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How to Teach Identification of Initial Sounds

Initial sounds are the sounds heard at the beginning of a word. Although many of the letters in the English language have their own unique sound, such as "D" or "B", others can make multiple sounds. For instance, the letter "C" can say /k/ as in cat or /s/ as in celery. This ability to make multiple sounds creates confusion for beginning readers or English as a Second Language (ESL) students, making the teaching of initial sounds an essential component of any reading instruction.

Instructions

- 1
  Show students a picture of an object they are familiar with, such as a dog or a ball. Make sure the pictures are clear in what they show to avoid confusion. For example, some students may say a picture of a dog is a puppy.
- 2
  Write the word that corresponds to the picture underneath the picture so students can see it. This will help students make the connection between the word they see and the picture it names, improving students' sight-word reading.
- 3
  Say the word that names the picture and point to the beginning letter in the word. Repeat the word several times as students listen to the sounds they hear.
- 4
  Point to the first letter in the word and ask students to say the sound they hear. Listen for student errors and repeat the word if necessary.
- 5
  Reinforce the beginning letter's sound by pointing to the letter and saying the word that names the picture.

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