Level 5: Change That Vowel!
Manipulation of Sounds: Connections to Print
Level 5 Activities are the highest level of phonemic awareness. The focus is to manipulate sounds (phonemes) within words; adding, exchanging, deleting, or transposing sounds (phonemes) to form new words.
Children ready for Level 5, have solid knowledge of how language works before attempting this level. Children need to be able to mentally blend sounds (phonemes), modify words, and segment sounds (phonemes) in order to make the sound (phonemic) transference. The ability to manipulate sounds (phonemes) strongly correlates with beginning reading acquisition.
Early Literacy Foundational Skills
Sound (Phoneme) Substitution
identify and substitute beginning sound in a word
identify and substitute ending sound in a word
identify and substitute middle sounds in a word
Sound (Phoneme) Deletion
identify and omit beginning sound in a word
identify and omit ending sound in a word
identify and omit middle sounds in a word
Change That Vowel!
GOAL: sound (phoneme) substitution, sound (phoneme) blending, & matching sounds (phonemes) to letters
Materials:
Words from current story OR Words from General Word List below:
a all am an and are as ask at ate
ball barn be bed bell big bird black
blue boat boy brown but by call came
can cap car cat cow day did do
dog doll down duck eat farm feet find
for frog girl give go good green had
has hat have he help hen her here
him horse house how I if in is it
jump king let like look mad make man
me mouse must my new no not now
of old on or out pick pig play put
ran red ride run sad said saw say
see she sing sit sleep so stop tell
that the them they this three to top
up us we well will with work yes
alphabet cards
pocket chart (optional)
Directions for New Players:
Choose a one-syllable word (Example: big) and place each letter, one by one, in front of the child or use the pocket chart.
Have the child(ren) say each sound (phoneme) separately as you place the letters down. Then blend the sounds (phonemes) together to form the word.
Use other vowel cards (a, e, i, o, u) to replace the middle sound (phoneme), creating new words. Example: bag, beg, bog, bug. Discuss whether words created make sense or are “nonsense” words.
Repeat with other one-syllable words.
Directions for Established Players:
Select two-syllable words (Example: buggy) and place each letter, one by one, in front of the child or use the pocket chart.
Have the child(ren) say each sound (phoneme) separately as you place the letters down. Then blend the sounds (phonemes) together to form the word.
Use other vowel cards (a, e, i, o, u) to replace the first vowel sound (phoneme) creating new words. Example: baggy, beggy, biggy, boggy. Discuss whether words created make sense or are “nonsense” words.
Repeat with other two-syllable words.
HELPFUL TIPS:
Always model first until the child is comfortable with this activity.
Caution with beginnings or endings with consonant digraphs (EX: ch, sh, th). Assist the child(ren) in these examples.
Caution if using vowel digraphs (EX: ai, ea, ee). Assist the child(ren) in these examples.