EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Short Vowel Families
Congratulations on your purchase of this Really Good
Stuff® EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Short Vowel
Families—a colorful set for teaching word families
and rhyme through sorts.
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• 140 EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles
(5 photos each for 28 short vowel word families)
• 28 Category Tiles
• 2 Sets of 28 Short Vowel Family Rime Stickers
• Compartmentalized Alphabet Storage Case
(included in #305552 only)
• This Really Good Stuff® Teaching Guide
Meeting Common Core State Standards:
Demonstrate understanding of spoken words,
syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
a. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in
spoken single-syllable words.
b. Orally produce single-syllable words by blending
sounds (phonemes), including consonant blends.
c. Isolate and pronounce initial, medial vowel,
and final sounds (phonemes) in spoken
single-syllable words.
d. Segment spoken single-syllable words into
their complete sequence of individual sounds
(phonemes).
Sorting develops letter-sound knowledge. While
sorting pictures and words, children make critical
judgments about speech sounds, spelling patterns,
and meanings. Sorting offers opportunities to
illustrate similarity and difference, and it provides
more phonemic awareness practice and phonics
engagement than traditional worksheets.
Before sorting word families, or rhyming words,
students should have a mastery of beginning and
ending consonant sounds and a familiarity with
sorting. Begin word family sorts with same-vowel
families (phonograms), which will support students
having trouble isolating and attending to the medial
vowel. Begin with a families (at, ap, an) because
words in these families are prevalent in early reading
materials, and students are likely to know some of
these words by sight.
The Category Tiles in this set are the word families,
or rime, the vowel and what follows. When working
with word families, students may not be able to read
all the words initially. Because the words in sorts
are presented in rhyming families, students’ reading
is supported by the Category Tile and your selection
of a familiar first few words. Once students are
using (but still confusing some) short vowels
consistently, they can compare a variety of short
vowels in sorts, noting if words rhyme.
Sorts
Two main types of sorts are closed sorts and open
sorts. In a closed sort, the teacher designates the
category(ies). In an open sort, students find
commonalities among pictures or words to create
their own categories, including other, and write
these categories on sticky notes. (It is important
not to overwhelm students with too many Photo
Tiles in any activity.) Model all activities before
students try them on their own. Having students
write in notebooks or on wipe-off boards during
sorts strongly raises their engagement and
strengthens learning. Always end sorts with
Say-and-Check and Reflect; without this important
wrap-up, unchecked, unspoken, or unread sorts are
often unproductive. To ensure better accountability,
have students check sorts with a partner.
The Research
Thirty-seven rimes (word families) can be used to
generate 500 words that students encounter in
primary reading materials (Wylie and Durrell, 1970).
Word families offer an easy, appealing way to
introduce medial short vowels. Word study is
most effective when students have hands-on
opportunities to manipulate word features in a way
that allows them to generalize beyond the isolated,
individual examples to entire groups of words that
are spelled the same way (Jual and Minden-Cupp,
2000). Dividing words into onsets and rimes is
All teaching guides can be found online:
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Short Vowel Families
easier and more natural for students than dividing
them into individual phonemes (Treiman, 1985).
Suggestions for Organizing, Storage, and Care
• Place a Short Vowel Word Family Rime Sticker and
its corresponding Magnets in each compartment
of the Storage Case.
• Should you need this or any other Really Good
Stuff® Teaching Guides, download them from our
Web site at www.reallygoodstuff.com.
•
Suggested Prerequisite Training
• Have students work in pairs, taking turns sorting
and checking sorts.
• Remind students to use their inside voice for
sorting word families (phonological awareness is
never silent work).
• Have students politely provide corrective feedback
to their partner.
• Have students carefully handle and manage
materials.
• Ask students to keep a notebook of word family
words, or to write rhyming lists and to underline
or circle the recurring rime or the changing initial
sound, depending on instructional purpose.
•
•
•
•
Pre-sort Demonstration
Materials: The ‘at’ Category Tile, its five Photo Tiles,
and a magnetic surface.
This brief demonstration serves as a review of
sorting, and sets the stage for rhyming and the
Three-step Instructional Routine that follows.
• First, decide whether you will tell students to
listen for rhymes or let them discover rhyming
as you demonstrate and create the ap word
family words list. Tell students that in this
sort, something amazing is going to happen
(rhyming, if you are telling them).
• Place the at Category Tile at the top of a
magnetic surface and say, “This tile says at.
It is a part, or chunk, that we see in lots of
words. Because so many words end in at, at is
called a word family, and words that have at in
them belong in the at word family. It’s a big
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
•
family! The at family has lots of words in it!
Words that end with the at sound will go here
(point), under our category at.”
“I will look at my Photo Tile, say the word, and
decide if it ends with at.” Hold up bat and say,
“Bat. Bat, at. Bat, at. Yes, bat ends in at, so I
will put it here under at.” By now, some students
may notice the rhyme, so congratulate their
discovery and continue by pointing out both the
phonics feature at, and the phonological feature
of rhyme, as in the next step.
“Hat. Hat, at. Hat, at. Hat rhymes with at and
bat (pointing), so I will put it here.”
Continue through the remaining three Photo Tiles.
Think aloud: “I see that all my words have
something in common. They all have the same
part, or chunk: at.” Read the list with emphasis
on at, tracking as you go: “/b/ /at/, bat, /c/ /at/,
cat, /m/ /at/, mat, etc.” No wonder rhyming
words are so easy to read—they are almost the
same! That’s why they rhyme. Rhyming words
have the same ending part, or chunk! I’m going to
underline the part that stayed the same in all
my words: at” (using an appropriate writing tool
for your surface is optimal, or just your finger).
Think aloud: “I also notice that only my first
letter (pointing) changed, so all these words
rhyme!” Read the list with emphasis on initial
sounds: /b/ /at/, bat, /c/ /at/, cat, etc. (Point to,
or underline in a different color, the initial letter.)
“Finding out if words rhyme is easy. I can look at
the ending part to see if they match, and I can
listen to hear if they rhyme. ”
Extension (if time permits and students are
ready): Have students generate more at words
as you record them on the board, using a
different color for initial sounds (e.g., fat, pat,
sat, vat, that, flat, brat, gnat, spat, chat,
habitat).
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Short Vowel Families
Suggested 3-step Instructional Routine:
I Do, We Do, You Do
(Model, practice with students, and then release
the responsibility to students.)
Gather the at and ap Category Tiles, each of their
five corresponding Photo Tiles, and a magnetic
surface. Use half the Photo Tiles for modeling and
half for guided practice.
1. I Do (model):
Demonstrate the explicit, systematic process of a
closed sort. This sort allows students to
discriminate between two word families.
• Introduce the at and ap Category Tiles:
“This says at, and it will be our first category
for this sort. I will place it here (top of surface).
This says ap, and I will place it here for our
second category. Now I will say photo words and
decide which word family each belongs to, at or
ap (pointing).
• Introduce the photo word. Clearly tell students
the word rather than soliciting guesses, which
would waste time and may confuse children.
Use the word in a sentence to reinforce meaning
if necessary, especially English-Language
Learners. When demonstrating words’ initial
sounds, be careful to avoid the schwa sound
(uh): “Cap, /c/ (not /cuh/) /ap/. Emphasize, or
stretch, the beginning sound in all words for
clarity (hhhat, mmmat, rrrat). For sounds like
/b/ that cannot be stretched, simply exaggerate
your mouth position to show how the sound is
formed. (For students who need a picture for
support in the Category, place cap, or the first
Photo Tile shown, next to the ap Tile, explaining
that it is the helping picture.)
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
Using a think-aloud, verify the word family and
rhyme match by pointing and reading, exaggerating
your mouth shape, and place the Photo Tile below
the Category Tile. “Clap. /cl/ /ap/, clap. Does clap
rhyme with at or ap (move Clap Tile next to at and
ap)? Clap rhymes with ap, so I will place clap under
ap.” Point and say: “Clap, ap (read all ap words as
the list grows). Let’s try another one.”
• Say-and-Check: Once Photo Tiles are placed,
begin at the top, pointing, and say each word,
checking to hear if it matches the Category Tiles
and rhymes. “Now I want to say the names of my
photos to be sure they are in the proper word
family category and rhyme. Please watch me so
that if I make a mistake you can help me. Clearly
point to each photo and say it: “/c/ /ap/, cap,
yes cap rhymes with ap.”
(Later, in their own sorts, students will fix
mistakes at this point by moving tiles.) Without
this important step, unchecked, unspoken, or
unread sorts are often unproductive.
• Reflect: Declare knowledge about the sort. Help
students to shape their summary statements
as they tell what the words have in common.
“As I look at my pictures and listen to myself
say them, I notice that they all rhyme, and
that’s because they have the same ending part
(point to at and ap Tiles). When I say the words
on this chart, I hear that all the pictures rhyme
in their word families (pointing down the lists).
When I look at the sort, I see the same ending
parts, or chunks, (pointing at chunks) in my
word families.”
• Invite students to try a few photos with your
guidance: “Now you are ready to try a few
with me.”
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Short Vowel Families
2. We Do (guided practice):
After modeling the process, have students assist
with sorting the remaining at and ap tiles.
• Follow the systematic steps modeled.
• Carefully monitor and provide specific corrective
feedback.
• Be aware that struggling students may require
more guided practice before doing independent
work.
• Encourage students to generate more words,
and write those words on the board to confirm
and to provide visual support in phonics. Having
students follow along and write the words in
notebooks or wipe-off boards reinforces focus
and learning.
3. You Do (release the responsibility to students):
Independent, or partner, sorts may include work
stations, word study notebook, or homework.
• Provide each student or partnership one group
of Photo Tiles (a familiar rime).
• Carefully monitor and provide specific corrective
feedback: “Say the word and see if it matches
and rhymes (pointing to Category Tile).”
does not end with at or ap and it doesn’t rhyme
with bat or cap. Say bag and see if it belongs in
the at or ap family (pointing to at and ap).” As
with all sorts, follow up with Say-and-Check and
Reflect, emphasizing that rhyming words have
the same ending, and that only their beginning
sounds change. Point out that it is important to
look and listen to the last letter in words
because they may be tricky.
Word Family Open Sorts
Provide students with one to three sets of Photo
Tiles, and let them determine the category(ies) as
they say the picture words. They may write their
category(ies) on sticky notes. When modeling this
sort, use the Category Tiles provided. As with all
sorts, follow up with Say-and-Check and Reflect.
Next Steps
Introduce the Other Category
• Make a category labeled other. Explain that in
sorting, there are sometimes tiles that do not
fit into the categories given, so they will be
placed into the other category. Repeat the
at/ap sort, include a few Photo Tiles from a
different word family, such as ag, and mix up
the tiles.
• Place bat next to the at Word Family Category
Tile and cap next to ap Word Family Category Tile
for more support. Each time an ag Photo Tile is
shown, students should recognize its rime
doesn’t match and that it does not rhyme;
therefore, it goes under other.
• During independent work, carefully monitor and
provide specific corrective feedback: Moving bag
to other, say, “Bag goes under other because it
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
More Sorting Activities
Work Station Partners Closed Sort
Materials: Photo and Category Card Reproducibles
Provide a few mixed-up pictures for two to five rimes
and their Category Tiles. Students will set up the
Category Tiles and place corresponding pictures
below the categories. Have students Say-and-Check
and Reflect with a partner, and then switch roles.
Writing the rhyming lists in a notebook will reinforce
students’ efforts in spelling and reading
phonograms.
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Short Vowel Families
Word Family Books
Materials: Multiple copies of Photo and Category
Card Reproducibles, glue, pencil, and teacher-made
blank booklets.
Concentration
Materials: Four Photo Tiles (or reproducible
pictures) each for three to five word families, placed
randomly face down in straight rows.
Students label word family pages by either printing
or gluing category cards. They cut and glue the
photo cards (with words) onto the corresponding
page in booklets. Printing the words next to the
picture and underlining the rimes support students’
first efforts to read and spell words. Booklets are
an ongoing activity, so as students add to their
booklets, they may whisper-read the pages at school
or at home. Encourage students to add rhyming
words to their pages. These booklets form a
foundation for beginning reading. Students may
trade with friends and read each other’s booklets.
Wide Open Sort
Materials: Multiple copies of Photo and Category
Card Reproducibles, sticky notes, and pencil. Do not
provide too many Photo Tiles; three to five word
families should suffice, or fewer for struggling
students.
Allow students to group the photo cards in any
category they wish. This type of sort allows you to
assess the connections the students make with
sounds, words, and concepts or meanings. Model
with a think-aloud saying, “I’m looking at my pictures
and thinking of ways to sort them. I see a few
animals. I could make an animal category. I also see
things found at school. I will make a school category,
too.” (Additional ideas for categories: furniture,
people, clothing, food, things I do, things I have,
house things, farm things, inside things, outside
things.) Students will create some interesting
categories, and sharing these aloud is an important
component of literacy development.
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
One to four players take turns turning over two tiles
to determine if they rhyme and belong to the same
word family. If so, a player keeps the matching set
and goes again; if not, the player returns those
Photo Tiles to their original position and the next
player takes a turn. The player with the most
matching sets is the winner.
Follow-up Rhyming Games
Use spare minutes to orally practice word families
with your students. While in transition between
activities, lining up, or waiting for buses, students
can practice their phonological awareness.
Say a rime, ick (write it if time allows), and
have students generate words in that family:
“Sick, stick.” Conversely, point to an item and have
students say the word and its word family: point
to map Photo Tile as students say, “map, ap.”
Then have students say another word in that family.
(Suggested classroom words: Snap, trash, can, pen,
rug, bell, yell, test, chin, grin, ring, string, clock, block,
sock, hush, lip, rip, back, tack, flag.)
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
Photo and Category Card Reproducible 1
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
Photo and Category Card Reproducible 2
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
Photo and Category Card Reproducible 3
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
Photo and Category Card Reproducible 4
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
Photo and Category Card Reproducible 5
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
Photo and Category Card Reproducible 6
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305521
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Beginning Sounds
Congratulations on your purchase of this Really
Good Stuff® EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles:
Beginning Sounds—a colorful set for teaching
initial sounds through sorts.
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• 150 EZread™ Magnetic Photo Sorting Tiles:
Beginning Sounds (six for each sound)
• 25 Magnetic Letter Tiles
(A-Z, excluding X)
• Compartmentalized, Alphabet Storage Case
(included in #305542 only)
• Alphabet Storage Stickers
• This Really Good Stuff® Teaching Guide
Meeting Common Core State Standards:
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word
analysis skills in decoding words.
a. Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one
letter-sound correspondences by producing
the primary or many of the most frequent
sounds for each consonant.
Sorting develops letter-sound knowledge. In
sorting photos and words, children make critical
judgments about speech sounds, spelling
patterns, and meanings. Sorting offers
opportunities to illustrate similarity and
difference, and it provides more phonological
awareness practice and phonics engagement than
traditional worksheets.
There are two main types of sorts: closed sorts
and open sorts. In a closed sort, the teacher
designates the category(ies). In an open sort,
students find commonalities among photos or
words and create their own categories. (It is
important not to overwhelm students with too
many Photo Tiles in any activity.) Model all
activities for students before they try these
activities on their own.
Suggestions for Organizing, Storage, and Care
• Place a Beginning Sound Sticker and its
corresponding magnets in each compartment of
the Storage Case
• Should you need this or any other Really Good
Stuff® Teaching Guides, download them from our
Web site at www.reallygoodstuff.com.
Suggested Prerequisite Training
• Have students work in pairs, taking turns
sorting and checking sorts.
• Remind students to use their inside voice for
sorting beginning sounds.
• Have students politely provide corrective
feedback to their partner.
• Have students carefully handle and manage
materials.
Suggested 3-step Instructional Routine:
I Do, We Do, You Do
(Model, practice with students, and then release
the responsibility to students.)
Gather the b Photo Tiles, the letter b Tile, and a
magnetic surface. Use three of the Photo Tiles for
modeling and the other three Photo Tiles for
guided practice.
All teaching guides can be found online:
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305535
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Beginning Sounds
1. I Do (model):
Demonstrate the explicit, systematic process of
a closed sort. (This example is for a first-time
beginning sound sort, so all the Photo Tiles begin
with b. After students master the b sound, use
Photo Tiles that do not begin with b so that
students can discriminate and learn to use the
other category.)
• Introduce the letter name and sound, and then
place the Letter Tile at the top of the magnetic
board, explaining that it is the category tile.
When demonstrating letter sounds, be careful to
avoid the schwa sound (uh): “This is the letter b.
b says /b/, (not /buh/). Watch me as I say the
sound that b makes: /b/, /b/, /b/. Now it’s your
turn.” Monitor for accuracy. Correct schwa
sounds as necessary. “Good job saying ‘/b/.’
B is our category tile, so I will put it at the top.
Now we want to find Photo Tiles that begin with
the /b/ sound. I will put those below the letter b.”
• Introduce the Photo Tiles and their sounds.
Pause before saying the word so that it does not
run together with the articles a or an, masking
the initial sound. “This is a (pause) ball. Ball
begins with the sound /b/, ball. Now you say ball
and listen for its beginning sound, /b/.”
Emphasize or stretch the beginning sound in all
words for clarity (for example, mmmouse, sssun,
aaapple). For sounds like /b/ that cannot be
stretched, simply exaggerate your mouth
position to show how the sound is formed.
Present the word and initial sound clearly
instead of soliciting guesses, which wastes time
and may confuse children. Use the word in a
sentence to reinforce meaning if necessary,
especially for English-Language Learners.
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
• Using a think-aloud, verify the sound match,
exaggerating your mouth shape, and place Photo
Tiles below the Letter Tile. “This is a (pause) bed.
Bed begins with the sound /b/, /b/ bed. Does
that match our category sound? Let’s see.”
Hold the bed Tile next to the b Tile, and pointing
to b say, “/b/, /b/.” Point to bed and say, “bbbed,
bbbed (not repeating /b/ but emphasizing mouth
shape). Do those sounds match? Yes, bed begins
with b. I will place bed under the b.” Point and
say: “/b/ bed. Let’s try another one.” Repeat,
placing another Photo Tile below the b. For
students who need a photo to remind them of
the b sound, place bed next to the b Tile,
explaining that it is the helping photo.
• Once tiles are placed, begin at the top, pointing
and saying each word and checking to hear
whether its beginning sound matches the Letter
Tile. “Now I will say the names of my photos to be
sure their beginning sound is /b/, as our category
says. Please watch me so that if I make a
mistake you can help me.” Point to each Photo
Tile and say its name clearly: “/b/ ball, yes it
begins with b. /b/ balloon, yes, it begins with b.
/b/ bike, yes it begins with b.” (Later, in their own
sorts, students will at this point fix mistakes
by moving tiles. Without this important step,
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305535
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Beginning Sounds
unchecked, unspoken, or unread sorts may go
uncorrected. To ensure better accountability,
have students check sorts with a partner.)
• Help students to shape their summary
statements as they tell what the words have in
common. “As I look at my photos and listen to
myself say them, I notice that they all have the
same beginning sound (point to b Tile), /b/. When
I say the words on this board, I hear that all the
photo names sound similar, or alike, in their
beginning sound, /b/. When I look at the board,
it shows me only photos of things whose names
begin with b.”
• Invite students to try a few photos with your
guidance: “Now you are ready to try a few
with me.”
2. We Do (guided practice):
After modeling the process, have students assist
with sorting the three remaining tiles.
• Follow the systematic steps modeled.
• Carefully monitor and provide specific
corrective feedback.
• Give struggling students repeated guided
practice before they do independent work.
• Accept more b words as students generate
them, and write them on the board to provide
additional visual support in phonics.
• Carefully monitor and provide specific corrective
feedback: “You say the word and decide if it
matches (pointing to Letter Tile).”
Next Steps
Introduce the Other Category
• Make a Letter Tile labeled other. Explain that in
sorting, there are sometimes Photo Tiles that do
not fit into the categories listed, so they will be
placed into the other category. Repeat the b sort
and mix in a few Photo Tiles beginning with an
obviously contrasting consonant, such as s.
Each time an s Photo Tile is shown, students
should recognize its beginning sound is not /b/;
therefore, it goes under other. Carefully monitor
and provide specific corrective feedback: Moving
sun to the other category, say, “Sun goes under
other since it does not begin with /b/. You say the
word and see if it matches.”
3. You Do (release the responsibility to
students): Independent or partner sorts may
include work stations, word study notebook, or
homework.
• Provide each student or partnership with some
Photo Tiles and the corresponding Letter Tile.
(a familiar letter).
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305535
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Beginning Sounds
More Sorting Activities
Work Station Partners Closed Sort
Using the Photo and Letter Cards Reproducibles,
provide a few photos for two to three beginning
sounds and their Letter Tiles. Students will set up
the category Letter Tiles and place corresponding
photos below the categories. Have students
Say-and-Check and Reflect with a partner, then
switch roles.
Alphabet Books
Materials: Multiple copies of the Photo and
Letter Cards Reproducibles, glue, and teachermade blank booklets.
Two-or-more-category Closed Sorts
Next, students will do sorts with two letter
categories, such as b and s (and other, if ready).
Provide students with the Letter Tiles and
corresponding Photo Tiles, adding a few
non-category photos for the other category.
Provide corrective feedback, quickly providing
the answer and moving the Photo Tile:
“Seal goes under s. You say the word and see
if it matches.” As with all the sorts, follow up
with Say-and-Check and Reflect.
Beginning Sound Open Sorts
Provide students with one to three sets of
Photo Tiles, and ask them to determine the
category(ies) as they say the photo words.
They may write their category(ies) on sticky
notes. As with all sorts, follow up with
Say-and-Check and Reflect.
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
Students label each page a-z (omitting x) by
either printing or gluing each letter card to a
separate page. They then cut out and glue the
Photo and Letter Cards Reproducibles on the
corresponding letter page in their booklets.
Booklets are an ongoing activity, so as students
add to their booklets, they may quietly read aloud
the pages at school or at home. Encourage
students to add photos from magazines and label
them. These books can form a foundation for
beginning reading, and students may trade with
friends and read each other’s booklets.
Wide Open Sort
Materials: Multiple copies of the Photo and
Letter Cards Reproducibles and sticky notes.
Allow students to group the cards in any category
they wish. This type of sort allows you to assess
the connections students make among sounds,
words, and concepts or meanings. Model with a
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305535
EZread™ Magnetic Photo Tiles: Beginning Sounds
think-aloud, saying, “I’m looking at my photos and
thinking of ways to sort them. I see a few animals.
I could make an animal category. I also see things
found at school. I will make a school category,
too.” (More category ideas: Furniture, people,
clothing, food, house things, farm things, inside
things, outside things.)
• Point to a letter and have students chant its
sound. Repeat with different letter(s).
• Say, “Children whose names begin with the same
sound as pencil may line up.” As they line up they
can say another word beginning with /p/.
Concentration
Materials: Four Photo Tiles (or Photo and
Letter Cards Reproducibles) each for three to
five letter sounds, placed randomly face down in
straight rows.
One to four players take turns turning over two
tiles to determine whether they begin with the
same sound. If so, a player keeps the matching
set and goes again; if not, he or she returns the
tiles to their original position and the next player
takes a turn. The player with the most matching
sets is the winner.
Follow-up
Use every opportunity to practice beginning
sounds with your students. For example, while
they are in transition between activities, lining up,
or waiting for buses, students can practice
phonological awareness.
• Say a letter, for example, b, and have students
find items beginning with its sound: “Back, bag.”
Conversely, point to items and have students
say the words and their beginning sound. For
example, point to a pencil so that students say,
“pencil, /p/.”
• Say a sound, /w/, and have students find items
beginning with that sound. Create a “word wall”,
with their suggestions.
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
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Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
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Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
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Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
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Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
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Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305535
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Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2012 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com Made in Guangzhou, China #305535