USING THE SENSES TO ANCHOR VOWEL SOUNDS
This summer I went swimming with a friend at her pool. When I opened my sunscreen, I caught a whiff of coconut. This scent immediately took me back to memories at the beach. A blonde-haired, giggling little girl playing in the water with her papaw. I remembered how the waves sounded crashing into the shore, the way the sand felt between my toes, and the smell of the ocean. One scent evoked a flood of memories. For me, the smell of coconut is a shortcut to the beach!
In the same way, we can make shortcuts to fundamental skills in our student’s minds. We can create “remember when” memories instead of “remember that” memories. By crafting an event that takes advantage of multiple senses, we can anchor vowels and their sounds to that event.
Vowels are a fundamental skill in learning how to read. In my classroom, this is how I create “remember when” memories with vowel characters.
When my students come back from lunch recess there is a little red curtain on my dry erase board and a plastic container under a red handkerchief on my desk. It is bright and noticeable and my kids see it. We then go on to do an unrelated task. I don’t say anything about the curtain. I use this time to build anticipation, curiosity, and gain their attention. First graders need to know what is under the curtain!
When it is time, we call it “Buddy Time.” I remove the cloth from the container and I pass out an apple wedge and a few grapes for each student. I choose a master of ceremonies who removes the curtain, with great fanfare, and a desktop drum roll to reveal...
A, the Fruity Vowel Buddy! A colorful character personifying the letter a. In its left hand, it holds a green apple to visually represent the short sound, ă like apple. In its right hand, it holds a bunch of purple grapes to represent the long sound, ā like grape. The Buddy has little ears to hear both sounds. Additionally, the a is divided diagonally into two colors. The left side of the a is lime green like the apple, and the right side is purple like the grapes.
As we talk about “ă like apple” they take a bite of their apple. They smell their apple and we talk about apples. When we talk about the “ā like grape” sound, they have a grape!
The other vowels have visual clues just like the A Vowel Buddy!
E is the Color Vowel Buddy, ĕ like red and ē like green. We have a painting or coloring activity featuring green and red. We talk about colors.
I is the Chilly Vowel Buddy, ĭ like igloo and ī like ice. Students cut a snowflake out of white paper and touch, taste and feel ice cubes. We talk about cold things and winter.
O is the Furry Vowel Buddy, ŏ like a spotted dog and ō like orange bone. Students feel fur fabric squares and see and hear a squeaky, orange dog toy while we talk about dogs.
U is the Magical Vowel Buddy, ŭ like bubblegum and ū like blue unicorn. Students try bubblegum and color a unicorn blue. We talk about imagination.
Y is the Sometimes Y Buddy, y like baby and y like fly. Students look at images of baby animals with their moms and swat pre-arranged flies around the classroom with fly swatters.
Teaching vowels and their sounds to first graders is pivotal to learning how to read, write, and spell. Using the senses to anchor fundamental skills creates a shortcut in the students’ minds to an actual memory of something they experienced.
Melissa Spence is a seventh-year first-grade teacher in Conway, Arkansas. Her husband, Jeff, is the illustrator and graphic designer behind all of the Buddies. Before becoming a teacher, she was a marketing director for six years where she and her husband worked closely together. What started as Melissa wanting Jeff to help her with a cute poster for her classroom has evolved into a system of literacy and math visual clues for early learners. She and her husband have enjoyed the chance to work together, problem-solve, and collaborate on Clue Buddy Crew. Because Jeff is a designer and not an educator, he can bring a fresh perspective and provide input on creating visual resources that are easy for teachers to use in their classrooms to better engage with their students.
