How do these word maps help students?
When we teach students to connect the sounds they hear in a word (phonemes) to the letter(s) that represent those sounds (graphemes) we help promote orthographic mapping. Orthographic mapping is a brain process in which students are able to quickly and successfully connect sounds to letters and store them permanently in their brains. While we cannot teach orthographic mapping, we CAN teach word mapping to connect phonemes to graphemes!
How do you use these in the classroom?
This multisensory activity follows the same 4 basic steps:
- The teacher says a word aloud and shows meaning (either through a picture or using it in a sentence) OR student flips image card and says the word aloud.
- Students segment the word into sounds and represent each sound on the mat with a cube or other manipulative.
- Students write the letter(s) that represent each sound on the dotted lines below.
- Students use the blending tool to read the word accurately and quickly 3 times.
What is included in this unit?
- Themed mapping mats (the themes align with my Successive Blending Slides to make it fun!) for each of the following skills:
- CVC words
- Digraphs
- CVCe words
- Consonant Blends
- Vowel Teams
- R-controlled Vowels
- Diphthongs and Vowel Variants
- Teacher word lists for the skills mentioned above
- Themed Blending tools for each of the mats
- Over 200 images for each of the words on the teacher list so students can use these for independent practice!
Please note: these mats are already included in the SJT Literacy Club.
Enjoy!
Susan
