Phoneme Isolation (initial sound) Terrific Tongue Twisters

 Activity for Phoneme Isolation (initial sound) Terrific Tongue Twisters!!!
Objective: Support the student in identifying initial sounds in spoken words. Authentic purpose = finishing a tongue twister.
Materials: pictures and photos representing simple words that begin with target sounds chosen for the student, plus foils
Examples: one target sound for student is /h/ because her name is Haley and she loves hats!
Photos: Hailey            Hal (uncle) 
Symbols (CVC): hat    hot    hug   hill   hut 
CVC foils: cat / bat / car / pen / bag / leg, etc.)
Chart paper to write tongue twisters
Activity:
  1) Introduce the activity.
      a) Hold up the chart paper with the tongue twister written on it, with a slot to fill in
 Hal has a hot _______. 
      b) Read the tongue twister, pointing to each word as you read it. Then stop and ask the student to help you finish it. “Hmmmm, what goes here? Listen – all of these words start with the /h/ sound. ‘Hal has a hot . . . . wonder which one it is?”
      c) Show symbols and help student figure out which one fits.
      d) Use evaluative feedback. Ex: She chooses bag. You say. “Let’s try it. ‘Hal has a hot bag.’ Nooo, I don’t hear the /h/ sound. Try again. Ex; she chooses hat. You say ‘Hal has a hot hat.’ YES! They all have the /h/ sound!
      e) Celebrate success! Velcro the hat symbol into the tongue twister. Then record the tongue twister into a message device. Let the student read it!
Remember to have your student ‘read it in your head.’ Developing an inner voice is VERY important for all students, but especially for students who rely on AAC!
  2) Introduce a second sound. Remember!! The brain is a pattern detector!! We need to introduce more than one sound so the student has patterns to detect! Now build a tongue twister for a 2nd sound (ex: /m/ since it’s the first sound in Mom).
Mom makes a messy _______.  
  3) Continue the process, focusing on having fun finding items, and ‘testing’ (showing 4 items or symbols). While you may only practice two sounds the first session, continue this until the student can correctly identify symbols representing about six different sounds. Use different slots, such as: Mom makes / milks / meets messy mud.
Mom makes a messy / marvelous / mean mud.
Matt / Mom / Mick makes a messy mud.
  4) Extend the activity to shared reading. For example:
     a) Read some tongue twister books.
     b) Help students make a Terrific Tongue Twisters book, using the twisters that you have built together

Wallach and Wallach's Tongue Twisters
Use alliterative
 tongue twisters like these to introduce
 phonemes to children.

Andrew and Alice
 asked if Annie's active animals were
 angry.

Bill and Betty baked brown bread for Barbara's baby.

Carol and Claire can cook carrots, corn, cabbage, and
 candy.

David's daddy's dog didn't dig dirt in the dark.

Everybody saw Eddie and the Eskimo enter the elevator
 on the elephant.

The funny furry fly flew far to the flowers.

Gary was glad to play games in grandmother's green
 garden.

Harry had a horrible headache and hated to hear Henry
 howl.

The important Indian was ill with injuries inside the
 igloo.

John got juice and jelly on his jacket when Judy jumped
 on him.

Kenny wasn't kind in kindergarten when he kicked Kate
 in the kitchen.

Lisa lost the large lemon for the lizard Lenny loved.

On Mondays Michael's mother Mary mostly mopped.

Nobody was nice to Nancy's neighbor Nick, but he was
 never nasty.

Oliver had an operation in October, and Oscar gave him
 an octopus.

Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.

"Be quiet," said the queen quickly, "or I'll quarrel
 with your question!"

Ruth and Rachel ran after Richard's rabbit in the rain.

Sam said he was sorry he put salt in Sally's sandwich.

Tommy tricked Tim and took his train off the track.

Uncle was upset because he was unable to put his
 umbrella
 up.

Virginia visited Vicky and gave her violets and
 vegetables
 with vitamins.

When the weather is warm we will walk with William in
 the wild woods.

The excited experts explained that the extra X-rays
 were
 excellent.

Yesterday you yelled in the yard for a yellow yo-yo.

The zebra zoomed zig-zag in the zoo.

From Wallach, M. A., & Wallach, L. (1976).  Teaching
 all
 children to read.  Chicago:  University of Chicago Press.

Geri Murray's Tough Twistahs for Long
 Vowels and Other Vowels

Abe the ape ate Amy’s
 acorn.
Eagles eat electric eels
 easily.
Ike’s ivy island is icy.
 Opie owns an old oak oboe.
 Ulysses usually uses union
 U-boats.

Our owl in the outfield is an
 outcast.
Austin is an awful author in
 Australia.
Oodles of oolong oozed from
 the oomiak.  (a long Eskimo boat like a canoe)

Orba ordered orange orchids
 for the orchestra.
Arnie and Arthur are army
 archers.
Ernie had an early urge to
 irk Irving.