The Slothful Slowtalker Story Phonemic Awareness Activities
Slothful Slowtalking
The Slowtalker teaches children to extend out the sounds in words by saying the words very slowly. (If you're not sure how to do this, try saying the words "like a ghost"). This skill is very useful for a couple of reasons. First, when children start to write, saying the word slowly enables them to hear the sounds in the word better so they can write the sounds they hear. Second, children need to get used to hearing words extended out, since that is the way words generally are heard when "sounding out" or "blending" the sounds of a word they are trying to read.
As you read the words in the story about the Slothful Slowtalker, be sure to say slowly all the words marked with hyphens between the letters. Do not make the sounds completely separate. You will make completely separate sounds for words when you get to the final sound awareness creature, the Separator Alligator.
Take out the Slothful Slowtalker stick puppet or refer to the character in the story. Pretend to be the Slowtalker and to talk the way he does, saying the words on the list below slowly. Have your child try to guess the word that you are saying. If your child has difficulty understanding the word, say it again slightly faster until he or she can guess it.
Easier List Harder List
M-o m-a-n
T-i f-u-n
o-n c-o-t
i-s m-ee-t
th-e m-o-m
sh-e d-a-d
a-t c-a-t
Syllable Sillies
See if your child can talk in the Syllable Sillies language the way Ti and Mo did. Up until now you have "clapped out" words for your child to say back to you. Now, say the words in the list below and have your child clap them out to you!
easy list harder list
doc-tor un-der-stood
twist-ed el-e-phant
smil-ing re-peat-ed
sil-lies syl-la-ble
For an extra challenge, have your child "clap out" the words on the list below, and find out how many claps there are for each word. Tell your child that the number of claps tells you how many of the Syllable Sillies heads would talk, or how many syllables there are in the word.
hardest list:
chi-ro-prac-tor
tel-e-vi-sion
list-en-ing
De-cem-ber
Jan-u-ar-y
The Kay Kittens Story Phonemic Awareness Activities
Beginning Sound Game
Tell your child that the following words start with the /k/ sound: kitten, kite and king. Can he or she tell which of the words in the list below start with the /k/ sound?
happy king
kiss fish
Kindergarten kindness
man kangaroo
Beginning Sound Game
Tell your child that the following words end with the /k/ sound: sick, back and rock. See if he or she can tell which of the words on the list below end with the /k/ sound. (Remember to provide lots of help by overemphasizing the last sound and motioning when to listen with your hand.)
sock mom
trick truck
fun rake
mouse nurse
heavy milk
Sound Matching
Next, spread out the stick puppets for o, t, m, s and c so they can all be seen (or write these letters on pieces of paper). Tell your child that you will say some words, and that you want him or her to touch the letter that makes the sound heard at the start of each word. (Note that some sounds will have more than one correct answer.) Play this game for the following words:
me cat
so talk
chiropractor start
turn over
only my
Take out the Slowtalker stick puppet. Say the words from the list below slowly like the Slowtalker and have your child tell you the word.
Easier List Harder List
i-f n-o-t
n-o a-n-d
T-i b-u-g
o-ff p-i-g
a-m r-a-t
sh-e d-o-g
Hoppy H Story Phonemic Awareness Activities
Slothful Slowtalker Practice
Say the words on the list below slowly and ask your child to say the words as normally spoken. Then, when you finish the list, trade roles. You say the words as they are normally spoken, then your child says the sounds of the word slowly like the Slowtalker.
Easier List Harder List
g-o s-oo-n
o-ff s-ea-t
m-e r-u-n
s-ee s-i-ck
i-n f-a-t
a-s f-ee-t
l-ow l-i-ke
More Slowtalking
Give directions to your child in "Slowtalker language." Tell your child to do something by saying it very slowly, such as "r-ai-se y-ou-r h–a–n–d" or "p-u-t u-p y-ou-r sh-oe-s." You might want to call this game "Slowtalker Says." You can also use this game with body parts (touch your h–a–n–d) or objects in the room (point to the l–a–m–p). Go around the house naming objects in Slowtalker language. See if your child can name some objects this way also. This is a game that can be played any time of the day!
Beginning Sound Game
Tell your child that the following words start with the /h/ sound: hop, help and home. Play the game with the words below:
house happy
time jump
hill heavy
surprise hear
bush path
how hop
If you have printed them, spread out the stick puppets for the letters taught so far. Say each of the words in the list below, having your child touch or say the letter that is the beginning sound for the word you say.
tiger open
mother soon
hand made
cot hungry
told off
happen kite
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All Ti and Mo stories and activities © 2002 by Andrew T. Andersen