Phonological awareness is an essential part of learning how to read and spell. In our class, we use a sound wall to help students develop their phonemic awareness. A sound wall is a tool that is organized by speech sounds. It focuses on specific sounds and the articulations of each sound. Letter and letter patterns are grouped by sound, not by starting letter. This helps the students identify the letter or set of letters that represent each sound.
The sound wall also provides a visual of how the sound is produced. Each phoneme card is accompanied by a picture of a child’s mouth showing proper lip, tongue, and jaw positioning. Phonemes are taught by describing the mouth position used to produce the sound and having students mimic what they see in the picture. By using this instructional method, students can recognize the way their mouth feels when making the sound and how the sound is articulated. They are also able to identify whether a sound is voiced or unvoiced.
Our sound wall work begins with a review of all previous sounds introduced. To review, the lights are dimmed and a flashlight is used to illuminate the phoneme cards. The students practice saying each sound, paying close attention to whether they are voiced or unvoiced.
After practicing previous sounds, a new phoneme is introduced. The students say the new sound and observe the positioning of their mouth as they say it. The students are then given several words to identify the positioning of the new sound in each word. Afterwards, they gather to create an anchor chart for the phoneme. Students turn and talk with a peer to come up with as many words as possible that begin with the new sound. Each student shares a word, and a picture is drawn on the anchor chart for each word given.
The students practice writing the upper and lowercase letter that represents the new phoneme. They also draw a picture of an object, animal, person, or place that begins with the new sound. Using a sound wall is one of the most effective ways to teach phonological awareness. It offers students a visual tool that they can access independently and guides them in successfully converting speech to print.
References:
Transitioning from Word Walls to Sound Walls. (2020, December 3). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/transitioning-word-walls-sound-walls