Rebecca Hastings and Abby Johnson

Oral Language Activity

Standard: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and

sounds (phonemes). [RF.K.2]

Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken
words. [RF.K.2c]
Phoneme Level Activity
This phoneme level activity will consist of the students segmenting words
by their onset and rime and blending them together. The words students will use
are found in the book Stellaluna. The materials needed for this activity consist of
a board with a tree printed on it and a set of onset and rime cards with Velcro on
the back of them. Students will be given a set of cards that have the onsets and
rimes of different words. These letter combinations are color coded according to
their matching word part. The students will be directed to say whichever onset or
rime is in their hand, and then they will place the card on the tree. The onset will
be placed on the branch horizontal to the rime. This activity will allow the
students the opportunity to practice segmenting and blending one-syllable words.

Students must develop and establish their oral language through many
different processes. One of the ways students can fully develop their language is
through the understanding of phonemes. In order for students to understand the
nature of spoken and written words, students must develop an awareness of
phonemes. The first step of this awareness is comprehending the sounds of each
segment. Once the sounds are mastered, they can then connect the sounds to
the printed alphabet. Connecting letters and letter combinations to speech
sounds is known as the alphabetic principle. This principle is very important in
developing a childs oral language. The phoneme level activity, created for
kindergarteners using the book Stellaluna, is a tool that can focus on both parts
of the alphabetic principle. When the students look at the separate cards with the
onsets and rimes, they will be able to recognize those word parts separately. By
grouping these letters together and sounding out the letter combinations,
students will be able to establish understanding of the sounds of these letters.
They will be able to recognize the letter for its name and also the sound that it
makes. Once the cards are placed on the tree, students will have the opportunity
to blend the onsets and rimes together. The tree provides a great visual of how
the letters make their own separate sound but can be blended together. Once the
letters are blended together, they will have gained an understanding of the word
as a whole. Not only does this phoneme activity provide a better understanding
of onset and rime in words, but it also will allow for greater comprehension when
reading the story. The words that are placed on the tree are common words
throughout the story. By recognizing these words and having an understanding of

how they sound, students will be able to read those words with greater fluency
during their reading.
By providing students the opportunity to use puppets in the story, they are
engaged in the learning process at a deeper level. One way this learning
experience enhances students oral language is through exposing children to and
building strong vocabulary. In the book Stellaluna, there are words such as
forest, clutched, babble, gripping, and swoop. Through high quality literature with
a wide variation of vocabulary, students begin hearing, understanding, and using
new words. As a students vocabulary expands, he or she is more easily able to
comprehend literature and communicate more effectively. In order for students to
properly use the puppets, they must process and comprehend the words that are
read. By giving students a visual aide in the form of props, they are more
motivated to be involved in the learning process. Something as simple as a read
aloud with puppets can do so much for student learning and the development of
oral language.