1. SCS Reading Fundamentals Consonant and vowel phonemes
Fall 2013
Lynn Holmes

2. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)
Handout #2 Thinking About Reading
Question #1 (Answer: 30% is the closest estimation on the handout)
SUGGESTED SLIDE COMMENTS:
1st View: This slide displays the normal curve, a graph that describes the general population on almost any measure of ability or achievement from throwing baseball to musical ability to academic performance. There are a few people who either do very poorly at a particular skill or very well, hence the bell shape of the curve. Almost all the faces are smiling because these are young students who don’t yet know who is going “fail” in reading.
Click 1 &2: Fourth grade NAEP Results for students below basic.
Click 3: Shows “frowny faces” of students below grade level.
Click 4. Shows results for students scoring below the proficient level.
4th Grade Reading (2009)
33% below basic level
67% below proficient level
NAEP website, 2009 2

3. Thirty-three percent of poor readers come from homes with college-educated parents
Handout #2 QUESTION # 3 (Answer: 30% is the closest estimation on the handout) 3

4. Handout #2 QUESTION # 5 (Answer: 95%)
HIGH LEVELS – OTHERS CAN LEARN TO READ BUT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER AND THEY MAY NOT REACH HIGH LEVELS
Reading researchers have shown that 95% of students can learn to read with high levels of fluency and comprehension.
Reading researchers have shown that 95% of students can learn to read with high levels of fluency and comprehension 4

5. 60% of America's prison inmates are illiterate and 85% of all juvenile offenders have reading problems.
Handout #2 Question #8 (Answer 85%)
Citation: U.S. Department of Education 5

6. Universal Targeted Intensive Few Some All How the Population Learns to
Read
Universal
Targeted
Intensive
Few
20% -Reading is One of the Most Difficult Tasks to Be Mastered
Some
40% -Reading is A Formidable Challenge
35% -Reading is Relatively Easy
Handout #5 Differences in Learning to Read.
Activity: Refer to the activity directions for: Differences in Learning to Read
Highlight the implications for instruction as listed on handout #5.
This information is based on the work done at NICHD. Point out that these are estimates and recommendations based on a number of studies. These topics will be explored in more depth in units five through eight, so we just cover the information in a global fashion at this point.
All
5% -Reading is Easy
*Estimates and recommendations are based on the work of Lyon and other NICHD researchers 6

7. Differences in Learning to Read
Type of Learner
# of Necessary Repetitions
Most Able 2
Average 5
Least Able
100
This is simply a suggested range
Key message for note taking: Students who have reading difficulties need many more practice opportunities than our most able readers.
The purpose of this slide is to draw attention to the fact that more practice opportunities must be allowed for students who do not find learning to read an easy task. At this point, the case is being made for differentiated instruction.
This estimated range is born out of research that was conducted on sight word recognition:
Five exposures may be sufficient to give good 1st grade readers an advantage in naming words compared to unfamiliar spellings. With the same pronunciation five exposures were not enough for older, poorer readers (Reitsma, 1983)
Poor readers may be slow to identify targets. They require up to twenty times more practice than students in the average range.
(Ehri and Wilce, 1983; Manis 1985) 7

8. What Happens Early, Matters…
“…the level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness than anything that happens academically in high school.”
Key message for note taking: What happens early, matters.
ACT, Inc: The Forgotten Middle (2009) 8

9. What Is A Phoneme?
Definition: the smallest unit of sound that makes a difference in meaning (or that changes one word into another word).
While pointing to the letter “k”, remind participants that “k” is the letter name and the phoneme is /k/. Be sure participants understand that letters inside // always indicate the sound not the name of that letters.
Tell participants that phonemes should not be confused with letters. Phonemes are the sounds of speech. Letters may represent phonemes in written language we have 2 types of phonemes: consonants and vowels. Say the words with the participants: cat, hat, hot, hop.
/k/ /a/ /t/
/h/ /a/ /t/
/h/ /o/ /t/
/h/ /o/ /p/ 9

10. What Is A Consonant Phoneme?
A consonant phoneme is a speech sound that is formed by fully or partially obstructing flow of the air stream.
Consonants are often described as closed sounds.
Trainer Information: do not go into this with the participants at this time. You will later contrast the “closed” consonant sounds with the “open” vowel sounds. For consonants, it’s the obstructed or partially obstructed air stream which is “closed”, as compared to an unobstructed, and thus “open” air stream which characterizes vowel sounds.
Not all consonants however, involve obstruction of the air stream to an equal degree: some consonants have vowel-like qualities, which cause them to be more ambiguous or difficult to identify in running speech. (liquids and glides) 10

11. The Consonant Phonemes
Phonic Symbol Example Phonic Symbol Example
/b/ bat /n/ nut
/d/ dog /p/ pan
/f/ fun /r/ rat
/g/ game /s/ snake, city
/h/ hat /t/ top
/j/ jug, gym /v/ van
/k/ kite, cat /w/ wind
/l/ leaf /y/ yellow
/m/ man /z/ zebra, dogs
/th/ thumb /sh/ ship
/th/ this /wh/ whisper
/ch/ chin /ng/ king
/zh/ measure
Confusing Graphemes
Grapheme Phonemes
(letter) (sound)
x /k/+/s/
qu /k/+/w/
HANDOUT 6A: Unit 4 Structure of Language A. Consonant Phonemes
Trainer models pronunciation of a few consonant phoneme. Participants can look at their handout or the chart on the PP. Ask participants to repeat each sound and monitor sound production for accuracy. Be alert to the addition of “uh” on stop consonants in particular as well as other sounds. Model the continuants with a sustained air stream rather than in a short fashion (/f-f-f-f-f-/ rather than /f/ /f/ /f/ .
“Confusing Graphemes” will pop up: Remember to stress phonemes are sounds. Not all letters (graphemes) in our language have a direct associated phoneme, although most do. This pop-up shows some letters in English that do not have a single phoneme associated with them.
To help with the sound of x, you may do the following: Write the nonsense word “ix” on chart paper or white board, and ask the class to count phonemes (/i/ /k/ /s/) as you say the sounds, holding up fingers (or whatever) for each sound you say. 11

12. Consonant Phoneme Classification
Consonants can be classified as stops or continuants (air stream)
Consonants can be classified by where they are made in the mouth (place of articulation)
Teachers need to be aware of both air stream and place of articulation when teaching letter-sound associations and monitoring oral reading.
We will be classifying consonants in two ways:
Heading: This is HOW much the air stream is obstructed
Green box: This is WHERE the sounds are made in the mouth.
Red box: This is WHY we need to know this; i.e., the rationale for learning this information. For some students and teachers, producing the sounds correctly is very difficult and they may be helped by cues about how the sounds are produced. 12

13. How Do We Make Speech Sounds?
Nasal Cavity
This is a side view illustration showing the articulators and points of articulation used to make speech sounds. As we classify the consonants and vowels we will be referencing these.
Quickly name and point as you cover these on the slide. Point out the nasal cavity above the hard/soft palate. Talk about how for some sounds the soft palate touches the back of the throat, not allowing any air to go through the nasal cavity, and show that when the soft palate closes the nasal cavity the air stream is directed through the mouth.
This should be done quickly since we are simply trying to let folks know in a general way that different structures are used to produce sounds.
Pronunciation: Alveolar (al-vee-ler)
Hard Palate
Alveolar Ridge
Lip
Soft Palate
Teeth
Center of Tongue
Front of Tongue
Back of Tongue
Lip
Floor Of Mouth
Vocal Cords
Original Image From: refer/fact-head.htm (April 2004) 13

14. Classifying Sounds: Place Of Articulation6B
Place the phonemes on the chart: /b/ /t/ /g/
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Roof Of
Mouth
Back
Throat
Just
Behind
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
The Phoneme Chart
HANDOUT 6 B: The Phoneme Chart: Place of Articulation Tell the teachers that they will need to complete these sections of the handout in pencil, as revisions will be made as they discover the answers.
We are going to classify the consonant sounds together, but first we need to define some of the terms on the chart. You will need to review the areas of placement that are listed on the top row of this chart. Go over the following:
Lips refers to lips actually touching
Lips/teeth refers to lips and teeth being in contact
Tongue between teeth refers to tongue protruding through the teeth.
Tongue behind teeth refers to the top of the tongue up behind the teeth on the alveolar ridge.
Roof of mouth refers to a placement further back than the alveolar ridge, but not way in the back of the mouth. If you think of the roof of the mouth as having a front, middle, and rear, roof of mouth would refer to the middle section.
Back of mouth refers to the back section of the hard palate, close to where the back of the throat begins.
Throat refers to the sound being made in the throat/neck area, and the tongue is not touching other articulators.
Tell the participants: Now you place the phonemes on the chart. After these have been placed (there will be discussion), show the correct placement and see if there is any discussion.
/b/
/t/
/g/ 14

15. Classifying Sounds By Air Stream (Manner of Articulation): Stops And Continuants
Continuants are sounds such as /f/ and /z/ that can be stretched out or pronounced in a sustained manner
You
Try
/f/ /f/ /f/ /f/
/z/ /z/ /z/ /z/
Stops cannot be sustained in this way as they are interruptions of the air stream.
/b/ /k/
Manner of articulation refers to the characteristics of the air stream.
Stop, as its name implies, refers to a cessation of the air stream. Another perspective is to think of a stop as a sound that can’t be sustained. The sound /b/ has stopped air – you cannot sustain the sound.
Continuant: By comparison, the sound of /f/ is not a stop. F’s sound can be prolonged until the air in the lungs is exhausted. These are called continuants. Be sure participants understand that there are several types of continuants and the term continuant does not appear on the chart. Continuants can be fricatives, nasals, liquids or glides. We are going to start with fricatives first. Don’t worry about the various types of continuants at this point. 15

16. Classifying Sounds By Airstreams: Using Stops And Continuants
Continuant consonants should be used in the initial position when first teaching students to blend sounds into words.
The initial sound /m/ “mmmmaaaap” is easier to blend then the initial sound /t/ “taaaap”
This is the WHY! Knowing the characteristics of the sounds of English is important as this information will help you choose appropriate sounds for various activities. 16

17. Classifying Sounds: Organize Consonants By Air Stream
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Roof Of
Mouth
Back
Throat
Just
Behind
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Manner of Articulation
Stop
Fricative
Affricate
The Phoneme Chart
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
Point out that the categories showing “Place of articulation” are across the top of the chart. We are now going to start working on the manner of articulation which is on the left side of the chart.
Directions to participants: Now we are going to complete the chart taking into account manner of articulation.
First, review the terms (the definitions come in on the first click) on the slide:
When you are classifying by air stream, your sounds are either stops, continuants (e.g. fricatives) or a combination of the two (affricates).
All continuant sounds can be sustained as long as you have air in your lungs. Demonstrate this – you can keep going on with /sssss/. This is not true for a stop (demonstrate /d/) – the sound is distorted if you try to stretch it out.
As you can see from the chart, there is a category of sounds referred to as affricates. An affricate is a consonant phoneme made with a stop followed by a fricative. There are only two such sounds in English phonology. Because of the stop component of the affricate – these cannot be sustained.
Trainer Demonstration and Modeling:
Trainer should produce the phoneme /b/, and ask the class to make the phoneme. Then the trainer asks following questions:
When you make the /b/, do you use your lips? Yes, so we place it in the Lips column but what about the air stream? Help them to see that the lips coming together stop the air stream so the /b/ is a stop or “stop of air”.
Follow the same procedure with /s/ guiding participants to understand both placement and flow of air. They already discovered the place; tongue behind the teeth. /s/ is a continuant but what type? Fricative because of the hiss or friction of air.
Make the sound of /j/ and see if anyone has an idea about which of the three possibilities on the chart it is (stop, fricative or affricate). /j/ is an affricate and you can feel the stop followed by the hiss.
The next click will show the placement of /b/ /s/ and /j/
a consonant phoneme that stops the stream of air
a consonant phoneme made with a continuing hiss or friction of air between two parts of the mouth
a consonant phoneme made with a stop followed by a fricative
/b/
/b/
/s/
/j/ 17

18. Classifying Sounds Activity Stops, Continuants, Combinations
Place these phonemes on the chart: /t/ /g/ /th/ /f/ /sh/
The Phoneme Chart
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Roof Of
Mouth
Back
Throat
Just
Behind
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Manner of Articulation
Stop
Fricative
Affricate
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
Participants will place the sounds of /t/ /g/ /th/ /f/ and /sh/ on the chart.
This can be a whole group or partner activity but everyone should fill in their chart.
Go over answers with group one at a time. The answers will come in as you click in the order that they are listed at the top of the slide.
Now get ready to meet our linguist friend Adam.
/b/
/t/
/g/
/f/
/th/
/s/
/sh/
/j/ 18

19. This is Adam
Make the sound /z/ and hold it /zzzzzzzzz/. Touch your Adam’s apple while you make the sound. What do you feel?
Now hold the /fffffffff/ sound and check your Adam’s apple. What is the difference?
Ask for a volunteer to state one way that we have classified consonant sounds – then for another person to state the other way of classifying (hopefully, they will be able to say place and manner/air stream of articulation – give the cues if this is difficult).
Now we are moving to yet another way to classify consonant sounds!
With /z/, the vocal chords are sounding hence the vibration. /z/ is a voiced or noisy phoneme.
With /f/ the vocal cords are still. /f/ is an unvoiced or quiet phoneme.
This is Adam’s apple 19

20. Classifying Sounds: Voiced And Unvoiced Sounds
Voiced or unvoiced?
Now make the /b/ sound several times while cupping your hands over your ears.
Do the same with the /t/ sound. Which one is louder?
Continue the demonstration with participants. 20

21. Classifying Sounds: “Discovering The Sisters”
ACTIVITY: Place signs or designate a specific place on opposite sides of room: “Noisy Sisters,” “Quiet Sisters.” Separate the phoneme cards in the two appropriate groups and pass them out to individual participants:
Quiet: /f/, /k/, /p/, /s/, /t/, /th/, /sh/ /ch/, Tell the ‘Quiet Sisters’ to move to their side of the room
Noisy: /v/, /g/, /b/, /z/, /d/, /th/, /zh/ /j/, Tell the “Noisy Sisters” to move to their side of the room (ch/j are the only affricates so do this pair last)
After the groups are facing each other tell the participants that each phoneme from one group is made in the same manner and in the same place of articulation and the only difference is one is voiced and the other is unvoiced. Linguists refer to them as minimal pairs.
Call on individuals one at a time from either the Noisy Sister Group or the Quiet Sister group to make their sound and let either the group or individual participant holding the card decides if the phoneme card they are holding is voiced or unvoiced. This is also a good time to reinforce the manner in which sounds are made and also to review the place of articulation. Trainers might also weave some questions and ask the individual holding the phoneme card whether they are fricatives or stops and have them talk about where the place of articulation is. Ask the individual if they know who their match (minimal pair/sister) is. As the pair is selected check for place of articulation, manner of how the sound is made and if one is voiced/unvoiced.
Noisy
Sister
Quiet
Sister 21

22. Classifying Sounds: Discovering The Sisters Activity
Place the phonemes on the chart: /b/ /k/ /v/ /th/ /d/ /z/ /ch/ /zh /
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Roof Of
Mouth
Back
Throat
Just
Behind
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Manner of Articulation
Stop
Fricative
Affricate
The Phoneme Chart
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
Have participants evaluate the phonemes listed at the top of the slide for place of articulation, manner of articulation, and voicing characteristics.
On their chart, they should place the matched pair in the appropriate column.
After this work has been completed, use the click to review the answers.
Notice that the participants were not asked to place the sound /zh/ on the chart. There are different spellings for the sound /zh/ (treasure; azure; leisure)
/p/
/t/
/k/
/g/
/b/
/d/
/f/
/s/
/sh/
/th/
/v/
/z/
/th/
/zh/
/ch/
/j/ 22

23. Understanding Language Structure
The voiced stops
(/b/, /d/, /g/) are the hardest to pronounce
Using explicit multisensory teaching will help
1. Knowing that children confuse voiced and unvoiced allows teachers to help students rectify this confusion.
2. When students are spelling, they need to say words and phonemes aloud before writing. If they only whisper a /d/ sound to themselves, they may mistake it for a /t/.
3. Teachers can demonstrate making the sounds quietly and in a "clipped off" fashion. This particularly applies to the stop consonants. If the sound is a continuant, you can sustain the sound while demonstrating.
4. The voiced and unvoiced pairs, such as /b/ and /p/, are frequently confused in reading.
Students are likely to confuse voiced and unvoiced sounds in spelling. 23

24. passed bugged blasted banded
Group Discussions
What is the final sound in the word bugs and puffs?
Why is the “s” pronounced differently in each word?
passed bugged blasted banded
What are the 3 sounds of the suffix “ed”?
What determines the phonemes used?
This is a good opportunity for participants to make the connections and understand the role that phonology plays between voiced and unvoiced consonants. Have participants talk for just a couple of minutes and report out what they think the answers are the these important questions. Do not spend a lot of time on this but reinforce the phonology concepts here.
bugs /b/ /u/ /g/ /z/ (The consonant preceding the suffix if voiced causing the /s/ to be /z/
puffs /p/ /u/ /f/ /s/
3 sounds of -ed /t/ /d/ /id/
/t/ Base words that end in unvoiced consonant will end in an unvoiced consonant /t/
/d/ Base words that end in voiced consonant will end in a voiced consonant /d/
/id/ Words that end in /t/ or /d/ will have their own syllable suffix. Both the t and d are made in the same place of articulation but the manner in which they are produced effect the adding of –ed and it causes a separate syllable. The vowel is a schwa. 24

25. Discovering The Nasals
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Teeth
Tongue
Just
Behind
Teeth
Roof Of
Back Of
Mouth
Throat
Manner of Articulation
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
Nasals are a type of continuant sounds. Ask participants to perform the actions in the bullets at the bottom of the slide.
Mouth
consonant sound with the air stream directed through the nose
Nasal
/m/
Make the /m/ sound and hold it /mmmmm/ while you pinch your nose closed. What happens?
What parts of your mouth are touching? Place /m/ on the phoneme chart. 25

26. Discovering The Nasals
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Roof Of
Mouth
Back
Throat
Just
Behind
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Manner of Articulation
Nasal
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
Continue with a comparison of /w/ and /n/ and placement of the nasal on the chart.
/m/
/n/
Try the nose pinch method to determine which of these sounds is nasal: /w/ /n/
Place the nasal on the chart. 26

27. Discovering The Nasals
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Roof Of
Mouth
Back
Throat
Just
Behind
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Manner of Articulation
Nasal
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
This is a difficult concept for some folks but do have your participants make the sounds of /n/ and then /ng/ to feel the difference.
/m/
/n/
/ng/
The sound at the end of king and other words ending in “ng” is not a blend of /n/ and /g/.
/ng/ is a unique nasal sound. It is made at the back of the mouth. Place /ng/ on the chart. 27

28. Manner of Articulation
The Glides And Liquids 6C
The Phoneme Chart
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Teeth
Tongue
Just
Behind
Teeth
Roof Of
Back Of
Mouth
Throat
Mouth
Stop
/p/ /b/
/t/ /d/
/k/ /g/
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
You will notice two more categories on your chart that have slightly different characteristics. These are the glides and liquids. Place these on your chart as I show them on the slide.
You will not have the participants “discover” the remaining sounds as these are already filled in on their charts. Go over these sounds and how they are produced. /l/, /r/, /y/, /wh/, /w/ /h/
Although the definition of glide on this slide is a “consonant sound that glides immediately into a vowel”, in reality it’s a vowel sound that actually glides into a consonant. Glides: /y/, /wh/, /w/, /h/
Fricative
/f/ /v/
/th/ /th/
/s/ /z/
/sh/ /zh/
Affricate
/ch/ /j/
Manner of Articulation
Nasal
/m/
/n/
/ng/
Glide
a consonant sound that glides immediately into a vowel
a consonant sound that obstructs the air stream but does not cause friction
Liquid 28

29. Manner of Articulation
The Glides And Liquids 6C
The Phoneme Chart
P l a c e o f A r t i c u l a t i o n
Lips
Lips/
Teeth
Tongue
Between
Teeth
Tongue
Just
Behind
Teeth
Roof Of
Back Of
Mouth
Throat
Mouth
Stop
/p/ /b/
/t/ /d/
/k/ /g/
HANDOUT C: THE PHONEME CHART: Place and Manner of Articulation
These are already filled out on their handouts.
Glides: /y/, /wh/, /w/, /h/ a consonant sound that glides immediately into a vowel
Liquids: /l/, /r/, a consonant sound that obstructs the air stream but does not cause friction
Fricative
/f/ /v/
/th/ /th/
/s/ /z/
/sh/ /zh/
Affricate
/ch/ /j/
Manner of Articulation
Nasal
/m/
/n/
/ng/
Glide
/y/
/wh/ /w/
/h/
/l/
/r/
Liquid 29

30. Which / Witch?
Many speakers of American English do not differentiate /w/ and /wh/. /hw/ is voiceless, whereas /w/ is voiced, but they are not considered “sisters”.
Try saying these two words: “which” and “witch?”
Do you hear a difference? Try saying the two words with your fingers very close to your mouth.
You may feel a stronger puff of air with the /hw/. You may want to demonstrate using a tissue.
Students who pronounce these sounds differently will have an easier time reading and spelling words with wh and w. For other students it will require remembering which to use in each word. 30

31. What Is A Vowel? A vowel is an open, or unobstructed, speech sound.
Vowel phonemes include 15 sounds in English that are variously represented by letters.
Vowel phonemes should not be confused with vowel letters
(a, e, i, o, u).
We have spent a lot of time learning about consonants and now will focus on vowels. Consonants were described as “closed” sounds, because the air stream was obstructed with an articulator. In contrast, vowels are “open” sounds because the air stream is unobstructed. In English, all syllables must contain a vowel sound.
Vowel sounds differ in several ways:
by tongue height
whether they are formed in the front or back of the mouth
by the relative openness of the mouth
by the shape of the lips. With respect to lip shape, we can have lips in a smile, open, round or gliding position.
Demonstrate the various lip positions exaggerating the mouth shape.
The long e = a smile
the short o = open
the long o = round
the vowel oi = a gliding movement.
Tongue can be towards the front, middle or back. As the tongue changes its elevation in combination with a lip shape, the different vowel sounds are made. 31

32. Introducing Vowels Phonemes
/a/
apple
/i/
itch
/u/ up
LAX VOWELS
(Short Vowels)
/e/ Ed
/o/
octopus
/oo/
book
/aw/
bought
TENSE VOWELS
/a/
ape
/i/
ice
/u/
cube
Handout 6D: Vowel Phonemes.
Model the vowel sounds and have participants practice each sound.
(Long Vowels)
/e/
eat
/o/
oak
/oo/
moon /
oi/
coin
ou/
out
DIPHTHONGS /
er/
mother
/or/ or
R-CONTROLLED /
ar/
art
The r-controlled vowels are a subject of disagreement among linguists, but most instructional programs treat the vowel + r as one sound. 32

33. Vowels Phonemes: Smiles, Opens And Rounds
Say the vowel sounds /e/ and /oo/.
Observe your partner and feel your own mouth as you say these vowels.
Decide which one should be called a “front, smile” and which one a “back, rounded vowel”.
Demonstrate or model the two sounds using exaggerated lip shapes and tongue movement. Ask folks to make them with you. Then ask them to do the activity listed on the slide. Ask for their decisions before showing the answers with the second click.
You will need to familiarize yourself with the vowel production as depicted on the Moats chart, so that when you demonstrate you are emphasizing the features as classified, i.e., correct lip shape and tongue elevation. Note on sounds - Use key words - /e/ as in “eat”, /oo/ as in “moon”.
With vowels we are only talking about lip shape and tongue elevation because we have no contact points.
front, smile
back, rounded e
low, open oo 33

34. Vowels Phonemes: Smiles, Opens, And Rounds
Make each of these sounds with your partner, observe your partner’s mouth and feel your own.
Review the sounds with the participants being sure they are pronouncing them correctly. Use the key word ‘book’ for the short /oo/
/oo/ / i / /u/ / a / /o/ 34

35. Vowels Phonemes: Smiles, Opens, And Rounds
Write each phonic symbol in the column it seems to belong in.
Handout 6F: Vowel Positions
Remind participants to use key words on handout for help in pronouncing the vowel phonemes correctly. This activity requires participants to decide on the correct placement for each of the phonemes in the yellow box. After they complete their handout Part E, click to show the answers in each column. Discuss any questions.
front, smile
low, open
back, rounded oo u a i e o a u oo oo e oo o i 35

36. Vowels Phonemes: The Vowel Circle
eat Ed ?
front, smile e
eat Ed
Handout 6F: The Vowel Circle
The first clicks bring in each part of the Vowel Circle. Point out the reference point of nose and ear and remind participants that vowels are produced by changes in mouth shape and in the height and placement (front to back of the mouth) of the tongue. We have already categorized vowels by mouth shape and are now going to be placing the vowels on this chart by elevation and placement of the tongue. The two vowels to “discover” first will show in the yellow rectangle and then two arrows will give the options for placement.
Discovery: Have participants make the sounds (first long e and then short e) while putting their hand under their chin/jaw and decide which sound will go where on the vowel circle. Model and remind folks to exaggerate the sound. As you say the sounds, your hand will move downward as your tongue, which is connected to your lower jaw, moves downward. Then click to show the correct placement.
back, round
low, open 36

37. Vowels Phonemes: The Vowel Circlea at i it
front, smile e
eat Ed
Handout 6F: The Vowel Circle
Using the same procedures, continue completing the vowel circle discovering the placement of /i/ and /a/.
back, round ? a at i it
low, open 37

38. Vowels Phonemes: The Vowel Circle6F
front, smile e
eat Ed
Handout 6F: The Vowel Circle
This slide shows the placement of long a and long i.
We are not asking participants to discover /a/ as in “ate” or /i/ as in “ice” – we’re just showing them where it goes. Have participants say these sounds and feel why each one goes in its spot on the vowel circle.
Note: The long /i/ differs from the other sounds in this category. Long /i/ glides, which leads some children to think that it is two sounds. When teaching this sound, you may need to clarify this.
Now that the “front, smile” sounds are filled in, have participants say all the sounds from top to bottom with their hand under their chin feeling the progression.
back, round a at i it a
ate
low, open i
ice 38

39. Vowels Phonemes: The Vowel Circle6F
front, smile e
eat Ed
Handout 6F: The Vowel Circle
Have participants refer back to sounds classified as “low, open” on E: Vowel Positions. Have them feel /o/ as in “odd”, /u/ as in “up”, and /aw/ as in “law” and feel how their mouth goes from open to more round. Use mirrors or observe your partner making these sounds.
The second click brings in all three of these in their correct place. Participants should be filling in their vowel circle as this activity continues.
back, round a at i it a
ate u up
odd aw
law o
low, open i
ice 39

40. Vowels Phonemes: The Vowel Circle6F
front, smile e
eat Ed
Handout 6F: The Vowel Circle
Have participants make the sounds /o/ as in “oak”, /oo/ as in “look”, and /oo/ as in “moon” and again feel how the shape of the mouth changes from open to more round. Have participants look in mirrors or their partner’s mouth to observe this change. The should add these to their chart.
back, round oo
moon o
oak
look a at i it a
ate
law up aw
low, open i
ice
odd u o 40

41. Vowels Phonemes: The Vowel Circle And Schwa6F
SCHWA e
eat Ed
Handout 6F: The Vowel Circle
BACKGROUND (From Moats “Speech to Print”)
In words of more than one syllable, one syllable gets primary stress and the others are either unstressed or given secondary stress. Often, vowels will be pronounced as a neutral schwa // or an unaccented /ĭ/ (short i) as in picnic, especially in words of Latin origin. The schwa is the most commonly spoken vowel in English, accounting for 20% of all vowels uttered. Schwa is spoken with neutral pronunciation, as in about, definition and upon, and has no special letter in spelling, although the letters o, a, and i are used most often for the sound. When the phonemes in the word tempest are spoken, the second syllable is unaccented and the second vowel becomes a schwa. This occurs by phonological rule; we do not have to think about where to places stress or how to pronounce the word.
Texas e i it oo
moon o
oak
look a
ate
back, round u up
odd aw
law o a at
front, smile i
ice
low, open 41

42. Vowels Phonemes: The Vowel Circle And R-Controlled6F
low, open
back, round
front, smile
SCHWA e
eat Ed
Handout 6F: The Vowel Circle
In addition to the fifteen vowel phonemes, we have 3 r-controlled vowel phonemes. These are vowel sounds which are spelled with the presence of an “r” after them which slightly change the vowel phoneme. The 3 vowel phonemes are: /er/, spelled “er”, “ir”, or “ur”, /ar/ spelled with “ar” and /or/ spelled with the letters “or”.
Texas e i it a
ate oo
moon o
oak
look u up
odd aw
law o
R-CONTROLLED a at
/er/
/ar/
/or/ i
ice
urge
her
sir
art or
DIPHTHONG
/ou/
How, trout
/oy/
Boy, coin 42

43. The Many Strands that are Woven into Skilled Reading
(Scarborough, 2001)
BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE
LANGUAGE STRUCTURES
VERBAL REASONING
LITERACY KNOWLEDGE
PHON. AWARENESS
DECODING (and SPELLING)
SIGHT RECOGNITION
SKILLED READING:
fluent execution and
coordination of word
recognition and text
comprehension.
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION
WORD RECOGNITION
increasingly
automatic
strategic
Skilled Reading- fluent coordination of word reading and comprehension processes
Scarborough 2001 (Hollis)
This graphic is posted on the website if participants would like a copy.
WORD RECOGNITION: When we say a student can “read” we need to be aware of all of the components that make up being a good reader. In order to recognize words, all of the “strands” listed below Word Recognition must be working correctly and together. If any of the strands are weak, the reader will have problems recognizing words effectively.
LANGUAGE COMPREHENSION: The same concept applies here; all of the strands that make up Language Comprehension must be strong and intertwined or language comprehension is weak.
When we review this model, it is clear that there is LOTS OF ROOM FOR THINGS TO GO WRONG
Reading is a multifaceted skill, gradually acquired over years of instruction and practice. 43

44. Principles of Reading Instruction
Reduce the Cognitive Load
Cognitive load refers to the total amount of mental activity imposed on working memory at a specific time
What students remember depends more on what they already know than on what you tell them.
Encourage the participants to add and define “cognitive load” to the two column notes they created.
The determinant of the “weight” of a cognitive load is the number of elements that need to be remembered. If the capacity of the working memory is exceeded during instruction, some, if not all, of the essential information you have presented to students will either be confused or forgotten.
Examples of “reducing the “cognitive load”:
Introduce only one letter at a time when first teaching letter-sound relationships
Write only one critical concept on the board or overhead at a time.
Carefully design handouts so all of the information the student needs to understand or to complete an assignment is on the page.
Pass out only one piece of paper at a time.
Give only one direction at a time, chunk directions or processes into smaller sections, or provide visual cues that go with each step.
Give upper-grade students a summary of what they will be reading in a new story or content unit.
McEwan-Adkins, 2010 44