Level 4: I Spy
Separation of Sound
Level 4 Activities focus on the separation of sounds in a word. Children ready for this Level 4, have a good sense of focus sounds (phonemic awareness) and are ready to acoustically divide words into their individual focus sounds.
This skill is reverse of sound (phoneme) blending, where “sound units” are combined (Level 2). While separation of sounds (phoneme segmentation) appears to be a simple exercise, many children, even older ones, struggle with this skill. They may be able to identify isolated sounds (recognition), but cannot break a word into separate sound (phonemic) components.
Early Literacy Foundational Skills
Sound (Phoneme) Counting
listen & detect the number of sounds (phonemes) in a word
Sound (Phoneme) Segmentation
listen & detect individual sounds at the beginning of a word
listen & detect individual sounds at the ending of a word
listen & detect words that rhyme
I Spy
GOALS: sound (phoneme) counting & isolation
Materials
None
Directions for New Players:
Have child(ren) identify “spied” objects by listening to your phoneme clues. Invite them to guess after each clue is given.make their own Bingo Game card
For example:
I spy an object with three sounds in its name
I spy an object with three sounds in its name and the first is /b/
I spy an object with three sounds in its name and the first is /b/, the last is /k/
I spy an object with three sounds in its name and the first is /b/, the last is /k/, and it rhymes with “look”
Repeat with different objects.
Directions for Established Players:
Select objects in the environment with more than three sounds (phonemes).
CHALLENGE:
Invite the child(ren) to provide “I Spy” clues for others.
HELPFUL TIPS:
Always model first until the child is comfortable with this activity.
Begin with words with two or three sounds (phonemes).
First practice counting the number of sounds (phonemes) in a word. Say the word slowly as the child(ren) listen for, tap out, and count the number of sounds (phonemes) heard.