This section provides an overview of the book Exploring Sounds In Words and the books that are used with it. To download the PDF files for these books, look under the menu heading PDF FILES, go to the sub-menu PDF FILES - BOOKS LISTED BY LEVEL, then click on PDF FILES FOR LEVEL 2 - EXPLORING SOUNDS IN WORDS. Or, for a shortcut to that page, click here.
Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words - Transition Level
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This is a transition level that prepares students to read short vowel words. It includes many of the same skills taught in Learning The Alphabet, Books 1 And 2, but at a more advanced level.
You will use three books at this level, Exploring Sounds In Words, Exploring Sounds In Words Manuscript Handwriting, and Picture Dictionary A-Z. A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad is also recommended.
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Books To Use
Exploring Sounds In Words Exploring Sounds In Words Manuscript Handwriting Picture Dictionary A-Z A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad Wall Charts
Alphabet Chart Cards
Alphabet Cards Sound Picture Cards Learning Games
Apple Alphabet Game Apple Concentration Game Raspberry Game Beginning Sound File Folder Games Ending Sound File Folder Games |
Students work on a number of skills in these books.
- Students do oral blending exercises with two and three-sound words. They listen to individual sounds pronounced by the teacher, put the sounds together mentally to form a word, find the matching picture, and say the word aloud.
- Students do segmenting exercises, separating spoken words into their individual sounds, using the same picture pages used for the oral blending exercises.
- Students concentrate on understanding how alphabet letters are used to make up words. Using picture pages, students learn to identify beginning and ending sounds in words, and start to recognize medial short vowel sounds in words. The pages are carefully arranged, so that students become familiar with a new beginning sound first before they are expected to discriminate between the new sound and other sounds. The same approach is used for the ending sounds. As they progress through the books, students also complete "Put It Together" picture pages on which they must identify and write beginning, ending, and medial short vowel sounds.
- Students review the letters of the alphabet as the teacher reads aloud A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad, Part 1. The pages include twenty-seven sound pictures that show the sounds for the letters of the alphabet. This includes all of the consonant sounds, five short vowel sounds, and the long i sound.
- Students learn to write the letters of the alphabet. Handwriting pages are included in a separate book, Exploring Sounds In Words Manuscript Handwriting. For each new letter, students trace large capital and lower case letters with a pencil to become familiar with the correct letter formation. Then they trace and copy small letters, both new and review, and an illustrated word. The letters that are easiest to write are taught first, and letters that are the most difficult to write are taught last.
- The teacher provides extra handwriting practice by dictating letters that have been taught for students to write on lined paper. The letters are taught in the same order in which they are introduced in the sound story: t i h l n w u b m r f x e s j o c d a v g p k y qu z. This dictation exercise prepares students to begin writing words phonetically at the short vowel level.
- Students practice building short vowel words with plastic letters, which provides an introduction to the phonetic nature of words. To build a word, students say each sound in order as they move the letters into place on a work mat. This prepares students to read and write words at the short vowel level.
- Students practice pronouncing two-letter combinations, such as ab, ac, ad, and af, sliding the sounds together smoothly. Because these combinations are not real words, they are called "Silly Sounds." At the short vowel level, students will begin reading three-sound short vowel words. Putting three sounds together to read a word can be surprising difficult for beginning readers. Learning to put two sounds together first will prepare students for this task.
NOTE - THE BUTTONS BELOW ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION: I will be adding links to the buttons below so that you can download the desired PDF files from this page, but I have not yet done so. At this time I you still need to go to the PDF FILES heading and choose the desired subheading on the menu to find these items.
