PRODUCT CONTENTS29 cover-weight color posters

8 double-sided sheets of phonemepicture cards (80 words)

6 cover-weight sheets of word families

Phoneme Songs CD

12 pages of teacher information

COPYRIGHT © READING MANIPULATIVESAll rights reserved. Printed in the United States ofAmerica. No part of these materials may be used or reproduced in any form or by any means, orstored in a retrieval system, without prior writtenpermission of the publisher. Making copies of anypart of these materials for any purpose other thanyour personal use is a violation of United Statescopyright laws.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT

All sets or cards in Reading Manipulatives products are different.The individualized materials can be used for seatwork or stations.Completion of all sets leads to mastery.

WEB RESOURCESGuides for Reading Manipulatives products can be downloadedfrom the Products section of our web site. The guides includefoundational concepts for targeted skills; instructional steps;product assembly instructions; and student checklists for trackingthe individualized sets.

Teaching literacy skills videos show the materials in use andfurther explain scope and sequence of skills. Many comprehensiveresource lists, including words for phoneme songs and wordfamilies, are available to assist teachers with lesson planning.

ASSEMBLY & PACKAGING

Reading Manipulatives materials are must be cut and packagedprior to use. Store the student sets in zipper bags.

WORD FAMILIES

This guide includes PDFs of the six sheets of word families thatwere included with the laminated product. They can be copied forpersonal and classroom use.

The 36 word families, which have a light image of thephoneme illustration behind each letter, form 180 words.

Reading Manipulatives, Inc. 1725 E. Mountain View Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85020 888-997-2448 877-997-7685 (F) www.readskill.com

PHONEME SONGS & BLENDINGPRODUCT CODE: 095

Phonemes are the sounds of spoken language, and English is comprised of about 41 of them. Beforechildren can learn to read, they must demonstrate phonemic awareness, the ability to hear, identify, andmanipulate the phonemes in spoken words.

The importance of phonemic awareness to early reading success has only come to the forefront inthe past 15 to 20 years. NICHD synthesized data from over 100 researchers at 14 sites and concludedthat lack of phonemic awareness is the underlying cause of reading disabilities, including dyslexia.

Research validates that methodology in which phonemes are taught in isolation and then blended toform words is superior. Students must conceptualize that phonemes are the sounds that make up spokenlanguage and be able to differentiate those sounds before they are able to extract like phonemes fromwords. Children who are not conscious of the sound structure of words become poor readers.

Some competencies exhibited by children having phonemic awareness are: • pronouncing phonemes in isolation (/m/ /r/ /s/);• blending phonemes to form words (/d/ /o/ /g/ dog);• identifying words that begin with the same sound (fish, fan, fire start with /f/); and• segmenting the first and last sounds of a word (bat starts with /b/ and ends with /t/).

Once students can recognize and pronounce phonemes, they should be able to segment phonemesfrom words using the Initial and Final Phoneme Sorts. Phonemes in these products are color-coordinated.The phoneme groupings and backgrounds colors are the same.

The English Phonemes Resource List on the next page categorizes phonemes and lists the soundassociations used in the Reading Manipulatives phoneme program (synthetic approach). These arecontrasted with words used in a typical analytic phonics program.

PHONEME ATTRIBUTES & ORDERWhen planning instructional programs, there are characteristics about consonant phonemes to consider.For starters, the ability to hear phonemes and articulate them in speech are two different skills. Childrenhear and learn the more challenging speech phonemes, even if they cannot pronounce them properly.

Certain consonants have a significantly higher frequency of occurrence. S, t, and r are the mostcommon (with s and r being among the hardest phonemes to articulate). If we look at all phonemes, o, s,t, a, r, and e appear in 50 percent of English words. These, along with n, i, l, u, c, and p, occur in 80percent of English words. However, since spelling patterns, word length, and word utility are far moreimportant to beginning readers, frequency of occurrence should not be overvalued.

Consonant reliability is more important to consider. Consistent consonant phonemes are: b, d, f, h,j, k, l, m, n, p, q (/kw/), r, v, z. Troublesome phonemes are: c sounds like /s/ and g sounds like /j/ whenthey come before e, i, or y, but c usually makes the /k/ sound; c, w, s, and t when followed by h formdigraph phonemes (chip, when, she, that); s often sounds like /z/ in final positions (was, boxes).

At this level, the focus is on phonemic awareness, so do not associate letters with the sounds. Inother words, sounds should be presented as phonemes (/m/ – “mm”) instead of graphemes (m – “em”).

Historically, students have been taught consonants before vowels. However, every word andsyllable must contain a vowel, so the Reading Manipulatives Phoneme Songs & Blending programactually begins with the 5 short vowels, which are among the most commonly used English phonemes. It is true that short vowels can be challenging for children to hear and learn, but when they are taught inisolation with memorable auditory associations, students have little trouble with them.

Long vowels “say their names” so students generally find them easier to remember and master.Long u is somewhat troublesome since it has two sounds (as in fuse [fyooz] and plume [ploom]). For thisreason, long u is not included in this program, but the other long vowels are.

PHONEMIC AWARENESS

BREATH CONSONANTS

ANALYTIC SYNTHETIC

foot, phone hissing cat

cat, key, duck clock pendulum

horn huffing of a runner

pig corn popping

sun, city hissing snake

top typewriter keys

chair, match chugging train

shell, wish prompt to be quiet

thump

wheel

VOICED CONSONANTS

ANALYTIC SYNTHETIC

bunny babbling baby

dog dripping faucet

goat gulping of drink

jar engine of old car

lamp ringing alarm clock

moon something tastes good

nest running motor

rabbit growling dog

valentine vibrating sound

watch whirling lasso

yarn yo-yo moving on string

zebra buzzing bee

song gong

the, with

LONG VOWELS

ANALYTIC SYNTHETIC

cake, play, rain article “a”

tree, meat, be said when scared

hive, fly, sigh pronoun “I”

rose, snow, boat said when surprised

use, few pronoun “you”

SHORT VOWELS

ANALYTIC SYNTHETIC

apple something tastes bad

egg asking to repeat

igloo you don’t like a smell

ostrich as doctor checks throat

umbrella trying to remember

VARIANT VOWELS

ANALYTIC SYNTHETIC

saw, ball, taught something’s too bad

moon, chew wailing ghost

book, put doing push-ups

cow, house when you get hurt

boy, oil pogo stick spring

car howling dog

fork seal

spur, her, work, fur growling dog

RESOURCE L IST ENGLISH PHONEMES

ANALYTIC APPROACH Students are given words that contain the phoneme and must extractthe similar sound in each word (usually in the initial position).

SYNTHETIC APPROACH Phonemes are taught in isolation using sound associations andillustrations. Students then learn to blend phonemes to form words.

CD ORGANIZATIONThe CD contains sing-along songs for 29 phonemes (selected by utility and frequency of use). Thephoneme songs are grouped into 7 sets. Background colors on the posters and CD insert denote the sets.Track numbers for all songs are on the insert. This enables advancing to specific songs and sets.

The sets should be introduced in order. Students must be able to identify and produce all phonemesin a set before moving on since each set builds on the previous ones. Continue to review the previousphonemes with the songs and charts.

PHONEME GROUPINGS & COLORSSince each word and syllable has a vowel phoneme, the first set (yellow) starts with the 5 short vowels.No phonemes have higher utility than the short vowels, yet these sounds are quite difficult to learn usinganalytic phonics methods. Introducing the short vowel phonemes in isolation with sounds children havemade or heard vastly improves chances that they will learn to make and identify these sounds. Theauditory associations established in the songs are amazingly effective for helping students to rememberthese challenging phonemes. Phonemes are introduced in sets that are indicated by background colors.

• Yellow: o i a e u• Blue: o b n t• Red: e m k p• Orange: i h d s• Green: a l g w• Purple: f j r sh• Pink: z y v ch

PHONEME PICTURE CARDSAfter each new set of songs is introduced, children can begin to use the color-coordinated phonemepicture cards. The cards incorporate the phonemes from the current set of songs, along with anyphonemes introduced in previous sets. The blue set (set 2) has only 5 cards due to the limited number of available phonemes. All other sets have 15 cards.

The concept of words being composed of phonemes that are blended is difficult for young childrento grasp. These cards are concrete in their approach. One side of the card has 3 phoneme pictures thatrepresent the three phonemes in the word. The reverse side has a drawing of the word formed.

WORD FAMILIESAfter children are familiar with the songs and phoneme pictures, word families can be introduced. Wordfamilies facilitate the blending process for two reasons. First, when decoding or blending, it is easier toread the graphemic base first. Second, rhyming helps children to blend onsets to rimes. The human brainlooks for patterns, and students soon recognize that they can read or make many words by changing theinitial sound on a single base.

The word families in these materials have the phoneme pictures lightly depicted in gray behind theletters for the phonemes. The bases in the word families are comprised of two phonemes: a short or longvowel phoneme followed by a consonant or digraph phoneme. Initially, most students use the pictures. In time, they shift attention to the words and their spellings.

Reading the words formed in each family is most effective if done orally on a one-to-one basis. The use of parent volunteers or peer tutors would be a benefit to teachers and students.

USING PHONEME SONGS & BLENDING

( ( ( ((

CUTTING & PACKAGINGA rotary trimmer is ideal for cutting laminated materials. A paper cutter will suffice, but rotary trimmers are moreaccurate and easier to use. If your school does not have one,rotary trimmers can be purchased at art and office supplystores or at discount warehouse clubs. Copy centers oftenhave a rotary trimmer available for customer use.

Cut the sheets of phoneme pictures and word familiesinto horizontal strips using a trimmer. Scissors can then beused to cut the pictures apart in the center. Cut rimes andonsets apart. Bases are left aligned and onsets are rightaligned. Each word family has a unique symbol code.

Organize this task to sort as you cut to save yourselftime. There are 6 to 7 rows that each have a word family.On some sheets, the bottom row has additional onsets thatgo with the word families on the sheet.

PACKAGING OPTIONSThe 80 double-sided cards of phoneme picture cards can be divided by color andstored in zipper bags. However, you might want to make these more accessiblesince students will be using these repeatedly. Plastic tubs or a pocket chart mightbe preferable.

Consider how you prefer to package the word families. Remember, theseare introduced after all phonemes have been covered. The paper color has nosignificance. Color is used along with symbol codes to keep the word familiescorrectly sorted.

The following are some possibilities for separating word families:• Put a small rubber band around each sorted group (look in the hair

accessories at a store for these).• Place each word family in a bag or envelope. zipper bags. Small food

storage bags from the grocery store can be used or 4 x 4 zipper bags can befound online.

THREE-PHONEME WORD RESOURCE LISTThe Three-Phoneme Words resource list on the next page contains words broken down according to thesong sets they can follow. Select words from this list and locate the 3 phoneme posters that are blendedto form the word (initial phoneme, vowel phoneme, final phoneme). Arrange 3 phoneme posters at atime on on the chalkboard ledge or another place. Help students to orally blend the phonemes. In time,modeling will help them to be able to blend phonemes without assistance.

BLACK-LINE MASTERSBlack-line masters for the 7 sets of songs are available on our web site (one master for each set). Whilemost children will not be able to read the lyrics, they will recognize the illustrations and know the songsfrom memory. These masters can be used to involve parents and help them understand the program.

PREPARING & MANAGING MATERIALS

BLUE

b n t o

batboatbonebunnet

notenuttub

butnottentin

tone

*Each set uses

letters introduced

in that set or any

previous set.

*The words at the

top of each column

can function as

nouns; words at the

bottom are other

parts of speech.

RED

c/k m p e

beakbeanbeetcancapcat

coatcob

conecubcupmanmapmat

meatmenmopnappackpanpenpetpickpinpot

pucktacktop

cutkick

meetmetpeckpeekpoke

*These words can

be used to provide

blending practice.

Arrange 3 posters

and help students

to orally blend the

phonemes to form

the word.

ORANGE

d h s i

bedbikebusdad

dimeduckhathen

homehutkidkitesackseatsoapsocksuntoad

badbossdid

diedheathidehikehit

hophot

hummadninesatsicksidesobsucktoss

GREEN

g l w a

bagbaitbellbillbugcakedogdoll

gamegas

goatgumlakeleglidlip

limelocklog

mailmealname

pailpigpillsealtapeweb

weedwig

bigcame

diggetgotlaidloadluck

madepaidsametakewag

weakwetwin

PURPLE

f j r sh

cashdishdiskfacefeetfishfilefogjail

jeepjetjobjugleafragrailrainrakerat

roadroberock

shacksheepsheetshellshipshop

feedfellfillfit

funjoke

mashreadrealredriderubrun

shakeshineshockshutwish

PINK

v z t ch

beachchaincheckchickchinchipdive

hatchhive

matchpeach

vanvasevinewavewitchzone

chatchill

chokechopchugdivefive

muchshaveteach

yellzip

RESOURCE LIST THREE-PHONEME WORDS

j

rshc

obided

d l

p c anmr

lrtvH H H c _

kghb

fbfw

hrs

ctr ubplw eak

HH H H H

cc c c c

__ _ _ _

ss s s s

ZZ Z Z Z

uu u u u

r

chs

chbcfpA A A A 6 A

spbtr

hm atbfr undwb ighsm eat

chhsh opplm aid

AA A A A

pp p p p

FF F F F

66 6 6 6

BB B B B

PP P P P

ht

b

hfshta \ U m t ?

ppf

nh

yshf e l llgh ottchw innsr ailbshc utrsw ide

aa a a a

\\ \ \ \

UU U U U

mm m m m

?? ? ? ?

tt t t t

t tk

sh

drdê ` ` ê a a

jbl

ht

shpw eepshsp ack

srd ockwfd ishrsm ealzcb one

êê ê ê ê

`` ` ` `

<< < < <

t< t t t

aa a a a

RR R R R

fl

ine

vlfL L L b

nû û

pl

ccdc

nshmtmb oss

gshs amechpj okechnp eckmsn ap

LL L L L

;; ; ; ;

û û û û

JJ J J J

kk k k k

bb b b b

û

hsnblG G G G

wQ Q

pbltlt

wmg etpfch i l lbkp eg

chsp icklrt oad

mph en

GG G G G

QQ Q Q Q

^^ ^ ^ ^

XX X X X

hX h h h

vv v v v