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  3. F: Word Families
  4. F1: What's My Word? Part 1

F1: What’s My Word? Part 1

  1. Overview
  2. Materials & Preparation
  3. Activity
  4. Schedule
  1. Confidence Builder
  2. Extension
  3. Small Groups
  4. Questions and Answers
IMPORTANT! If you skipped teaching Lessons B6–B10, teach them before starting any of the Module F lessons. Otherwise, start with Activity F4. See Fast Track for more details.

1. Overview

Blend the first sound (phoneme) together with the remainder of a spoken one-syllable word, using picture cards as visual clues.
/b/ • • /ug/ … what’s my word?
This game introduces the skill of paying attention to an individual sound within a word. It also uses letter cards to introduce the idea that lower-case letters are what certain sounds look like when we write them.
whats the word
/b/ • • /ug/ … what’s my word?
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2. Materials & Preparation

Print out the picture cards and sound cards, preferably on sturdy card-stock paper, and cut them apart. The word index and the list of starting sounds are for the adult’s reference only. Adults should review the proper pronunciation of the letter sounds before playing this game. You will want to prop up the sound card for each round so that the child is looking straight at it. Lean it against a block so that it is angled appropriately. This is our first activity involving your child’s viewing written letters, so we need to introduce them carefully. For each starting sound (for example, /fff/), put the sound card with that letter in front of the child and explain what it is, like this:
Adult: This is how the /fff/ sound looks when it is written down. Listen carefully: /fffff/. What’s the sound? Child: /fff/. Adult: Yes, /fff/. Now touch under it and say the sound with me. Get ready: [Touch under the card and say the sound in unison with the child.] Adult and Child: /fff/. Adult: Once more, by yourself. Get ready: Child: [while touching card underneath letter] /fff/. Adult: Good job saying the /fff/ sound!
NOTE: When working with a stop sound (a.k.a. “quick and quiet” sound), like /b/, you may need to say the sound a few times to make sure the child hears you, like “/b/ /b/ /b/.” But when the child responds, she should just say the sound once. ↑ Top

3. Activity

Video: How to play What’s My Word? Parts 1-3
Once your child understands the relationship between the letter and its sound, take the six picture cards with a /fff/ starting sound and quickly review the picture names of all 18 pictures on those cards with the child.
Adult: [showing picture card] Look at these pictures. They show bake, cat, and fan. Now you name each picture as I point to it. Child: Bake. Cat. Fan. Adult: Good.
Now place the first picture card underneath or to the right of the sound card, which should remain propped up so the child is looking directly at it while doing this activity.
Adult: Now I’m going to put a card with three pictures next to the /fff/ sound card. Then I’ll say a word in two parts. I’ll start with the /fff/ sound and then say the rest of the word. Your job is to find the picture of the word I say and say the whole word. Let me show you how to play.
Touch the f card and say /fff/. Pause for about one second (written as • •) and then say /an/.
Adult: The word I’m thinking of begins with /fff/ and ends with /an/. Find the /fff/ • • /an/ picture, and say the word. Child: Um… Adult: Listen again: /fff/ • • /an/. What’s my word? Child: [pointing to picture] Fan! Adult: Yes! /fff/ • • /an/ is fan.
Now go through the other pictures on the card, to give the child practice in paying attention to an individual sound, the first sound, in each word. Here, she just needs to determine whether each word starts with the target sound (/fff/) or not:
Adult: Does bake start with a /fff/ sound? Child: No. Adult: Does cat start with a /fff/ sound? Child: No!
Go through the other cards with pictures that start with the /fff/ sound, repeating the steps above. Each session of this activity should cover just one new letter sound.

NOTE: Do not show the d sound card when going through the d pictures. Because the letters b and d look so similar, young children can be easily confused and have lots of trouble telling the two letters apart. So for now we will show only the b sound card and focus on teaching the child to hear the difference between /b/ and /d/.

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4. Schedule

You will do this activity with your child numerous times in order to familiarize the child with all the different consonant starting sounds. Introduce one new letter sound a day, according to the schedule in the table below. The review of previously covered sounds should go quickly and smoothly. If it doesn’t, and the child struggles, then don’t introduce a new sound in that day’s lesson. After Day 5 of this activity, introduce Activity F4: Word Maker, Part 1 while also continuing this activity. From this point on, lesson time should be split between the What’s My Word and Word Maker lessons.
Day Review Add
1 — m
2 m s
3 m, s t
4 m, s, t v
5 m, s, t, v —
On Day 6, introduce Activity F4: Word Maker, Part 1 as well.
6 v d*
7 d l
8 d, l c
9 d, l, c f
10 d, l, c, f —
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5. Confidence Builder

If the child struggles, put a shorter pause between the starting sound and the rest of the word as you say them. Then gradually lengthen the pause until the two parts are said with a full one-second pause (written as • •) between them. ↑ Top

6. Extension

Using the same cards from the activity above, show the child the target word on the first card and say:
Adult: Do you remember what we called this a picture of? Child: A fan! Adult: Yes, fan. This time I will point to the picture and say it. Then I want you to say the word I say in two parts. Like this: fan. Fff • • an. Can you do that? Show me. Get ready to say the word I say in two parts: fan. Child: fff • • an. Adult: Yes! Now try to say some more of the words I say in two parts.
Point to another card with a picture that starts with /fff/ and repeat this process. Have the child touch the corresponding sound card (f) and picture (e.g., fox) after dividing the word into two parts. ↑ Top

7. Small Groups (2-5 children)

Lesson Objective: Using a consonant letter card and set of pictures as visual aids, children will hear the initial phoneme corresponding to the letter card followed by the remaining part of a one-syllable word (onset-rime) and orally blend the two parts together to form a word matching one of the pictures. GELDS (Georgia Early Learning & Development Standards): CLL6.4f Georgia Standards of Excellence: ELAGSEKRF2.c Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.2.C Additional Materials:
  • various classroom items (block, crayon, rhythm stick, popsicle stick) to serve as “microphones”
  • Optional: Make a copy for each child of each consonant sound card you use.
Adaptation: Read the main activity, watch the video, and follow the instructions above, with the following changes: Practice the activity several times as a group. Then let the children choose an item to use as their “microphone.” As you play the activity, have the children take turns answering by speaking into their “microphones.” Have the rest of the group agree (thumbs up) or disagree (thumbs down) with the child’s response. Reinforcement: Ask the children to trade “microphones” and repeat the activity. Use this Reinforcement at Home form to tell parents and guardians how they can reinforce lessons outside the classroom. ↑ Top

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