This month's Book Nook topic is...

Building Sound Awareness with Summer Supper

Before children learn to read, they need to understand that words are made up of smaller parts. This skill is called sound awareness, also known as phonological awareness. Sound awareness includes skills like listening for rhymes, hearing two beats in a word like “pan-da,” and recognizing individual sounds in words. When children pay attention to these smaller parts of words, they’re building an important foundation for learning to read and write.

One important part of sound awareness is listening for words that start with the same sound. A fun way to help children with this skill is a strategy called “Listen… and Find One Like It.” You can use this strategy while enjoying a story to help children think about the first sounds in words.

Let’s look at an example!

The Book:
Summer Supper by Rubin Pfeffer, with pictures by Mike Austin

Why we chose this book

Summer Supper seems like it was written with sound awareness in mind, with words that begin with the /s/ sound on every page. Summer Supper also shows what goes into making a fresh family meal, from growing the food, to buying it, to preparing it together. The eye-catching illustrations of familiar mealtime activities are likely to spark conversations where children join in and share their own thoughts.

The first reading

When you read the title of the book, you can try stretching out the first sounds. You could say, “This book is called Summer Supper. Listen. ‘Sssummer’ and ‘sssupper’ both start with the /s/ sound. Listen: Sssummer. Sssupper.” After that, continue on with the story, keeping any further conversation short. This approach helps the child grasp the main events in the book and how they flow together. After the child has a basic sense of the story, you can help them to think about words on each page that start with the same sound.

Later readings

Once the child has a basic understanding of the story, you can pause two or three times during the book to use the “Listen… and Find One Like It” strategy. It’s important to say the sound the letter makes, rather than the name of the letter. That means stretching out the sound like this – “ssss” – instead of saying the letter name (“ess”).

Step One – Listen

Start with the “Listen” part of the strategy, where you help the child notice that two words start with the same sound, like you did in the first reading. For example, “Listen: ‘Sssunflower’ and ‘ssscarecrow’ start with the /s/sound too! Sssunflower. Ssscarecrow.”

Step Two – Find One Like It

Next, find another word that starts with the same sound. You could ask, “What else starts with /s/?” Wait 5-10 seconds for a response. If the child seems unsure of how to respond, offer an example yourself from the pictures. You could say, “Hmmm. How about ‘salad’? Listen: sssalad also starts with ‘sss’”. Remember, at this stage you’re talking about the sound /s/, not the letter name.

Supporting sound awareness step by step

Sound awareness takes time to develop, and the child may need your help to find words that start with the same sound. That’s okay! Just listening for first sounds and hearing your examples will help the child to build this important skill.

If the child is enjoying “Listen… and Find One Like It” with books, keep it going in other routines and activities.

• While washing hands: If the child says, “I need some soap,” you could say, “Sure, let me squeeze out some sssoap. Listen. ‘Sssoap’ starts with the /s/ sound!”
• With names: Emphasize and talk about the first sound in the names of people and pets that are important to the child. You could say, “Listen. Your dog’s name, ‘Finn,’ starts with the /f/ sound. Listen: Fffinn. ‘Finn’ starts with /f/. Can you think of another word that starts with the /f/ sound?” If they seem unsure, offer a hint. “How about another kind of pet – a ‘fish’? Fffish also starts with the /f/ sound!”
• While having a snack: If the child says, “Peaches are yummy,” you could say. “Yes, p-p-peaches are so yummy! Listen. P-p-peaches. Peaches starts with the /p/ sound!” Notice that the sound /p/ can’t be stretched out, so you can repeat the sound to emphasize it instead. Other “non-stretchy” sounds include /b/, /t/, /d/, /k/ and /g/.

Young children learn best when you practice sound awareness with words that they find interesting, and when they are having fun. Try some sound awareness with words related to what the child likes. Encouraging children to listen to the sounds in speech will give them the best possible start on the road to literacy.

Happy reading!