Foundations for Literacy –

 The author has collected an assortment of, second hand (and thereby relatively cheap,) glass, china and metal bells. These bells are used to provide a creative exploration of different bell sounds. When the bells have been explored within a free play session then a selected number of bells are used to play games that invite the players to match an individual bell sound with the bell that produced the sound. To play this game the bells are placed behind a screen where one player rings one of the bells. The other players are then asked to identify which bell was used to make the ringing sound that they just heard. The aesthetic quality of the bells and their individual ringing sounds makes this an enjoyable multisensory experience of discovery for everyone. The challenge can be extended by using two or even three different bell sounds to heard and then copied. This game encourages a special focus on skills of auditory perception and discrimination and it provides an introduction to the subtle auditory aspects of sound presented in poetic language

 The following game is based on the ability to remember a repeat a phrase or sentence and correctly present a Yes or No answer according to whether the last word starts with the right or wrong initial letter sound or consonant blend. For example for the phonic t sound the sentence might be :–
Did the timid tortoise trip over a train? Yes! The timid tortoise did trip over a train.
Did the timid tortoise trip over a shopping trolley. Yes….etc…
Did the timid tortoise trip over a bucket? No! The ……..etc.
Did the timid tortoise trip over a tree? Yes!…..etc…
Did the terribly timid tortoise trip over a telephone. Yes! The terribly timid …..etc
Did the two terribly timid tortoises take three ice-creams. No the two…..etc…..

In this example there are three possible phonic associations presented in these questions focused on the letter sounds for t:-
• t as in ten
• tr as in tree
• th as in three
If the responding players do not appear to recognise any of the visual letter-sound association it does not affect the game in any way. If the players do not respond in a way that the caller considers correct, the caller need not feel concerned or present correction. Further repetition with notable emphasis can establish a reflection of the important associations. The game may also be extended to include a reflective aspect of further enquiry rather than correction: e.g. – ‘So you don’t think the tortoise tripped over a telephone but you do think he tripped over a tree! Alternatively the caller could extend into the clown like retort of, Oh! yes he did! Or Oh! no he didn’t! Thus, the responder can decide if t and tr and thr are considered by the caller as the same or different.

However, it is important that the caller does not confuse the responding players by insisting on spelling matches rather than the simplest association of single initial letter or sound. Absolute rules and correctness are not essential as early learners may easily miss some of the matching sounds and spelling patterns. Reflection of the answers is the only way to keep up the positive rap ore and encourage the development of more advanced discernment. Eventually respondents may be able to invent their own questions. Again if these questions are not accurately constructed the caller is challenged to find a suitable positive response.
Further phonic questions are illustrated below: the active verb is highlighted as well as the associated initial letter sounds. This game can also be extended to include visual initial letter cards that can be presented alongside the verbal answer. The facilitator could place the initial letter cards on display and indicate the card that matches the alliterative words as they are spoken in the answer. There needs to be a separate card for a capital letter as well as each of the possible consonant blends and the action word could be presented as a whole word.

It is important to note that compound words can be misleading for young children who may hear them as two separate words and therefore recall a negative answer. For example in the question ‘Is Peter playing with the postman?’ the word postman may be heard as one word starting with p or as two words post and man when the answer would be directed by the consonant m sound. When using compound words I would consider either answer as acceptable because this is a game based on auditory perception notthevisual spelling. I would generally try to avoid presenting words that could cause confusion such as compound words e.g. flowerpot and also those spelt with an initial silent letter e.g. knife.

However, if there is confusion then a reciprocal answer ‘Oh! So you think Peter is notplaying with the postman!’ could be presented together with a written or printed visual word that invites a surprise element of added visual information and an extra element of enquiry.

Some example questions are listed below with some suggestions for positive answers. In the game the caller could also present questions that ended with a word that indicated a negative answer:-

Did boisterous Billy bump into the big boys blue bike? Yes!.etc…..
Did boisterous Billy break the blue biro?..Yes! etc…..
Did boisterous Billy break brown bricks with a big hammer? No!…
Did boisterous Billy break brown bricks with a big box? Yes……!…
Did boisterous Billy bump into a black bucket? Yes……etc……

Can big black (birds/bears) break (buckets/ big branches/ bricks/ bottles/ Ben’s bike/ barbecues/ barns/ baths/ Bills bed/ Bobs boots/
Can clever Clive climb conker trees? No!……..
Can careful Clive climb the coastal cliffs? Yes…………..
Can the clever cat climb into the castle………..?
Can the colourful cat cuddle up in a coat?
Can the cunning cat curl up in a cot?
Can the cautious cat camp in a tent? No! Clever cat cannot camp in a tent!
Can the crafty cat camp in a caravan? Yes, the crafty cat can camp in a caravan!
Can crazy clowns catch cream cartons/ coats/ cows/ custard/ coffee cups……….?

Can Carol cook crumble/ cauliflower/
Can Colin collect coins/ carrots/ cars/ coaches/ caterpillars/ conkers/ cups/ …………?
Can caterpillars climbcabbages? Yes!
Can caterpillars climbcute cuddly teddies? No!……….

Did the dirty dog dig in the ditch? Yes
Did the dirty dog dig in the flower garden? No!……

Does (Grandma/the girl/) get (green goosberrys/ grapes/ gloves/ glasses/ glue/ a goat/ a guineapig/ a green gate/ a golden goose/ a some green gravy)?
Does Granddad play (golf/games/the guitar/ in the garage/ in the garden)?
Is granddad (giggly/ getting grumpy/ greedy/ grow grass)?

Is the hairy hamster/hedgehog hiding in the (hammock, house, hall, helicopter heater, hedge/ hole/ hood/ honeysuckle/ Hoover/ hyacinths/ hawthorn)?

Did Isabelle imagin she was (eating ice-cream/ invisible/ inured/ intelligent/ an inventor/ an insect/ the innkeeper/ ironing/ an island/

Did Jack jump into/onto the (jam/ jelly/ jacket/ jumper/ junk)?
Did Jack jump over the Jellyfish/ jaguar/ jug/ jam jar/ jigsaw/ jungle ) ?

Can the kind king keep ( kittens/ kettles/ ketchup/ keys/ kicking kangaroos/ kites/ kiwis/ kennels) in his kitchen?

Does Linda love (Leroy/ lime lollies/ laughing/ little ladybirds/ lemons/ lego/ long letters/ limp lettuce/ long lessons/ lions/ loads of liquorice/ long logs/ luxury lipstick/ lukewarm lunches/ listening to lullabies/ leopards) ?

Is Peter poking/playing with the (plastercine/ Polly parrot/ puppy / pink piglets/ pies/ purple paint/ pretty pink pyjamas/ postman

Did the slow shy (snake/slug/spider) silently slither/swing across the (straw/ stable/ soft sand/ seesaw/ shed/ small stick/ silver sink/ shiny snow/ soggy soil/ strong stones
Did the startled stallion suddenly spring (across/into/over) (a stream/ the stormy sea/ his stable/ the shed/ a steep slope/ the stile/ a startled sheep/ the strange structure/ the sunshine/ a swamp/ a sleeping swan/ the silent snake)