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Fun ways to work with the focus sound

Sound Waves Literacy 29/5/22

Want to add an extra dash of excitement to your next spelling lesson? If you’re using Sound Waves Literacy, we have some fun ideas for working with focus sounds.

Jump into a great game (or two)

In the Extra Games and Activities section of each sound unit in the Sound Waves Literacy online teaching resources, you’ll find a game or two that can be played in small groups or as a whole class. Use these hands-on spelling games to introduce the focus sound or for consolidation throughout the week. While the games are great as they are, feel free to make variations to suit the specific needs of your class or the purpose of your lesson.

Crack the Code

Players
Whole class

Aim of the Game
To name an item containing the secret phoneme.

How to Play

1. Students stand.
2. Say where you are going and what you are bringing with you. For example, ‘I’m going to the beach and I’m taking an umbrella.’ The item you are bringing contains the secret phoneme. For example, .
3. The first student says they are bringing a different item. For example, ‘I’m going to the beach and I’m taking a ball.’
4. If the student’s item contains the secret phoneme, tell the student to sit. If it does not contain the secret phoneme, the student remains standing and it is the next student’s turn.
5. The game continues until every student has cracked the code and is sitting down.

Extra tip: Make the secret phoneme the focus sound of the week to introduce the sound to students.

Find it First

Players
Whole class

Aim of the Game
To score the most points by identifying phonemes on Teaching Charts.

What You’ll Need
A set of Teaching Charts and two pointers.

How to Play

1. Two students stand beside the Teaching Charts, one on each side.
2. Say a phoneme such as /b/ (lower years), or say a clue such as ‘the first sound in balloon’ (upper years).
3. The two students point to the Sound Box for the given phoneme.
4. Award a point to the fastest student.
5. The other student sits down and another takes their place. Say the next phoneme to continue the game. The winner is the student who scores the most points.

Variation: Students play this game in pairs with one Student Chart between them.

Extra tip: To use this game as a way to introduce the focus sound of the week, you can simply make the final phoneme of the game the focus phoneme.

Get creative with the Focus Sound Search

The Focus Sound Searches feature colourful illustrations packed with a range of objects containing a particular focus sound. Available at Sound Waves Literacy Online, a Focus Sound Search has been created for each of the 43 sounds of Australian English.

While these engaging illustrations are part of the Foundation program, as a teacher you have access to all years of content so you can use them as an extra teaching resource regardless of which year level you teach!

Project and explore as a class

Display the artwork to your class and have fun trying to find picture names that contain the focus sound.

To project a Focus Sound Search:

1. Log in to Sound Waves Literacy Online and navigate to Foundation 1.
2. Select a focus sound and then click the Lesson 1 Focus Sound.
3. Scroll down the Lesson Guide and find the subheading Identify the focus sound.
4. Click on the thumbnail of the Focus Sound Search to be taken straight to that slide. Display the artwork to your class and have fun trying to find picture names that contain the focus sound.

Note: You’ll find a list of possible answers for the Focus Sound Search within the Lesson Guide. For an extended list of answers for all 43 Focus Sound Searches, head to the Preparation and Planning section in the Sound Waves Literacy online teaching resources.

Possible answers include: chef, dolphin, face, fairy, fall, fast, feet, fin, find, finger, fish, five, flag, flame, flap, flip, flipper, floating, floor, flower, fly, food, foot, fork, fossil, four, fox, fry, frying pan, fun, knife, laugh, leaf, phone, photo, reef, roof, selfie, starfish (as well as family, feeding frenzy, ferry, fire extinguisher).

Have students create their own Focus Sound Search

Once your students are familiar with how Focus Sound Searches work, why not have them create their own masterpiece? Get students to draw or create a collage of a scene with objects containing the focus sound. Get students to swap their masterpieces and name all the objects containing the focus phoneme.

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