The school year is just around the corner and I’ve been working so hard to get ready! All summer I’ve been doing some lesson planning in preparation for the school year, not because I’m such a go-getter, but because I know I won’t have the time I used to for planning during the year now that I’m knee-deep in a master’s program.
The good news for you is that since I’ve done the work, there’s less for you to do! Sharing is caring after all, am I right?!?!
This spring I had the priviledge of attending training in teaching phonics with a multi-sensory approach. This Orton-Gilligham training by the Institute of Multi-Sensory Education (IMSE) was amazing and I am BEYOND excited to share some of what I learned and plan to implement in my own classroom this year with you all!
Phonics (including handwriting) instruction can be a bit of a bore: this letter makes this sound, repeat, can you think of words that start with that sound, this is how you form the letter when you write, yadda yadda, blah, blah, and blah! Using a multi-sensory approach makes learning letters, sounds, and formation/handwriting MUCH more exciting and play-like! You can’t completely ignore or skip some of that “boring” stuff, but why not throw it in amidst the fun? That’s my plan.
I have created a workbook that I’ll be going through during the first portion of the school year with my students in order to review and relearn letters and their sounds, but we will also be incorporating word and sentence dictation as well. Once students learn a sound, I will expect that they use it in their writing which takes practice! That’s what this Letters, Words, and Sentences Workbook is for — practice, practice, practice.
It’s not the ONLY portion of what will be my phonics block this year, though. Like I said, I’m planning to mix this rote and repetitive stuff that can get boring into a mix of fun and multi-sensory activities in order to engage my students, but also to make sure that they learn more fully and completely.
Multi-sensory instruction is so important in that it allows students to learn using auditory, visual, and kinesthetic senses rather than just one. This type of instruction not only speaks to the many different ways that students learn, but it also allows more of the brain to be engaged and connecting to the learning. Students learning in a multi-sensory way not only hear and see the things they’re learning, but they also feel the learning, experiencing it in a whole new way! Head over to IMSE’s website to learn more about the Orton-Gilligham approach to phonics instruction (this post is not sponsored or endorsed by IMSE in any capacity).
So, what will a typical lesson look like in my classroom? I’m so glad you asked!
Teaching or Reviewing a new letter and sound (over multiple days):
Show students the letter, name it, and model the correct sound. Give students mirrors and explicitly teach what students should see and feel as they watch themselves correctly make the sound. For example, when making an /m/ sound, lips are together, tongue does not touch any part of the mouth or teeth, and the sound is voiced (rather than unvoiced, like an /h/).
Read a book or poem with words that emphasize the sound. The foot book is a great example of a book to be used while teaching the letter f.
Show an object for students to pass around or interact with in some way that begins with the letter being taught. For example, students could use buttons or eat a banana when introducing the letter b.
Brainstorm or sort words/pictures that begin with the letter being taught. Letters like s, c, and g lend themselves to word sorts rather than brainstorming since there is more than one sound attached to those letters. Stick to just one sound for each letter being taught. Teach only, for example, that c says /k/ as in cat before introducing students to the /s/ sound of c as in city (a concept that should be taught much later).
Model correct formation of the letter on writing lines while explaining each stroke. Use a visual, like the house I’ve used in the workbook I created, to help students understand the sizing differences in letters. I’ll use words like down into the basement to explain portions of letters that go below the baseline, stay in the house for letters that stay between the base and midline, and upstairs into the attic or top of the house for letters that go above the midline.
Students should practice forming the letter with a crayon over solid lines, then trace the letter a few times with their finger before continuing to write the letter over dotted lines, and finally on their own. Tracing the crayon with their fingers adds an element of tactile memory.
Each time students form a letter, they should say its name and make its sound, saying, “{Letter Name} says /sound/” or “M says /m/”.
Continue practicing correct formation of the letter(s) with more multi-sensory activities: write in sand or salt, write in shaving cream, place a textured screen (like an embroidery screen found at most craft stores) behind paper while writing or finger tracing, write with dry erase marker, or any other activity that engages the student’s tactile/kinesthetic senses while writing. Again, be sure to engage the auditory memory by saying the name and sound of the letter each and every time it is formed.
If you’re teaching the letters and sounds for the first time, plan to teach one letter and its sound per week. My students should have learned these letters and sounds last year in kindergarten, so since it should be more of a review I am planning to speed things up and teach two letters and sounds per week.
Click here to grab the workbook I’ve mentioned and will be using with my students this coming school year.
As I mentioned earlier, the most important part of teaching letters and sounds is making sure students are able to use them! Otherwise, what’s the purpose?!? In my next post, I’ll discuss the “how” behind the word and sentence dictation.
Don’t forget to subscribe and share with friends! I’d also love to hear your thoughts and ideas for multi-sensory activities in the comments!
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