Phonological Awareness When children have trouble grasping a basic concept like rhyming, the Neuhaus Education Center recommends having the child work with concrete objects and then move on to more abstract concepts. They also recommend using a multisensory approach, emphasizing opportunities to touch, trace, and talk about a series of objects. Example: Give the child a plastic frog and a dog. Ask the child if the names for these objects end with the same sound (i.e., the /og/ sound). Next, ask the child to look at pictures of a frog and dog (emphasizing the /og/ sound). Have the child trace the pictures, and ask if they end with the same sound. Finally, ask the child to focus on the ending sounds when they say the words frog and dog. The ultimate goal is always for the teacher to encourage the child to come up with rhyming words independently. What follows is a four-activity sequence that begins with heavy teacher support and gradually encourages the learner to become more independent.
Phonological Awareness 2 1: Give the student the rhyming words and ask the child to repeat them. Read one of the following rhymes, emphasizing the rhyming (underlined) words. Say, Hey,, rhyme. What words rhyme? (Have the child repeat the rhyming words you said.) a. The lazy cat. Sat on the mat. b. The silly old goat Slept on the boat. c. Do you smell a rose With your foot or nose? d. The cow jumped over the moon. The dish ran away with the spoon. e. Tom, Tom the piper s son. Stole a pig and he did run. f. Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Jack jump over the candlestick. g. The round, orange pumpkin sat on a wall. The round, orange pumpkin had a great fall. h. Tic, toc went the clock. i. Tic, toc, went the clock. I can t find my sock. j. Tic, toc went the clock. I can t find my sock. I can t find my block.* *Extend this activity with nursery rhymes or text from rhyming books.
Phonological Awareness 3 2: Ask the child to come up with a rhyming word after receiving a highly concrete clue. Read one of the sentences below. Say, Oops! Wrong rhyme! I mean this is my. (Have the child say the appropriate rhyming word.) Identify the two rhyming (underlined) words and close with, and rhyme. a. This is my rose. (Teacher points to nose.) b. This is my pin. (Teacher points to chin.) c. This is my pie. (Teacher points to eye.) d. This is my cheer. (Teacher points to ear.) e. This is my bed. (Teacher points to head.) f. This is my bear. (Teacher touches hair.) g. This is my deck. (Teacher points to neck.) h. This is my farm. (Teacher points to arm.) i. This is my mist. (Teacher points to wrist.) j. This is my band. (Teacher points to hand.) k. This is my bee. (Teacher points to knee.) l. This is my sail. (Teacher points to a nail.) m. This is my peg. (Teacher points to leg.) n. This is my glue. (Teacher points to shoe.) o. These are my buckles. (Teacher points to knuckles.)* *Extend this activity by pointing to objects in the room. For example, say, This is a bear, while pointing to a chair.
Phonological Awareness 4 3: Give students rhyming answers. Then return to the activity at a later time and ask the children to provide their own answers. The Fat Cat on the Mat 1. [Show the picture of the cat on the mat (see page 6).] Say, This is a picture of a big fat cat. Hey, fat, cat rhyme. What words rhyme? Say, The cat wore a hat. Hey, cat, hat rhyme! What words rhyme? Say, The cat sat. Hey, cat, sat rhyme! What words rhyme? Say, The cat sat on a mat. Hey, cat, sat, mat rhyme! What words rhyme? Say, The cat saw a rat. Hey, cat, rat rhyme! What words rhyme? Say, The cat saw a bat. Hey, cat, bat rhyme! What words rhyme? 2. Have the child finish the following sentences with the appropriate rhyming words. The cat is big and. (fat) The cat wore a. (hat) The cat sat on a. (mat) The cat saw a little. (rat or bat) The cat saw a. (rat or bat)
Phonological Awareness 5 4: Ask children to compare and contrast three words, and point out the one that does not rhyme. [Review the rhyming words in the Fat Cat on a Mat picture.] Say, I will say three words. Two words rhyme and one does not. Tell me which one does not rhyme. a. cat, rat, leg b. mat, cup, rat c. car, bat, hat d. cat, sat, pig e. dog, fat, cat f. cat, car, mat g. mop, sat, mat* *Extend this activity with other pictures that have objects whose names rhyme. Say three words two that are represented in the picture and one that is not. Ask students to name the odd one. It will not be in the picture. Gradually, wean students from needing the picture to identify the odd one.
Phonological Awareness 6