5 Center Activities for Practicing Phonological Awareness

Summary

In this video, Alison, a literacy specialist from The Primary Pond, shares fun and effective phonological awareness activities for K-2 students. These activities help kids practice essential skills like rhyming, syllable segmentation, and sound identification through games such as rhyming clip cards, syllable puzzles, memory matching, and Kaboom. The activities can be done independently or with partners, and Alison emphasizes their adaptability to different phonological skills. She also offers a comprehensive resource pack on Teachers Pay Teachers for educators looking for ready-made phonological awareness centers.

Takeaways

• 😀 Alison is a literacy specialist at The Primary Pond, sharing fun and effective phonological awareness activities.
• 📚 Phonological awareness focuses on sounds in words, not letters. It includes skills like rhyming, clapping syllables, identifying first and last sounds, blending, and segmenting sounds.
• ⏲️ For kindergarten and first grade, 10-15 minutes daily should be dedicated to phonological awareness activities in whole group, small group, and individual practice.
• 🖼️ Activity 1: Rhyming clip cards—students identify rhyming words by clipping or placing counters on the correct match, such as 'shoe' and 'glue'.
• 🥞 Activity 2: Syllable segmenting with puzzle pieces—students break words into syllables (e.g., 'pancakes') and blend them back together.
• 🃏 Activity 3: Memory game—students match cards with the same initial sounds by saying words aloud (e.g., 'cat' and 'car').
• 🎉 Activity 4: Kaboom—a game where students identify sounds in words and risk losing cards when they draw a 'Kaboom' card, adding excitement.
• 🍿 Activity 5: Popcorn sorting for long vowels—students match words based on vowel sounds, such as 'train' (long A) and 'cake'.
• 📝 These activities are adaptable for different phonological awareness skills, including rhyming, syllables, and sounds.
• 🔗 Alison offers a Phonological Awareness Center bundle with over 120 activities for K-2 teachers, available on Teachers Pay Teachers.

Q & A

What is the main topic of Alison's video?

The main topic of Alison's video is phonological awareness activities that are effective and fun for children to do independently or in centers.

What is phonological awareness according to Alison?

Phonological awareness refers to the sounds in words and involves skills like rhyming, clapping syllables, identifying first and last sounds in words, blending sounds, and segmenting them.

What is the difference between phonological awareness and phonics as explained by Alison?

Phonological awareness involves working with spoken words and pictures without letters, while phonics involves letters and the relationship between letters and sounds.

How much time should be spent on phonological awareness activities in a K-1 classroom?

Alison suggests spending 10 to 15 minutes a day on phonological awareness activities in kindergarten and first grade classrooms.

What is the purpose of the rhyming clip cards activity?

The rhyming clip cards activity helps children practice identifying words that rhyme by matching pictures of words that share the same ending sound.

How do two and three syllable segmenting eggs help with phonological awareness?

Two and three syllable segmenting eggs help children practice syllable blending and segmenting by breaking words into syllables and then recombining them.

What is the memory game activity used for in Alison's video?

The memory game activity is used for matching initial sounds. Children match pictures based on the first sound of the words they represent.

What is the 'Kaboom' game and how does it relate to phonological awareness?

The 'Kaboom' game is a variation where children pick picture cards and say the initial sound. If they pull a 'Kaboom' card, they must return all collected cards, making the game ongoing and practicing initial sounds.

How does the popcorn say and sort activity help with long vowel sounds?

The popcorn say and sort activity helps children practice identifying and matching long vowel sounds by sorting pictures based on the vowel sound they contain.

Where can the complete set of phonological awareness center activities be found?

The complete set of phonological awareness center activities can be found in Alison's Teachers Pay Teachers store.

What is the benefit of having the activities organized by skill in Alison's Teachers Pay Teachers pack?

Having the activities organized by skill allows teachers to differentiate instruction and provide targeted practice for specific phonological awareness skills that students need to work on.