In Kindergarten, phonics is best taught using a combo of small group and whole group instruction. Now that you know what to teach in both small and whole group lessons, what are some go-to strategies you can use during your whole group phonics instruction? Here are 3 of my must-haves in any phonics whole group lesson!
What to look for in a phonics lesson activity
Your phonics lesson doesn't have to be boring or long. In fact, short and sweet phonics lessons are usually the best… just about 10 minutes will do! Your daily phonics routine can stay the same each day, just switch out the lesson activity. Some of my favorite phonics activities are actually center activities, just differentiated so you can do them in a whole group. A strong phonics lesson should incorporate these 3 strategies: multi-sensory learning, I do, we do, you do modeling, and getting your students up and moving!
Multi-Sensory Learning
The first strategy that every phonics lesson should is to create a multi-sensory learning experience. Multi-sensory learning is learning that engages multiple senses at once. It's important to keep in mind that students will learn differently, so including auditory, visual, kinesthetic, tactile in our lessons will really help our students succeed.
Here's more of my favorite multi-sensory activities that I use during my ELA centers that you could also use during a whole group lesson.
I Do, We Do, You Do
One of the teaching techniques that I learned in college and use daily is the “I Do, We Do, You Do” modeling or scaffolding. This allows students to fully understand and try out the phonics activity. Here's an example of how I might use this when doing a picture sort with my students.
I Do
“Today, we are going to practice identifying the blends in a word. Let's say all the blends in this pocket chart together so we know how to pronounce each one. Then, I am going to pick a picture from the pile and say it aloud- ‘cloud'. Hmmm, what does cloud start with? I am going to say it slow, really stretching the word so I can listen for that beginning blend. c-l-ou-d. It starts with the ‘cl' blend, so I am going to place it under the “cl” heading.”
We Do
“Now we are going to try one together. Let's pick a card- ‘play'. I want you to quietly whisper it to yourself and stretch the word out. Show me a thumbs up when you're ready. ‘p-l-ay' starts with what blend” Then you can have them shout out the blend ‘pl'.
You Do
“Now I want to see who can show that they can tell me the blend on their own! Here's the card- think about the word. Stretch it out and then write down what blend it belongs to on your whiteboard. Hold it up when you are ready and let's see”
Getting your students up and moving
The easiest way to really get your students excited about learning is getting them up and moving around! Students learn best through play, so why not add some fun to your phonics lesson with a game or allow them to move around while teaching? Throw on some music and play freeze dance, stopping to blend a word together as a whole class. Use a write the room activity to practice a specific skill. Here are a few more activity ideas you can use for your whole group phonics lesson.
Let's make planning those phonics lessons EVEN easier!
If you are looking for multi-sensory, engaging, and explicit phonics lessons, without all the planning and prep, you can get an entire year's worth inside the SFK Phonics Curriculum. Each lesson includes a daily phonemic awareness lesson, lesson activity, ways to differentiate, any materials you may need, along with a song to help introduce the phonics skill. Make teaching phonics simple with Sweet for Kindergarten Phonics Curriculum- available for Kindergarten or First Grade.