Should I Teach Phoneme Segmenting?

Are your students missing a step in their spelling process?

When working on spelling, one of the first things we ask students to recognize is how many sounds they have in the word. We call this phoneme segmenting. 

Phoneme segmenting is essential to spelling success. 

You can find this phoneme segmenting resource in our 5-Core Components of Literacy Resource Library (linked below) or on TPT >>here.<<

In order to spell a word (especially an unfamiliar one!) we first need to identify what sounds we hear and then pair letters with those sounds.

For example, if we have the word "snap" we should break it into /s/ /n/ /a/ /p/. We should only be counting the sounds we hear, not the letters in the word. This is because sometimes multiple letters work together to make one sound.

For example, when segmenting the word "clutch," we have four sounds. When breaking this down, students are already vocalizing (or subvocalizing if completing this in their head) what those sounds are. This sets the foundation for them to then start pairing the correct letters with those sounds. 

If students are not breaking the word down, it means they aren't sounding the word out. This often leads to guessing or writing from memory which is much less reliable than segmenting the word and then pairing letters with the sounds. 

So…how do I support phoneme segmenting?

For some students, sounding out their words may come naturally. For others, this needs more practice and repetition. 

Visuals are a great multisensory strategy to pull in here.

When students are segmenting a word, have them use counter chips, stamps, or another visual to mark each sound they hear. Bonus points if they color code consonants, vowel sounds, and other patterns. 

We always include at least one phoneme segmenting task in our PA "warm-up." For students who need more support, have them segment each of their spelling words. They'll get more phoneme segmenting practice and it directly translates to their spelling performance - it's a win-win! 

Click below to grab your own copy of the phoneme segmenting activities pictured above.