Sound-Spelling Walls 101

Shifting your language to be more intentional & specific from Sound Wall to Sound-Spelling Wall is important. We begin with speech sounds & articulatory gestures but we must map to graphemes & guide words to anchor speech sounds in orthography, systematically.

(Boyer & Ehri, 2011)

As you prepare for the new school year, remember that sound walls are the logical choice for our primary classrooms. This practice aligns with our work in foundational skill building and will act as a resource for students that aligns with our evidence based reading instructional practices.

Sound walls display the articulation of speech sounds from a learner’s perspective, rather than a teacher’s perspective. Phonemes are matched to orthographic (written) patterns. When using sound walls, teachers should:

• Explicitly teach the articulation of the 44 phonemes in the English language.
• Build the sound wall as the phonemes are introduced. Start with common consonants and short vowels in Kindergarten.
• Add mouth pictures to each sound to help learners visualize the position of their mouth as they pronounce each phoneme. Discuss with students the sound each grapheme (letter) makes. Provide students with mirrors so they can watch their own mouth move as they articulate sounds.
• Repeat the activity to help students make connections and build memory in their brains.

Read more about transitioning from Word Walls to Sound Walls, here.

Resources that might help:

Speech to Print: Language Essentials for Teachers 3rd Edition, Dr. Louisa Cook Moats

Podcast: Mary Dahlgren - Retire Your Word Wall

These resources are just a few examples of what a sound wall could look like in your classroom. You can find many resources online to purchase or help create your own!

Full Size 8x10 Sound Wall

Half Size Sound Wall

Quarter Size Sound Wall

UFLI Sound Wall Resources

Cox Campus Sound Wall resources

Learning A-Z Sound Wall Starter Kit

Student Individual Sound Walls

Phonics Posters to Accompany Sound Walls

Sound Wall Aligned to Fundations

Sound Wall Large Cards PDF

Sound Wall Small Cards PDF

Locks for Large and Small Sound Wall PDF

Vowel Valley Large Cards PDF

Vowel Valley Small Cards PDF

How to Use a Sound Wall PDF

This is what a sound wall may start off as at the beginning of the year. You will add to it as the year progresses.

Pocket chart sound wall makes set up and tear down is so much easier, You can pull sound cards out for instruction, and add them to the chart and rearrange as needed so easily.