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Signs for Sounds
Steps of the Program
The steps in the Signs for Sounds program are divided into a teaching phase (for teaching a phonics element or syllable pattern, sound-out words, and spell-out words), a testing phase (for testing sound-out and spell-out words), and a dictation phase (for dictating spell-out words and sentences).
Teaching Phase
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Step 1: Teach the Element The teacher introduces the new phonics element by saying the sound that the element makes. Then the teacher shows students the corresponding letter(s) by writing them on the board. Finally, the teacher presents a few words from the sound-out word lists to the student in order to practice the featured elements. |
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Step 2: Teach Sound-Out Words The teacher dictates the first sound-out word (a word with a regular spelling pattern) and tells students to listen to the sounds. Then the teacher tells students to look at the first row on the lesson form and circle the letter(s) in each column that represent each sound or syllable in the dictated word. Students then write the word in an unnumbered blank column. The teacher immediately writes the word on the board and directs students to check and correct their words. The teacher repeats this process for each sound-out word in the list. |
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Step 3: Teach Spell-Out Word(s) The teacher introduces the spell-out word (a high-frequency word with an irregular spelling pattern) by saying the word and saying each letter as he or she writes the letters on the board. The teacher then tells students to practice saying and spelling the word. (Note: The high-frequency words with regular spelling patterns are included in the sound-out word lists.) |
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Step 4: Practice Spell-Out Word(s) The teacher asks students to independently practice writing the spell-out word. Students should say and spell the word quietly as they trace the gray letters and write the missing letters. Students should continue until they have spelled the word in each of the given spaces. The teacher then tells students to check and correct the last word they wrote. |
Testing Phase
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Step 5: Test Sound-Out Words The teacher tells students to fold their lesson forms on the dotted line to hide the practice words. The teacher dictates each sound-out word from the sound-out words list used in the teaching phase, and asks students to write each sound-out word in the numbered spaces on their lesson forms. |
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Step 6: Test Spell-Out Word(s) The teacher dictates the spell-out word and tells students to write the word on their lesson forms. |
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Step 7: Correct the Words The teacher tells students to unfold their lesson forms to check and correct their tests. Students record their scores on their score sheets. When students score 80 percent correct or higher on the sound-out words, they are ready for the dictation phase. If students score less than 80 percent, they repeat the teaching and testing phases with an alternate list. |
Dictation Phase
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Step 8: Review/Test Spell-Out Words The teacher dictates the first spell-out word on the dictation page and tells students to write the word on their dictation forms. The teacher writes the word on the board and asks students to check and correct the words. Students then continue with the remaining spell-out words. |
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Step 9: Dictate Sentences The teacher tells students to fold their dictation forms on the dotted line to hide their spell-out words. The teacher then dictates a set of sentences and tells students to write each sentence on their dictation forms. |
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Step 10: Correct the Sentences The teacher collects and corrects the sentences and asks students to record their scores on their score sheets. |