Phoneme Sound Wall

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These printables will help you create your own phoneme sound wall in place of your standard word wall.

This is another free resource for teachers from www.freewordwork.com.

These free sound wall cards and other printables will assist you in assembling your own phoneme sound wall in the classroom.

The free downloads I have created include phoneme sound cards containing the most common graphemes. There are word cards with pictures. Also, you can download the personal sound walls and choose the option that works best for your students.

This new tool can help you with implementing phonics instruction in your classroom!

What is a sound wall?

A sound wall can be a meaningful alternative to a word wall in your classroom.

Word walls are standard in many classrooms. The intent is that it helps kids learn word patterns and assists with spelling and reading skills.

The idea behind a word wall is great. However, the implementation shows that there are some struggles.

For example, when a child is looking for help during writing workshop spelling the word photo, they are going to look at the f and not find what they need. Using a phoneme sound wall instead will help you solve this problem!

A sound wall is categorized by the 44 phonemes in the English language. These are the sounds that make up words.

Phone and fish will be found under the label for f because both words start with the same sound. Once students have found the f category, they will then be able to find the words beginning with f and ph.

How do I set up a sound wall?

When you set up your sound wall, you will divide it into two sections. The first will be consonant sounds and the second will be vowel sounds.

You can post the phoneme cards that it your needs in your sound wall spot.

Then, add the words that fit your focus below the sound.

Often when creating a word wall, we introduce words and then add them to the word wall. You can do the same with your sound wall.

Once students have been exposed to a grapheme, you can add the words under the correct phoneme on the word wall.

I realize I may have set up these cards to look different than you would like. For this reason, I have also included an editable page where you will be able to add your own coordinating cards.

Materials I have Provided

I have created a few different materials. I am hoping that what I am providing will meet your needs when using a sound wall in the classroom.

(Click on the bold, pink words to download each file.)

However, if there are pieces missing you would like to see added, please let me know.

Phoneme Cards These cards contain the phoneme plus the most common graphemes used when spelling these sounds. You will find them in color with a picture clue. There is also a set that contains only the phoneme and the grapheme without a picture.

Word Cards in Color Each card contains a word with a grapheme highlighted. There are multiple words for most graphemes. You can also add your own words on the blank white cards.

These cards can be used to display your words on your sound wall. They can also be used for sorting activities at your literacy centers. Provide students with the cards containing the sounds you are focusing on. Students will sort the cards while looking for patterns in the words.

Looking for color pictures but without the grapheme highlighted? Try these: Word Cards without Red Highlights.

**Students might place word cards under different phoneme headings than you are planning. This is a great opportunity to discuss how words are made of multiple phonemes so this will happen when you are not sorting for specific sounds.

Word Cards in Black & White The same cards as above but with pictures that are black and white. If you still want to highlight the graphemes within words, you could have students highlight the graphemes before you display the words.

Editable Word Cards Wanting to add your own words? Use these editable cards. This document is a PowerPoint file. You will need to download the font KG Miss Kindergarten to have the fonts display correctly.

Portable Sound Wall This is a mini-version of the sound wall that can travel as needed. There is one version with pictures and one without. There is also an option that is completely black and white. Students can use different versions of this tool depending on the goal of your instruction.

You can use the portable version as a tool to send home with students during distance learning. The blank option can be a recording tool as students learn new sounds. They can record words under each phoneme.

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Looking for other resources to help with your phonics instruction? Try these?