Think to Spell™, a key learning routine of Johnny Can Spell, is a strategy for sounding out words in both reading and writing. In brief, it begins with oral language and moves to written language. The student isolates a word he speaks or hears. Then in an encoding process, the student sequentially segments the word into syllables and sounds, choosing or writing a phonogram for each sound of the word. Once the word is in printed form, the student reads (decodes) it and, if needed, checks with sources (i.e., teacher) to confirm correct spelling. This is how I daily introduce four “new” spelling words in my classroom.

With that strategy in mind, I put several picture cards and just the phonogram cards needed to build the words that name the picture cards on a student’s desk. The student builds words that match the picture cards. Here’s what it looks like.

Working on van —
Student chooses a picture.
Student says the word that names the picture: van.
Student searches phonogram (letter) cards, to find the ones that go with sounds of the word.

• Student has a picture of a van and has selected the beginning sound and the ending sound.

• Oops.
  Student notices that she is missing the middle sound.
  Student separates letter cards to add “a.”

• Got it!

Working on frog —
Student chooses a picture.
Student says the word that names the picture: frog.
Student searches phonogram (letter) cards, to find the ones that go with sounds of the word.
Then student puts picture and word (phonogram cards) into a pocket chart.

• Sounding out /f-r-o/.  Student uses phonogram cards to build a word that matches the picture.

• Got it: /f-r-o-g/. Student starts by building the word at her desk.

• After building the word at her desk, student puts f-r-o-g in the pocket chart with picture.
  Sounding out the word as she does,  /f/ /r/ /o/ . . .

• Student is straightening the cards for frog to improve the spacing within the word.

Kindergarten students love working on these words.

Variation
Sometimes I put the words in the pocket chart and give them the picture cards to match to the words.

Tip
I purchased these cards several years ago. Each letter was a separate card, but I taped the letter cards that form a digraph (multi-letter phonogram) together so they are used as a unit, e.g., s and h are taped together to make sh which is use in the word fish. Do NOT tape blends together, e.g., do not tape t and r together for blend tr as in the word tree. Students need to segment and identify each sound in a blend. When I create my own, as in the set under Resources, I put the letters forming a digraph together on the same card.

Resources

• Access to view the 70 common Orton phonograms and hear their sounds  —  PhonogramPage.com
• FREE Blackline Masters for a set of 15 picture / phonogram (word) cards for word building activity:  BuildWords_Set1
  Use these picture / phonogram cards for building word activities described above.
• Johnny Can Spell — professional development online

Clip art for picture cards
Clipart Library

Font used for cards
A9 Font created by Alice Nine