[calumetteach]

Hello,

I am brand new to kindergarten. Our phonics has us focusing on syllables. It seems like that would be later in the year. Don't they need to focus on hearing sounds in words like, cat, dog, etc? I'm thinking where you stretch the sounds out on your arm where: The shoulder is "c" elbow is "a" wrist is "t" and then you blend the sounds together.

It seems a bit backwards the way we're approaching it now, but maybe there's something I don't know.

Thanks for your insights.

[linchriste]

You're doing phonological awareness, not phonics. The best way to teach that is in a sequence from large to small. First is counting words in a sentence. Rhyming words, then hearing and blending syllables, onset and rime (first sound and then the rest of the word), and phonemes (sounds) in words.

[Haley23]

Kids are taught to hear larger parts of words before isolating words by sound. Syllables are larger chunks, so it's easier to hear and pick them out then an individual sound.

I will say that with my sped students I find teaching syllables in relation to just phonological awareness to be very difficult. It is easier for them when they're older and I can explain that each syllable has a vowel sound (for when we're learning syllable types).

I have never found things like clapping out the syllables or resting your hand under your chin to count how many times it goes down to work. Most kids will just add more sounds into the word when trying to do that. For example, if it's "bug" they'll say "bu ug" and think the word has two syllables.

I introduce it when it comes up in our PA curriculum, but I don't spend tons of time on it, and kids are able to move on to separating out words by sound.