ISBE ELA Content Specialists: Foundational Skills (Fall, 2016)

Illinois Learning Standards Foundational Skills

Grade: First Grade

“The goal of phonics is not that children be able to state the "rules" governing letter-sound relationships. Rather, the purpose is to get across the alphabetic principle, the principle that there are systematic relationships between letters and sounds.”

Becoming a Nation of Readers (Anderson, Hiebert, Scott, & Wilkinson, 1985)

ISBE ELA Content Specialists: Foundational Skills (Fall, 2016) 2

Document Purpose

This document is intended to provide early and upper elementary students with the Standards for their grade level and intended subskills to support those standards, and to offer strategies to support students’ mastery of skills. This mastery is important to prepare students for the next year’s demands of the Illinois Learning Standards. “If a student has not met the previous grade level standards, reviewing the prior grade’s strategy guides may assist in supporting students achieve this goal.”

How This Document is Organized

Many resources were utilized in creating this document; however, the Center on Instruction’s (COI) Building the Foundation provides a suggested progression of subskills for each standard. This document is located at http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/Building%20the%20Foundation.pdf.

The Reading Foundational Skills Standard is listed first in larger font size. The grade level subskills that support the standard (defined in the Illinois Learning Standards), are located underneath in green. Following, listed in purple, is what the COI lists as Subskills. Finally, strategies are listed that teachers and other support staff may use to practice with their students so that all students leave elementary prepared for college and career.

Key Considerations

• Foundational Skills Standards are directed toward fostering students’ understanding and working knowledge of concepts of print, the alphabetic principle, and other basic conventions of the English writing system. (Common Core State Standards- CCSS)

• Students should follow many of these foundational skills in a progression at the early elementary levels. The success of one skill often dictates a child’s ability to move onto the next skill. (COI)

• Foundational skills should be taught in conjunction with the other literacy skills intended for that grade level. (COI and CCSS)

• Instruction should be differentiated. Good readers will need much less practice with these concepts than struggling readers will. (CCSS)

• These foundational skills are not an end in and of themselves; rather, they are necessary and important components of an effective, comprehensive reading program designed to develop proficient readers with the capacity to comprehend texts across a range of types and disciplines. (CCSS)

Strategies and Instructional Examples

Illinois Learning Standard

Subskills for Standard

Subskills from Center on Instruction (COI)

Strategies and Instructional Examples

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RF.1.1: Demonstrate understanding of the organization and basic features of print. RF.1.1A Subskills: Recognize the distinguishing features of a sentence (e.g., first word, capitalization, ending punctuation). COI Subskills for RF.1.1.A: Identify common punctuation.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Error Detective: Recognize purposeful errors in a sentence (e.g., capitalization of first word,

ending punctuation, and spacing).

• Big Books: Participate in big book experiences led by the teacher (e.g., teacher reads a big book pointing out features of a book and uses finger to track print, punctuation and capitalization.

• Shared Books: Participate in shared book experiences in a teacher led center.

• Anchor Charts: Anchor charts display information that students can refer to as they are practicing a skill that was introduced. • Ending Punctuation: List the types of ending punctuation as each is introduced. For an

idea, visit: http://wefollowpics.com/punctuation-anchor-chart/. • Parts of a Sentence: List the parts of a sentence on a chart and display in classroom as

students practice. Click here for an example: http://www.theclassroomkey.com/2014/12/recipe-for-a-sentence-anchor-chart.html.

• Sentence Building Activities: This site offers lessons to help students understand the parts of a sentence and how to create a two-part sentence: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/sentences-words/.

• Sentence Buddy: Students learn a song/rhyme to remember the parts of a sentence. Practice is also available at this site: http://fallingintofirst.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-sentence-buddy-freebie.html?_sm_au_=iVVQ56sr7VNsv4rS.

• Sentence Surgery: Use Band-Aids to connect sentence parts together. View the example at this link: http://thefirstgradefairytales.blogspot.com/2015/10/sentence-surgery-naming-telling-parts.html?_sm_au_=iVVQ56sr7VNsv4rS.

• Sentence Mingle: Create cards on two colors: one color holds the subject (Who?) on them and another color has the sentence action (Does?). Pass the cards out to students and ask them to find a person in the room that has the other half of the sentence that makes sense. (See example below). Do not capitalize or place ending punctuation on the cards. Pairs of students must correctly write the sentence they are holding so that punctuation and capitalization rules are included.

Standard One: Print Concepts

three goats eat grass

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Standard One: Print Concepts

RF.1.2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). RF.1.2.A Subskills: Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words. COI Subskills for RF.1.2.A:

• Identify short vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words (e.g., Do you hear /ă/ in ant? man?). • Identify long vowel sounds in spoken single-syllable words (e.g., Do you hear /ā/ in ate? made?).

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Long vs. Short: Determine if a spoken word has a long or short vowel sound (e.g., say long or

short after a word is spoken).

• Picture Card Sort: Gather pictures of different one syllable items that first graders are interested in. Sort these pictures (e.g., hat, rake) into two categories (i.e., long or short vowel).

• Listen to the Sounds: Students can hear the differences between isolated vowel sounds in words: http://www.abcfastphonics.com/long-short-vowels.html

RF.1.2.B Subskills: Orally produce single-syllable words by blending sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends. COI Subskills for RF.1.2.B: (Same as RF.K.2.D)

• Demonstrate an understanding of words that denotes sequence (first, middle, last). • Demonstrate an understanding that words are made up of sounds (e.g., count the number of

sounds heard in 2 and 3 phoneme words).

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • First, Middle, Last Sort: Place objects in a row, such as three dogs. Make sure there is

something different about each dog (e.g., one brown, one black and one with a collar). Teach left to right by stating which one is first, which is in the middle and which is last. Give students objects or cards and ask them to arrange them in their own order of first, middle, last. Have them explain the order to a peer.

• Blending Phonemes: Blend individual phonemes in spoken single-syllable words including words with consonant blends (e.g., Put the sounds together to make the whole word: /s/ /ă/ /t/ (sat); /m/ /ĭ/ /s/ t/ (mist); /s/ /k/ /ā/ /t/ (skate).

• Sightwords.com: Use the following games to support phoneme recognition (building and production of single syllable words).

1. Word Families: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/word-families/ 2. Beginning Sounds: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/beginning-

sounds/ 3. Ending Sounds: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/ending-sounds/ 4. Consonant Blends: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/consonant-

blends/

Standard Two: Phonological Awareness

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RF.1.2.C Subskills: Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken single-syllable words. (See Elkonin Sound Boxes attachment).

COI Subskills for RF.1.2.C: (same as Kindergarten RF.K.2.B, RF.K.2.C, and RF.K.2.D) • Blend spoken words together to make compound words (e.g., Put the parts together to make

a bigger word: cup cake.). • Segment spoken compound words (e.g., Can you break the bigger word cupcake into two

smaller words?). • Detect initial sound in spoken words (e.g., Do you hear /t/ at the beginning of the word top?

Do you hear /h/ at the beginning of the word hop?). • Identify initial sound in spoken words (e.g., What sound changes in the words cake, bake,

make?). • Detect rime when onset is deleted from a spoken word (e.g., When /s/ is removed from sat,

do you hear at?). • Demonstrate an understanding of words that denote sequence (first, middle, last). • Demonstrate an understanding that words are made up of sounds (e.g., count the number of

sounds heard in 2 and 3 phoneme words).

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Sightwords.com: see RF.1.2.B above for game suggestions.

o Compound word games: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/compound-words/

• Sound Detective: o Detect the initial sound in spoken single-syllable words (e.g., What is the first sound

you hear in the word mouse? /m/). o Detect the final sound in spoken single-syllable words (e.g., What is the last sound you

hear in the word drum? /m/). o Detect the medial vowel sound in spoken single-syllable words (e.g., What vowel sound

do you hear in the middle of the word seat? /ē/).

• Who Hears? Have students sit in a circle with their eyes closed. Select one student to make an animal noise from somewhere in the room (these noises can also be played on an electronic device). Students must locate where the sound came from in the room. Rotate turns with different students. Variation: Ask students to just listen for sounds made in the school/classroom. Doors opening and closing, machines turning on/off, clock ticking are all sounds that can be isolated so that students learn to hear sounds in letters.

Standard Two: Phonological Awareness

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RF.1.2.D Subskills: Segment spoken single-syllable words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes). (See Elkonin Sound Boxes attachment) COI Subskills for RF.1.2.D:

• Blend spoken words together to make compound words (e.g., Put the parts together to make a bigger word: cup cake.).

• Segment spoken compound words (e.g., Can you break the bigger word cupcake into two smaller words?).

• Detect initial sound in spoken words (e.g., Do you hear /t/ at the beginning of the word top? Do you hear /t/ at the beginning of the word hop?).

• Identify initial sound in spoken words (e.g., What sound changes in the words cake, bake, make?).

• Detect rime when onset is deleted from a spoken word (e.g., When /s/ is removed from sat, do you hear at?).

• Demonstrate an understanding of words that denote sequence (first, middle, last). • Demonstrate an understanding that words are made up of sounds (e.g., count the number of

sounds heard in 2 and 3 phoneme words).

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Segmenting using Elkonin Sound Boxes (see placemat at the end of the document):

o Segment spoken VC words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes) (e.g., Say the word am one sound at a time: /ă/ /m/.).

o Segment spoken CVCe words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes) (e.g., Say the word rake one sound at a time: /r/ /ā/ /k/.).

o Segment spoken VCC words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes) (e.g., Say the word ask one sound at a time: /ă/ /s/ /k/.).

o Segment spoken CVCC words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes) (e.g., Say the word list one sound at a time: /l/ /ĭ/ /s/ /t/; Say the word wish one sound at a time: /w//ĭ//sh/.).

o Segment spoken CCVC words into their complete sequence of individual sounds (phonemes) (e.g., Say the word slip one sound at a time: /s/ /l/ /ĭ/ /p/.).

• Word Building: Think of three letter words that are simple to spell and write each letter on a small card - one letter per card. Draw three lines one after another on a separate piece of paper. Tell the student one of the words and ask him/her to make the word by arranging the three cards in the right order on the lines of the paper. If s/he needs help, try running your finger along the three lines as you slowly say the word, but do not segment the sounds in the word for him. This phonics game also works particularly well with magnetic letters and a magnetic white board.

• More Word Building: Create cards, as in the Word Building game, of the following letters: a, c, f, m, o, p, s, t. Start by spelling ‘cot’ using three of these letters. Ask your student if s/he can change one of the letters to make ‘pot’. Then continue to make other words, always changing one letter at a time ‘pat’, ‘fat’, ‘mat’, ‘cat’, ‘sat, ‘sap’, ‘tap’, ‘cap’, ‘map’, ‘mop’, ‘cop’, ‘top’, ‘pop’. This phonics game also works particularly well with magnetic letters and a magnetic white board.

• Bogglesworld: http://bogglesworldesl.com/phonicswordsearches.htm.

Standard Two: Phonological Awareness

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RF.1.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.

RF.1.3.A Subskills: Know the spelling-sound correspondences for common consonant digraphs. COI Subskills for RF.1.3.A:

• Demonstrate that some letter combinations result in one sound (e.g., Use Elkonin boxes and pennies to segment individual sounds in words, including words containing consonant digraphs.).

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Elkonin Sound Boxes (placemat attached): Use the boxes to complete the following activities -

o Identify the letter-sound correspondence for common consonant digraphs (e.g., sh, th, wh, kn, ch, wr, ph).

o Write the spelling correspondences for the sounds of common consonant digraphs (e.g., sh, th, wh, kn, ch, wr, ph).

• Think Digraphs!: Select a digraph students have learned, for example: th. Challenge students to think of as many th words as possible in a timed amount such as five minutes. Remind them that the digraph can appear in the beginning, middle, or end of a word, and encourage the use of rhyming strategies. At the end of the challenge, have students come together in small groups and share their words with each other. Which words did multiple students write? Was anyone able to think of a word that no one else had? Alternatively, have students complete the brainstorming portion of this activity in cooperative groups. Then award the groups one point for each correct word they’ve written determining which group came up with the most words.

• Tongue Twisters: Select tongue twisters for students to recite that focus on one digraph such as She sells seashells down by the seashore. Students locate all the sh sounds.

RF.1.3.B Subskills: Decode regularly spelled one-syllable words. COI Subskills for RF.1.3.B: (See RF.K.3.A, RF.K.3.B and RF.K.3.D)

• Identify and name consonants. • Identify and name vowels. • Recognize short vowel sounds. • Recognize long vowel sounds. • Orally differentiate between long and short vowel sounds. • Recognize and produce the multiple sounds of vowels and the consonants that make more than

one sound (e.g., c, g, s).

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Segmenting (Use Elkonin Sound Boxes to complete the following—placemat is attached):

o Segment and blend VC words (e.g., am). o Segment and blend CVC words (e.g., ran). o Segment and blend VCC words (e.g., ask). o Segment and blend CVCC words (e.g., list).

ISBE ELA Content Specialists: Foundational Skills (Fall, 2016) 8

o Segment and blend CCVC words (e.g., slip). o Segment and blend words with a---e patterns e.g., bake, tame). o Segment and blend words with common consonant digraphs (e.g., chip, fish).

• Word Families Sort: Create word sorts for students to complete. For example, categories could be the word families of –am, -at, -ot and –ub. Students sort words according to the family that a word card belongs in but they must read it before placing it.

• Chopping Block: Introduce the hard and soft sounds for letters like c as in city and c as in cat or g as in gap and g as in giant. Prepare a list of words that have hard and soft sounds. Student make a chopping motion when they hear the hard sound and make a waving motion when they hear the soft sound.

• PBS Kids: Play Chicken Stackers to locate words that isolate short vowel sounds http://pbskids.org/lions/games/stacker.html

• PBS Kids: Play Pounce to identify the word that is being read on the screen. http://pbskids.org/lions/games/pounce.html

• Bogglesworld: Create your own game board with cards for CVC words and pictures. Students must land on the space, read the word, spell it correctly or go back to the beginning.

http://bogglesworldesl.com/CVCwordsgame.htm

• Bogglesworld Bingo: Play Bingo with CVC words. Site generates new cards. http://bogglesworldesl.com/cvc_wordsbingo.htm

• Create your own dominoes: Choose letters, words and sentences to create a unique set of dominoes for students to play at a variety of difficulty levels. http://www.toolsforeducators.com/dominoes/animals.php

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RF.1.3.C Subskills: Know final -e and common vowel team conventions for representing long vowel sounds. COI Subskills for RF.1.3.C: Recognize that certain vowel combinations within words produce either a short or long vowel sound.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • YouTube video: Use this video to introduce the “Ninja” sound of silent e.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAxoDKdKn3w

• Silent E Rule: Demonstrate the understanding that when a single-syllable word ends in e (VCe), the initial vowel usually says its name (the long sound) and the e is silent. Commonly referred to as the silent e rule (e.g., sale, shake, cone). Apply rule and read single-syllable words with final –e (e.g., cane, hope, tile, tale).

• Two Column Spelling List: Write the spelling correspondences for VC and VCe words with VC in one column and VCe in the other column (e.g., rat/rate, tub/tube, sit/site).

• Digraph Hunt: Identify sounds for common vowel teams, also known as vowel digraphs (two consecutive vowels that make one sound) (e.g., oa in boat, ea in seat, ee in feet, ai in sail).

• Read the Word: Demonstrate how common vowel teams are used. Find samples of these words in texts. Students read single-syllable words using knowledge of common vowel team conventions, or vowel digraphs (e.g., boat, seat, feet, sail). Begin by offering support and remove support as skill is mastered.

• Spelling Buddy: Provide partners with a word list that has common vowel diagraphs. One student reads the word and the other partner spells it. Partners switch when list is completed.

• Letter Sound Fact Sheet: Use this fact sheet to show the difference in vowel sounds:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/factsheet/en19patt-e1-f-same-letters-different-sound. RF.1.3.D Subskills: Use knowledge that every syllable must have a vowel sound to determine the number of syllables in a printed word. COI Subskills for RF.1.3.D: • Demonstrate that words can be divided into parts or chunks called syllables (e.g., (1) Say own

name, counting/clapping the number of syllables; How many syllables does the word insect have? (2) What are the two parts of insect? in sect).

• Identify vowel sounds in syllables (e.g., “in /ĭ/ sect /ĕ/”). • Demonstrate an understanding that a closed syllable has a single vowel with a consonant after it,

making the vowel sound short (e.g., map, sit, stop). • Demonstrate an understanding that an open syllable contains a vowel at the end of the syllable

and the vowel is usually long (e.g., we, go, hi, she). • Demonstrate an understanding that the final -e in a vowel-consonant-e (VCe) syllable makes the

vowel long or “say its own name” (e.g., made, time, cute).

Standard Three: Phonics and Word Recognition

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Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Syllable Count: Determine the number of syllables in a printed word (e.g., underline vowels, final

–e or vowel team patterns, circle syllables, and count the number of circles: dish (1), he (1), hotdog (2), potato (3), make (1), sail (1).

• Yes, We’re Open!: Provide students with signs saying Yes, We’re Open! On the back of the sign, mark it Closed. Read a list of words that have open or closed syllables. Students show the sign that correlates with the syllable. Visit this link to get word lists: http://www.allaboutlearningpress.com/how-to-teach-closed-and-open-syllables.

RF.1.3.E Subskills: Decode two-syllable words following basic patterns by breaking the words into syllables. COI Subskills for RF.1.3.E: • Distinguish between syllable types (e.g., Sort single-syllable words into either closed (e.g., men),

open (e.g., me), or VCe (e.g., hide) categories.). • Demonstrate an initial understanding that a vowel team syllable contains two adjacent vowels

(e.g., rain, green, coat.). • Demonstrate an initial understanding that the consonant---le syllable contains a consonant followed

by the letters le (e.g., apple, table). • Demonstrate an initial understanding that an r---controlled syllable contains a letter combination

made up of a vowel followed by the letter r (e.g., for, star, first). • Demonstrate knowledge of syllabication rules.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Circle the Syllables: Circle then read each circled syllable (part or chunk) of a word separately (e.g.,

pic-nic).

• Syllable Chunks: Read the circled syllables (parts or chunks) of a word together (e.g., picnic).

• Sightwords.com: Games to support syllable patterns can be found here: http://www.sightwords.com/phonemic-awareness/syllables/.

RF.1.3.F Subskills: Read words with inflectional endings. COI Subskills for RF.1.3.F: • Decode letter-sound correspondences for common inflectional endings (e.g.,-est, -ed, -ing). • Read base words fluently that can have common inflectional endings added to them (e.g., long,

play, jump). • Recognize inflectional endings on words.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Base Words + Inflectional Endings: Read base word and then an inflectional ending. Ask students

to put the two together to form a word (e.g., longest, played, jumping). • Ad Lib White Board Stories: Using Ad-Lib text, write the story on a white board. Students can fill in

the word blanks. Students choose the best word and ending to make sense of the sentences.

Standard Three: Phonics and Word Recognition

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• Roll A Cube: Select words that have interchangeable inflections (e.g., kick or jump). Create a cube that can be rolled with these words written on the sides. Create a second cube with inflectional endings only (e.g., -ing, -ed, -er). Students roll the two cubes together to form a word. Ask students to use the word in a sentence.

• Inflectional Ending Sorts: Create a word sort that has several words with inflectional endings. Create categories at the top with –s, -es, -ed, -ing. Ask students to sort the words into the appropriate categories but they must read the word as it is sorted.

RF.1.3.G Subskills: Recognize and read grade-appropriate irregularly spelled words. COI Subskills for RF.1.3.G: • Recognize that some words can’t be decoded using one to one correspondence.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Flash Cards: Read grade appropriate, irregularly spelled words presented on word cards in

random order (e.g., could, once, walk). Click here to find commonly used irregularly spelled words for K-3: http://www.sightwordsgame.com/spelling/sght-words-phonically-irregular/.

• Read Irregularly Spelled Words: Use the following game from the Florida Center on Reading Research: http://www.fcrr.org/assessment/ET/routines/pdf/instRoutines_3FRI.pdf.

• Interactive Games: Visit this site to play a variety of sight word games appropriate for K-3: http://www.primarygames.com/langarts/sightwords/.

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RF.1.4: Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. RF.1.4.A Subskills: Read grade-level text with purpose and understanding.

COI Subskills for RF.1.4.A: • Demonstrate an understanding of the different purposes for reading text. • Participate in guided/shared reading of different genres of text. • Demonstrate an understanding of grade-appropriate vocabulary. • Make and confirm predictions in texts read aloud by the teacher. • Determine genre of text before reading. • Determine purpose for reading on grade level text.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Use on grade level text to:

o Predict what text may be about before reading. o Check text prediction after reading. o Use K---W---L Chart to monitor comprehension before, during, and after reading.

RF.1.4.B Subskills: Read grade-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. COI Subskills for RF.1.4.B: • Actively listen to different genres (e.g., stories, poetry, songs, social studies articles) read aloud

fluently. • Actively listen to examples of how reading rate can be adjusted and adapted to suit purpose and

context. • Read grade-level sight words accurately and automatically. • Decode on-level words with increasing automaticity. • Distinguish between interrogative, declarative, and exclamatory sentences.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Use on grade-level text to:

o Echo read different genres (teacher reads, students repeat). o Choral read different genres (students read together as a whole group). o Partner read. o Repeat read a text and chart on a graph, words read correctly per minute. It’s not prudent

to read faster than what normal flow and expression would dictate. o Use punctuation to facilitate expression while reading different types of texts (i.e., literary

and informational).

RF.1.4.C Subskills: Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. COI Subskills for RF.1.4.C: • Determine when on grade-level text is not understood. • Determine when a word is misread.

Strategies and Instructional Examples: • Determine effective grade-level strategy to use to decode unfamiliar words. • Use context to aid in word recognition (e.g., read—present tense; read—past tense) • Use context to aid in word understanding (e.g., definition).

Standard Four: Fluency

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The following literacy games focus on familiarizing students with special words which are important to them. They will learn to recognize these words and identify them by their appearance.

First introduce students to new words using the Label Mania and Word Cards games. Keep track of the known words using the Word Box game. Then reinforce and practice the words using the other literacy games listed.

• Label Mania Create cards with clearly printed words and use them to label toy boxes, items at the breakfast table, favorite toys, rooms in the house, appliances, items of furniture, body parts etc. You can also use post-it notes. By the time the post-it note has fallen off, your child has probably lost interest in that label anyway and so you can replace it with a new label for a new item.

• Word Cards Students choose some words which are important and special for them, such as dinosaur, car, princess, chocolate and print them clearly on index cards. Look for relevant opportunities to introduce them to the words. For example, when a student is playing with a ball, show her the ball’ word card and tell her what the word says while following under the word with your finger. Talk a little about the ball and then leave the card next to the toy. Review the same word card several times in the day. Repeat with the other special words.

• Word Box Create a word box for putting the learned Word Cards into. Copies could also be made on index cards of the labels in the Label Mania game and add these to the box. Students put their name on the box and decorate it. Every few days ask students to read their cards to each other and tell about the words. As the collection of cards increases, students can sort the words alphabetically or into subject categories (e.g., food, toys, body parts), perhaps illustrating the subject dividers or the cards themselves.

• Word Action Choose Word Cards from the Word Box and spread them out on the floor. Give fun instructions to follow which involve the words. For example, “Jump to the word dinosaur. Put a toy car on the word car. Pretend to eat the word chocolate. Put the word hat on your head.”

• Word Set When there are several cards in two or more categories in the Word Box, take these cards out, shuffle them, and ask students to sort them back into their appropriate categories.

• Word Match Choose around eight Word Cards and gather together objects or pictures which represent the words. Spread out the Word Cards on the floor and ask students to match the object or picture to the appropriate word.

• Word Scrapbook Ask students to print a word on the top of a piece of paper and help them to fill the rest of the sheet with things representing that word. Students can cut and glue pictures and words from magazines, stick in pictures found on the internet (try a Google image search), make their own drawings or take a photo and then print it and stick it in. Other options include using other words related to the main word (e.g., ‘Dalmatian’ for the word dog, or ‘joy’ for the word happy). Keep the pieces of paper in a binder and add new pages regularly. When you have around 20 pages students can begin sorting them alphabetically or into subject categories.

Games to Promote Vocabulary & Literacy

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• Charades Write words, which can be acted out and which students have already been introduced to, on index cards. Or use appropriate Word Cards from the Word Box. Put them in a bag and ask a student to pick one and act it out. Others have to guess what the word is.

• Make a Menu Cut out pictures of food from magazines or print them from the internet (try a Google image search). Write out the names of the foods on small pieces of paper. Ask students to write the word ‘MENU’ at the top of a piece of paper. Then ask students to stick the pictures of the food down the left hand side of the paper. They find the name of each food and stick it (or copy the name) next to the relevant picture. Students can pretend they are in a restaurant and order food using the menu.

Elkonin Sound Boxes Elkonin Sound Boxes: Place letters and markers on this placemat to support phonemic and phonological awareness.

Click below to view a myriad of activities: http://www.readingrockets.org/content/pdfs/Phonics-Sound-Elkonin-Boxes.pdf.

ISBE ELA Content Specialists: Foundational Skills (Fall, 2016) 15

Picture Cards to Use with Elkonin Boxes Listen for same beginning, middle, ending sounds; use markers to separate phonemes and graphemes.

Key: pin, pen, pig, rug, rat, roll, run, sad, sit, six, sun, tub, sub, sock, ten, red