Check out these Sand Trays for Sensory Phonics. This year, I am teaching phonics differently. My county did allow each school to use different programs, but this year we ALL will be using Recipe for Reading.
I have not done it before, so I am NOT a pro… I am prepping these activities and I would LOVE your feedback. I will, of course, tell you what works and doesn’t work from this.
I got some ideas from other teachers in the spring that I am making work for me now.
Here is a look at my sensory bin for phonics only.
1. The first thing I needed was simple letter sheets with a sun in the corner to show orientation.
I used the BIG and little letters on these since we are using the letter Ll this week.
You can get these letter sheets {click here for the Letters and Numbers set.}
I used the BIG and little letters on these since we are using the letter Ll this week.
You can get these letter sheets {click here for the Letters and Numbers set.}
I also move on to words as soon as they master the letters and sounds.
These are placed in the tub weekly depending on what letter and/or word we are covering.
2. Plastic Canvas sheets.
I will be using these to create texture.
We will trace the letter above and below the canvas to create muscle memory.
You can see them in the tub on the left side with the letter cards.
I use BOTH the plastic canvas mats and letter/word cards together.
I will be using these to create texture.
We will trace the letter above and below the canvas to create muscle memory.
You can see them in the tub on the left side with the letter cards.
I use BOTH the plastic canvas mats and letter/word cards together.
3. I am collecting these materials in a color-coded tub.
This is my blue tub for a blue table.
I am also putting in pencils and red and green markers for red and green sight words.
I am considering adding black to code vowels and consonances before we get to words.
This is my blue tub for a blue table.
I am also putting in pencils and red and green markers for red and green sight words.
I am considering adding black to code vowels and consonances before we get to words.
{Your thoughts here are welcome. Are crayons better?
Update- I changed to crayons so I could double-sided print on the paper.
I also use the old crayons from the year before for these bins.}
Update- I changed to crayons so I could double-sided print on the paper.
I also use the old crayons from the year before for these bins.}
4. Sand plates.
I used a phonics sheet daily using Saxon,
but I am going to work towards using the sand plates instead.
My idea was to add a blue line for the sky, green grass for the bottom,
and a red line for the picket fence.
I feel students really need help with the formation of letters and
this will take the place of phonics and handwriting for me!!! Here is how I created these trays.
First, I bought the good, expensive THICK paper plates.
Then, I took the green markers and made the grass on the bottoms.
I liked using both colors of green to make it look better. Then, I added blue across the top of the sky.
The red fence was harder.
I feel students really need help with the formation of letters and
this will take the place of phonics and handwriting for me!!! Here is how I created these trays.
First, I bought the good, expensive THICK paper plates.
Then, I took the green markers and made the grass on the bottoms.
I liked using both colors of green to make it look better. Then, I added blue across the top of the sky.
The red fence was harder.
I made them using a file folder with a slit cut-through for the red line.
I use thick Sharpies for the lines.
{DO NOT use painter’s tape.
That was my original idea, but when you take the tape off, it messes up the plates.} This was time-consuming, but hopefully, something I will not have to do again any time soon.
I use thick Sharpies for the lines.
{DO NOT use painter’s tape.
That was my original idea, but when you take the tape off, it messes up the plates.} This was time-consuming, but hopefully, something I will not have to do again any time soon.
I added colored sand because I had it ready since May.{I have used these for three full school years without a problem.
I have to replace the sand from time to time, but overall
these are extremely LOW maintenance.
I have to replace the sand from time to time, but overall
these are extremely LOW maintenance.
great ideas Mary! I love the idea of using a paper plate and coloring the sky and grass….great for orientation!! Thanks!
jeannie
Kindergarten Lifestyle
You are so creative! Love this idea!
Cheryl
Crayons and Curls
I just LOVE your sight word cards! They are AWESOME! How in the world did you create them???
I don't know about your question regarding which sight word list to go with. Does your new program (sorry, I'm not familiar with it) have any type of books that go with it? We have Open Court, and it comes with books – a set of pre-decodables that contain only sight words and a set of decodables with both sight words and words to blend. We pulled our sight words from these books. We suppliment with words necessary to help them when writing. I like to start with color words. Outside of their names, they actually symbolize something and the students are familiar with the concept of the verbal word (as opposed to the word "an" which is a word they can't actually hear being used in natural speech because it sounds the same as "a").
Markers: That's up to you. I used them my first year, and I had such a tough class that messed with them all the time that I had to take them away. Now I put them out only on special occasions. Most of the time we use highlighters. Office Depot has them the cheapest online in boxes of all one color.
Good Luck!
Suzanne
Caring4kinders.blgospot.com
I like the canvas idea for muscle memory! I am a special ed teacher and I have been using muscle memory for a year now and love it. It really helped a lot of my kiddos.
Recipe for Reading and Orton Gillingham philosophy are fabulous for teaching phoneme/grapheme skills. Use a piece of plastic crochet material under a piece of paper and when the kids write the letter it is "bumpy"…gives a great deal of proprioceptive feedback. Then they can take the paper off and trace with their finger to feel the letter as well.
Thanks for your comment Claired. The plastic canvas is that "bumpy material." So far, so good. I am not sure if crayons or markers are better… any insight into that?
I spent a week being trained in OG from the multi-sensory institute… They use Recipe for Reading. Crayons are used over the screen for words…
I spent a week being trained in OG from the multi-sensory institute… They use Recipe for Reading. Crayons are used over the screen for words…
I love this idea! I use saxon phonics in my Kinder classroom and struggle with ideas that will engage them! This is my first year as Kinder teacher and I am grasping for straws most of the time! Thanks for the ideas!
I think you should make a set of Fry words! I would love them!
Thank You! We are just beginning to use Orton-Gillingham. We are using crayons! 🙂
Is the red line supposed to be the halfway line that short letters should be under or used as the center of the letters they’re writing (as shown in the picture with the letter Cc)?
Thanks,
Kathy
It is the center line. I didn’t dot it because I wanted it to show as much as possible.