Having access to tools and materials that support alphabet instruction is imperative. LessonPix (www.lessonpix.com) is an online resource for custom made learning materials for educa- tors and parents. Lessonpix templates support a wide range of literacy learning. Learners read a page within a Readtopia graphic novel to identify the letter B. The bookmarks are used for scavenger hunts within a text. Many times, we think learners must move and “go” on a scavenger hunt, but consider ways you can embed this strategy quickly into your classroom. (Read- topia, by Building Wings, is a comprehensive literacy curriculum that is designed for learners with complex needs. To learn more about Readtopia, visit the Don Johnston website at www. donjohnston.com.) PHONOLOGICAL AWARENESS (EMBEDDED LEARNING EXPERIENCES) RAPS AND RHYMES Songs are a great way to bring awareness to rhyming words, but it can also be challenging for educators to identify songs that are age respectful when targeting these skills with older learners. Raps can be used in place of nursery rhymes to teach phonological awareness skills like syllableness, rhymes, and alliteration. One of the biggest challenges with using music is that we cannot control the tempo - when listening to a song with higher beats per minute (BPM), educators can have trouble bringing attention to some of the aspects of phonological awareness within a song. However, when we create our own music and raps, we can control the pacing to slow the tempo down and increase emphasis on a specific aspect of phono- logical awareness.
The iPad iOS apps Rap Maker and Auto Rap by Smule offers background music that can be used to create custom raps. Within the previous example, the focus is on the letter I (embedded alphabet knowledge), with additional attention being given to the rhyming words bold, cold, and old. A bitmoji of the classroom teacher is used with the letter I in ice to high- light letter sound correspondence.
A Thanksgiving poem from Animated Step by Steps (Dr. Carol Goossens)
Poetry can also be used to highlight the connection between rhyming words. One of the benefits of focusing on rhyming words within text is that students can see the similar visual features between rhyming words (e.g. rime -ell is highlighted through markup tools in the words shell and well .
I am cold/bold/old rap created within google slides.
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