Phonemic Awareness

Phonemic Awareness is the ability to HEAR parts of words from syllables to individual phonemes (sounds).  Recently our curriculum has had us segmenting words into parts (or syllables).  Today we played a game called "Clap it Out" where we looked at a picture, clapped the word parts and then sorted the word to the numbers 1, 2, or 3.  Here are some of my kiddos demonstrating this fun activity.  Now it's in a literacy center for them to continue playing this week.  

Notice we have a "clapper" using oven mitts to clap the words.  They LOVE this---and it keeps it QUIET when it's center time.  The student with the card, names the picture.  The clapper claps it.  Then the student decides where to sort it.  We sorted up over heads, which the kids thought was funny!  

As we move through this week, we will start deleting a part of the word.  For example, if the word is "sunny", we may say "sunny" without the "ny" and they would say "sun".

Hearing words this way helps kids start to get ready for reading.  It makes writing easier too!  Eventually, these skills will be used in our phonics work when we add words to our pictures.

This is an easy game to play in the car or when you have a few minutes at a restaurant.  Parents, why not try it this week?

And on a "Funny Note"...today while out at the playground, one of our friends picked up trash.  She's done this before.  I said, "I think you might become an environmentalist when you grow up because you like to take care of the earth so much!"  She said, "I don't think that could be true because my room's a MESS!"  Cracked me UP!