Kindergarten is a foundational year that sets the tone for future academic success. Among the many skills developed during this period, phonemic awareness is one of the most essential skills. Students typically learn larger units of sounds like syllables and then work towards smaller units, phonemes. Most students enter kindergarten with the ability to identify beginning sounds. Learning ending sounds is a trickier skill that plays a pivotal role in master their phonemic awareness.
By understanding ending sounds, children develop a deeper understanding of their phonemic awareness. Students are not only expected to identify but manipulate individual sounds within words by the end of kindergarten. These skills all directly relate to the child's ability to read, spell, and write with accuracy.
There are so many ways to target phonemic awareness skills. These skills should be embedded in your everyday routines. I always start my small group lessons with a quick phonemic awareness warm up, for example we might tap out sounds of words. I suggest that you encourage your child to listen closely to words and identify any of the sounds. If students are ready, you can target endings sounds with the same routine. For example, tap out the word dog, /d/ /o/ /g/, and then ask them to identify the final sound.
If students are struggling, remember to scaffold. Rhyming is an easy tool to use for support. It is easier to identify bigger chunks of sounds like syllables or rhymes. An easy trick for struggling students is to show them how words with similar endings, such as "cat," "hat," and "sat," share common final sounds.
As you know, I love sorting activities. Sorts provide opportunities for your students to think critically but with simple guidelines. Students have only two options, therefore they can find success quickly. I created these super cute endings sound sorts, you can grab them all here at my TpT store. Or grab a sample below! Simply cut out each picture or word card and then sort based on the given T-Chart. There are over 120 sorts in the resource at my store.
Learning ending sounds is a vital step in building a strong foundation for reading and writing skills. When we develop phonemic awareness skills, we develop an understanding of the relationship between sounds and letters. This gives your students the tools they need to become confident readers. There are so many fun ways to practice ending sounds, and I hope you find one that works for you in your classroom.
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