending Routine (Blevin, 2016)

3. Guided practice / Practice (We do / You do)

   • Provide a word sound by sound for students to practice putting together (blending the sounds) to form a whole word.

   • “Listen to the sounds. Blend, or put together, the sounds to say the whole word: /f/, /i/, /sh/.”

4. Corrective feedback

   • When students make mistakes, stretch together (or sing) the sounds. Move your hands from right to left as you move from sound to sound to emphasize the changing sounds.

   • Repeat the routine using the same word, asking students to respond without you.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Multiple Select

The oral blending activity focuses on...

• listening skills

• speaking skills

• reading skills

• writing skills

Oral Segmentation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

1. Introduce purpose of the activity

   • “Today we will be segmenting, or taking apart, a word sound by sound.”

   • It is ideal to use Sound Boxes (Elkonin boxes) to help students see and feel each sound in the word.

   • Other tactile approaches include modeling how to stretch the sounds (like a rubber band) before students segment the word, or moving your hands from right to left (or down your arm) as you
     move from sound to sound.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Oral Segmentation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

2. Model (I do)

   • Model how to segment the sounds in a word.

   • “I am going to say a word, then I will say it sound by sound. As I say each sound, I will place one counter in each box. Listen: sat. Now I will say sat sound by sound [stretch each sound three seconds so students can hear each discrete sound]: /s/ [place counter in first box], /a/ [place counter in second box], /t/ [place counter in third box]. The word sat has three sounds: /s/, /a/, and /t/ [point to each box as you say the sound].”

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Oral Segmentation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

3. Guided practice / Practice (We do / You do)

   • State words (at least 6–10) for students to segment phoneme by phoneme, or sound by sound. Do the first word with students.

   • “Listen to the word. Segment, or break apart, the word sound by sound.”

   • Use Sound Boxes as a support early on. However, as spellings become more complex, such as words with a final e, the boxes will be less useful, and students should have enough experience segmenting words to not need them.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Oral Segmentation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

4. Corrective feedback

   • When students make mistakes, stretch the word using the rubber band technique. Have students repeat.

   • Then use the Sound Boxes to model how to place one counter on each box as you stretch the word and move from sound to sound.

   • Repeat the routine using the same word, asking students to respond without you.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Oral Segmentation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

5. Connect to spelling

   • Use segmentation and the Sound Boxes to help students transition to spelling words. After students have segmented a word, have them replace each counter with a letter (or letters) to spell the word. This breaking apart and then putting together of words with print will accelerate students’ understanding of how words work.

   • “What is the first sound in the word sat? /s/. What letter do we write for the /s/ sound? s. Write that letter in the first box.” Continue with the rest of the word.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Multiple Select

The oral segmentation activity focuses on...

• listening skills

• speaking skills

• reading skills

• writing skills

Word Building Routine (Blevin, 2016)

1. Introduce purpose of the activity

   • “Today we will be building, or making, words using the letters and spellings we have learned.”

2. Model

   • Place letter cards in a pocket chart (or use letter cards on a whiteboard) to form the first word you are building.

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Word Building Routine (Blevin, 2016)

2. Model

• Model sounding out the word. Remember to:

  • build words using the new, target sound spelling

  • add words with review sound spellings as appropriate to extend the review and application of these skills to achieve mastery

  • use minimal contrasts to require students to fully analyze words and notice their unique differences (e.g., sat and mat, pan and pen, rip and trip, hat and hate, cot and coat)

• “Look at the word I’ve made. It is spelled s–a–t. Let’s blend the sounds together to read the word: /sssaaat/, sat. The word is sat.”

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Word Building Routine (Blevin, 2016)

3. Guided practice / Practice

   • Continue by changing one (or more) letters in the word.

   • Have students chorally blend the new word formed. Do 8–10 words.

   • “Change the letter s in sat to m. What is the new word?”

   • “Change the first sound in sat to /m/.” (more advanced)

   • If the focus on word building is word awareness, tell students what the next word is and give them time to form the new word.

   • Circulate and provide assistance and corrective feedback (modeling your thinking process, modeling how to blend the word, etc.).

   • Then build the new word in the pocket chart (or on the whiteboard), modeling aloud your thinking.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Multiple Select

The word building activity focuses on...

• listening skills

• speaking skills

• reading skills

• writing skills

Word Sort Routine (Blevin, 2016)

1. Introduce purpose of the activity

   • Distribute the word cards and read each with students to make sure they know all the words.

   • If you are doing a closed sort, introduce the categories in which students will be sorting the words.

2. Sort

   • If you are doing a closed sort, model sorting one or two of the words. Then have students sort the remaining words.

   • Circulate and ask students questions about why they are putting specific words into each category.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Word Sort Routine (Blevin, 2016)

3. Check and discuss

   • Review the words in each sort category.

   • Ask students what they learned about these words from doing the sort.

   • Guide students to the word awareness aspect of each sort that will assist them in reading and writing.

   • Have students store the word cards for future sorts (e.g., a timed sort using these words).

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Multiple Select

The word sort activity focuses on...

• listening skills

• speaking skills

• reading skills

• writing skills

Poll

When a teacher says "Class, we'll do dictation today",

is dictation an assessment tool or a pedagogical activity?

• Assessment tool

• Pedagogical activity

Dictation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

1. State aloud the first word in the dictation line, and have students repeat it.

   • For those who have difficulty hearing the sounds in the words, you can provide two levels of support.

     • One level involves saying the sounds more slowly while moving your hands from right to left while facing the class to illustrate beginning, middle, and end.

     • A second level of assistance involves modeling the blending for each sound in the word. In effect, students are helped to hear and write one sound at a time.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Dictation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

2. Then have students write the word. Walk around the room, and give help as necessary.

   • This may include showing students the correct stroke procedure for writing letters or directing them to the correct spelling on the alphabet wall chart.

   • In the case of multiple spellings for a single sound (such as c, k, and ck), tell students which spelling is correct and briefly explain why. For example, the ck spelling for /k/ appears at the end of a word and is preceded by a short vowel sound (e.g., sick, back, rock, luck, deck).

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Dictation Routine (Blevin, 2016)

3. Continue this procedure for each word in the dictation line.

4. For the dictation sentence, read the entire sentence aloud and then focus on one word at a time. For multisyllabic words, do one syllable at a time.

5. As each word is completed, provide feedback by writing the answer on the board so that students can correct their work.

   • A key component of dictation is self-correction, in which students begin to notice and correct their errors.

• Dictation is meant to be used not as an assessment tool, but rather as guided practice in writing words.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Multiple Select

The dictation activity focuses on...

• listening skills

• speaking skills

• reading skills

• writing skills

Read-Spell-Write-Extend Routine (Blevin, 2016)

1. Read

   • Write the word in a context sentence and underline the word.

   • Read aloud the sentence, then point to the target underlined word and read it aloud. Have students say the word.

   • “I see a cat. [Point to the word see.] This is the word see. What is the word?”

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Read-Spell-Write-Extend Routine (Blevin, 2016)

2. Spell

   • Spell the word aloud and have students repeat.

   • Briefly point out any letter sounds or spellings students might already know or that are the same as other words students have learned.

   • “The word see is spelled s–e–e. Spell it with me: s–e–e. What is the first sound in the word see? What letter do we write for the /s/ sound? Does the word see begin with the letter s?”

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Read-Spell-Write-Extend Routine (Blevin, 2016)

3. Write

   • Ask students to write the word multiple times as they spell it aloud.

   • This can be done in the air, on dry erase boards, or on paper.

   • “Watch as I write the word. I will say each letter as I write it. [Model this.] Now it’s your turn. Write the word three times. Say each letter as you write it.”

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Read-Spell-Write-Extend Routine (Blevin, 2016)

4. Extend

   • Connect the word to other words students have learned.

   • E.g. If you have a word wall, work with students to place the word in the correct spot on the wall.

   • Then ask students to generate oral sentences using the word. Have them work with a partner, and provide sentence frames as support, if needed.

   • Then have students write their oral sentence. Build on these sentences as appropriate. These extension activities can be done on the days following the initial instruction when you have additional time.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Read-Spell-Write-Extend Routine (Blevin, 2016)

4. Extend

   • “Turn to a partner and finish this sentence: ‘I see a _____.’ [Provide time for partners to share.] Now, write on your paper the sentence you just said. [Wait for students to finish.] Let’s expand our sentences. Tell your partner something about what you see. For example, if your sentence was ‘I see a book,’ you can build on it to say something like ‘I see a big book’ or ‘I see a book about dinosaurs.’ Tell your partner your expanded sentence. [Provide time for partners to share.] Now write your new sentence.”

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Multiple Select

The read-spell-write-extend activity focuses on...

• listening skills

• speaking skills

• reading skills

• writing skills

Reading a Decodable Book Routine (Blevin, 2016)

• Controlled based on taught phonics skills

• The majority of the words can be sounded out based on the sound–spelling relationships students have learned.

• Focus heavily on the target phonics skill for a specific week of instruction

• E.g. If the teacher is teaching long o spelled oa and ow, the students might read a book called The Slow Boat. This book would contain a lot of words with oa and ow, as well as words with previously taught phonics skills. It would also contain some sight words—words like the, come, and was that had been taught. It might even contain a couple vocabulary words that would be neither decodable nor sight words already taught, such as river (although these would be minimal and might not exist at all).

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Reading a Decodable Book Routine (Blevin, 2016)

1. Preview and predict

   • Read the title. Have students repeat.

   • Describe the cover illustration using key words to frontload vocabulary.

   • Ask students to tell what they think the story will be about and why (noting details in the art and title).

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Reading a Decodable Book Routine (Blevin, 2016)

2. First read (Read together)

   • Have students point to each word as they chorally read it aloud.

   • If students have difficulty with any word, stop and provide corrective feedback (e.g., model how to sound it out using the corrective feedback model earlier presented).

   • Then have students reread the sentence with the corrected word.

   • Confirm that the word is correct by asking students to use other cues. For example, ask, “Does the word make sense in the sentence? Is it the kind of word that would fit [e.g., noun, verb]? Is it the right word?”

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Reading a Decodable Book Routine (Blevin, 2016)

3. Check comprehension

   • Ask questions about the story.

   • Allow students to discuss answers with a partner before you call on a volunteer to answer.

   • Prompt students to answer in complete sentences and find details in the text or art to support their answers.

4. Second read (Develop fluency)

   • Have students reread the book to a partner.

   • Circulate, listen in, and provide corrective feedback.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Reading a Decodable Book Routine (Blevin, 2016)

5. Retell and write

   • Have students retell the story to a partner in their own words.

   • They can use the illustrations as cues to their retellings.

   • Then have students write about the story.

     • They can write their retelling, a story extension, a new story with the same characters, or what they learned from the book (if nonfiction).

     • For extra support, use sentence starters and allow drawings.

   • Circulate, listen in, and provide corrective feedback.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Multiple Select

The reading a decodable text activity focuses on...

• listening skills

• speaking skills

• reading skills

• writing skills

10 Common Causes of Failure (Blevin, 2016)

1. Inadequate or Nonexistent Review and Repetition

2. Lack of Application to Real Reading and Writing Experiences

3. Inappropriate Reading Materials to Practice Skills

4. Ineffective Use of the Gradual Release Model

5. Too Much Time Lost During Transitions

6. Limited Teacher Knowledge of Research-Based
   Phonics Routines and Linguistics

7. Inappropriate Pacing of Lessons

8. No Comprehensive or Cumulative Mastery Assessment Tools

9. Transitioning to Multisyllabic Words Too Late

10. Overdoing It (Especially Isolated Skill Work)

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei

Tutorial Task

1. Get into 7 groups and select one of the phonics-based activities in Blevin's book.

2. Plan a 30-minute lesson that uses the selected activity based on the Year 1 or Year 2 phonics syllabus.

3. Prepare the lesson plan, including the materials needed.

4. You will play the role of the teacher, and the rest of the group will play the role of the students.

5. Teach the lesson while the rest of the class become the pupils.

​​TSLB3573 | Kho Chung Wei