Foundations of Language and Literacy · Junior Infants · Drawing and Telling Our Stories · Spring Term

Letters and Their Sounds

Students will learn and apply advanced spelling strategies, including understanding prefixes, suffixes, root words, and common spelling patterns, to improve accuracy and expand vocabulary.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Junior Cycle English - Writing - Conventions of Language
• NCCA: Junior Cycle English - Language - Vocabulary Development

About This Topic

Emergent Spelling is the stage where children begin to use their growing knowledge of phonics to attempt writing words. In the NCCA Primary Language Curriculum, this is a vital part of the 'Spelling' and 'Writing' strands. It involves 'invented spelling', where a child might write 'kt' for 'cat' or 'piz' for 'plays'. This is not a mistake to be corrected immediately; it is a sophisticated cognitive process where the child is mapping the sounds they hear to the letters they know.

In the Irish classroom, we foster an environment where 'having a go' is celebrated. This builds the phonetic 'muscle' needed for later accuracy. By encouraging students to 'stretch' words and listen for the sounds, we help them to be independent writers. This topic comes alive when students can use tools like sound walls and peer discussion to 'solve' the spelling of a word together.

Key Questions

1. What sound does this letter make?
2. Can you find other words that begin with the same sound?
3. How many sounds can you hear in this short word?

Learning Objectives

• Identify the initial sound of 10 common letters.
• Segment a 3-phoneme word into its individual sounds.
• Blend 3 initial sounds to form a recognizable word.
• Categorize words based on their initial sound.
• Generate 3 words that begin with a specified initial sound.

Before You Start

Auditory Discrimination

Why: Students need to be able to distinguish between different sounds in spoken language before they can connect them to letters.

Letter Recognition

Why: Students must be able to recognize the visual form of letters before they can associate them with specific sounds.

Key Vocabulary

Phoneme	The smallest unit of sound in a spoken word. For example, the word 'cat' has three phonemes: /c/, /a/, /t/.
Grapheme	The written letter or letters that represent a phoneme. For example, the letter 'c' is a grapheme for the /c/ sound.
Initial Sound	The first sound you hear when you say a word. For example, the initial sound in 'ball' is /b/.
Sound Segmentation	The ability to break a word down into its individual sounds. For example, segmenting 'sun' means identifying the sounds /s/, /u/, /n/.
Sound Blending	The ability to put individual sounds together to form a word. For example, blending /d/, /o/, /g/ forms the word 'dog'.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

Teachers or parents might worry that 'invented spelling' will lead to bad habits.

What to Teach Instead

Research shows the opposite: children who are encouraged to use phonetic spelling become better readers and spellers. Active modeling of how to 'listen for sounds' helps them refine their accuracy over time without stifling their creativity.

Common Misconception

Students often think there is only one 'right' way to spell and are afraid to try.

What to Teach Instead

Create a 'brave writing' culture. Use peer-led games where the goal is to get the 'first and last' sounds right, rather than the whole word. This reduces anxiety and keeps the focus on the phonetic process.

Active Learning Ideas

Think-Pair-Share: Sound Stretchers

The teacher gives a simple word (e.g., 'dog'). Pairs must 'stretch' the word out loud like a rubber band and count how many sounds they hear, then agree on which letters to write down.

15 min·Pairs

Inquiry Circle: The Sound Wall Hunt

When a student wants to write a word, they work with a 'writing buddy' to find the sounds they need on the classroom sound wall. They then bring the 'sounds' back to their desk to build the word.

20 min·Pairs

Peer Teaching: My Best Guess

In small groups, students show a word they have 'invented'. They explain to the group which sounds they heard and why they chose those letters. The group gives a 'thumbs up' for every sound that matches.

20 min·Small Groups

Real-World Connections

• Librarians use letter sounds to help children find books. For instance, a child looking for books about 'dogs' might be directed to the 'd' section.
• Sign makers use their knowledge of letter sounds to create clear and readable signs for shops and public spaces. A sign for a 'bakery' needs to clearly represent the /b/ sound at the beginning.

Assessment Ideas

Quick Check

Hold up letter cards one by one. Ask students: 'What sound does this letter make?' Record which students can correctly identify the sound for at least 5 different letters.

Exit Ticket

Give each student a slip of paper. Ask them to draw a picture of something that starts with the sound /m/. Then, ask them to write the letter that makes the /m/ sound below their picture.

Discussion Prompt

Gather students in a small group. Say a word like 'sit'. Ask: 'Can you tell me the sounds you hear in 'sit'?' Listen for students who can segment the word into /s/, /i/, /t/. Ask follow-up questions like 'What sound comes first?'

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I start correcting their spelling?

In Junior Infants, focus on 'high-frequency' words (like 'the', 'is', 'I') for accuracy, but allow invented spelling for more complex words. As their phonic knowledge grows, you can gently prompt them to look for the 'middle' sounds they might have missed.

How can active learning help students understand emergent spelling?

Active learning turns spelling into a collaborative puzzle. When students work in pairs to 'stretch' a word or use a sound wall, they are engaging in active problem-solving. This social interaction forces them to articulate the sounds clearly, which reinforces their phonological awareness and makes the link between speech and writing much stronger than silent, individual practice.

What is a 'Sound Wall' and how do I use it?

Unlike an alphabet frieze, a sound wall is organized by the sounds (phonemes) children hear. It often includes pictures of mouths showing how to make the sound. Students can use it as a reference point during active writing tasks to find the 'shape' of the sound they are hearing.

How can I support spelling at home?

Tell parents to encourage 'sound spelling'. If a child asks how to spell 'elephant', the parent can say, 'Let's stretch it out. What's the first sound you hear?' This keeps the child in the 'author' role and reinforces school learning.