Phonics! It’s the dreaded word: PHONICS! It’s not an easy thing to teach. We spend gobs of time trying to teach the children that each letter carries one sound, and then the next thing you know, we are telling them that those same letters sometimes will make different sounds! So this week, I am going to tell you how I have been teaching my class how to read words with the “sh” and the “th” sound in them. We have been working on our these phonics skills for a long time, practicing every day. The trick is to get the kids to recognize these letters as a UNIT when they see them together, and not to attempt to sound each letter out individually.
and then put them in page protectors in a binder.
AND, by the way, Volume One of the Sounds Fun workbook is finally FINISHED! (As I mentioned last week, the download is immediately available, and the printed version of the book should be coming in a couple of weeks.) The delay was not the content of the book, it was the illustrations! At the beginning of last summer, I started the process of illustrating the pictures needed for the workbook. But it soon became apparent that it would take me at least one week per unit to complete them all, and this would mean that I would not complete all of the units over the course of the summer because I cannot draw them fast enough. I also cannot draw many of the pictures WELL enough! So we decided that we would have to hire another illustrator to get this project completed. We found a great one, but we are not her only clients, so it has been a long process. She also had to stop illustrating the Sounds Fun Phonics books twice to draw both of the Wiggles books, too! And while we were glad to have the Wiggles books, we were sorry to have delayed the phonics book. The second volume of the phonics book will be done in about another month. I know, I know- you can’t wait, but here’s a sample of the TH section of the workbook for you to try out as my free download for the week! (And here is a sample of the ar sounds pattern from the Phonics Workbook Vol 2!)
Here are the general steps I have been following in order to get my students to read words with the “sh” and “th” sounds in them. If you have been following my blog for a while, then you will already be familiar with the first few steps, since they have been happening over the past few months.
1. Introduce the Sounds Fun cards, including the ones with the “sh” and the “th.”
The children make the motions and say the sounds when they see the character with the letters on the cards. I first introduced the cards, sounds, and movements in late November, in response to a question that a child asked about why a word was spelled with an “s” and an “h.” This is usually what happens with my phonics cards; I wait for the children to express and interest and ask questions. From that point on, I begin to teach them, and we keep going with it as much as they are able to comprehend and for as long as they are interested. (Keep in mind that I teach Kindergarten, so much of this that I have introduced has been “extra” and not required in my district’s curriculum, at least up to this point. In my district, Kindergartners are required to read certain high frequency words that begin with an “sh” and a “th,” but are not required to pass tests showing that they know these phonics sounds. So they can be taught these words as sight words only, or we can teach them via phonics, or both. I usually try both methods, and if one doesn’t work well with a child, then he or she can always try another.
2. Sing the songs that go along with the phonics sounds I am trying to teach.
I first started singing the “Sh Song” from the Sounds Fun Phonics CD in SEPTEMBER! That’s because I was using it as a song to get the children to quiet down, rather than a song to teach phonics, LOL! But at the same time, I also showed them the “Quiet Girl” card that has the little girl with her finger in front of her mouth in the “shush” position, and told them that an “s” and an “h” put together make the /sh/ sound. Since we have sung that song many, MANY times, just trying to get them to be quiet, I think this really helped them internalize the concept quite well! The kids all seem to know that the “s” with the “h” after it make the /sh/ sound!
3. In January, we started sounding out “sh” and “th” words daily whole group.
I have been using the same routine that I have been writing about in my blog in the past two posts, in which EVERYONE must put their hands up to get ready to sound out the words with the motions. We use the Sounds Fun Phonics motions whenever we get to the “sh” and “th” sounds. Otherwise, we use Zoo-Phonics motions. But as long as I have everyone moving along with me, then NOBODY can be just sitting there, picking at their shoe laces or buttons, etc. No daydreaming allowed! If anyone puts their hands down and starts daydreaming again, I spot it immediately and insist that they put their hands up and keep going. Otherwise, they have to do it with me or my aide privately during recess or playtime.
4. Read and match the words to the flash cards .
I had the whole class try to sound out even more CVC words from the workbook with the flashcards provided in the workbook. I tried very hard to include words that would be as easy to read as I could find in the beginning units, for “sh,” “th,” and “ch.” In any case, all the kids have to do is TRY to begin each word with a /sh/ or /th/ sound, and then I’ll help them from there. It’s just a matter of getting started with the correct sound.
5. Circle the words with the “sh” and “th” phonics patterns.
Now, with the completed workbook, we are finding words with the “sh” and “th” spelling patterns on the worksheet pages and circling them. THEN the children can complete the workbook pages. Having the children highlight the “th” and the “sh” sounds that they see on the pages will also help them, I know.
At first glance, it seems like some of the pages might be too hard. But then if you really look at the example in the picture, you’ll see that there is only one “th” word to choose from of the two words given! So all the children have to do is find the ONE word that starts with an “th.” Then they have to circle it, and copy it. So some of the pages can be done at this time of year with the average Kindergartner, as long as they have someone to go to when they need help. My high students enjoyed being able to go on to the harder worksheets that I placed in dry erase sleeves when they were finished with their work.
6. Listen for the “sh” sound in other books that we are reading, and then look for the “sh” spelling patterns on the pages- especially in big books.
This is a great activity to help children learn that this spelling pattern pops up everywhere, in real writing and in the real world!
7. My best advice is to have children look for these phonics patterns FIRST, (before they begin reading), and perhaps mark them lightly with a pencil, if possible.
This should help remind them that the word is coming and assist in comprehension and fluency while the child is reading. Just make sure that it is the CHILD that does the marking of the letters, not an adult! They need to do it themselves to help them remember.
Do you have any other ideas on how to teach this?
I would love to hear them! Leave a comment below!
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