Unlocking Literacy with Elkonin Sound Boxes: A Simple Yet Effective Tool For Phonemic Awareness and Phonics
Every year, without fail, I have a handful of learners in my class who really struggle with blending.
“Ready? Let’s blend together! D-O-G….. GOB!!”
“Ummm, good try…. let’s try another…”
“C-A-T…. TAS!!”
“Hmmmm”
If this sounds familiar at all, then I would HIGHLY recommend trying sound boxes or Elkonian boxes. I have personally found that they seem to have just the right ingredients to help (some, not all) struggling blenders and really give their confidence a much needed boost!
What are Sound Boxes?
Sound boxes are tools that allow learners to use a multisensory approach to blending. Each box represents one sound (or phoneme), so if your learning objective were to blend CVC words, you would want to use a sound box with three boxes. If you were practicing blends (for example, the word F-L-A-T, you would want to use a sound box with four boxes.
Benefits of Using Elkonin Sound Boxes in Literacy
As mentioned above, sound boxes allow learners to engage in a multisensory way.
- Visual – each individual sound is represented by a box.
- Tactile – learners use counters or tiles (or any manipulative) to place in each box – again, representing a sound.
- Aural – as learners tap each manipulative in the boxes, they hear themselves make the sounds.
Another important, though less obvious benefit, is that learners learn that speaking and reading involves manipulating sounds. learners see that each sound is both an individual component of language and at the same time a small part of a bigger word. This is important later when learners segment sounds in words, particularly when spelling.
How to Use Elkonin Sound Boxes Effectively – Phonics and Spelling
If you want to use sound boxes in your classroom, you will need:
- Printed Elkonian boxes
- Counters or other manipulatives (Optional but highly recommended)
- Markers or letters to make the target words
- A word list at an appropriate level
You are best to start with short words (word families are great) that have distinct phonemes and introduce more challenging words as the student’s skill level improves
Step-by-Step Instructions on Using Elkonin Sound Boxes
Blending:
- Choose a word
- Say the word aloud slowly, stressing each sound
- Guide the student to segment each sound
- As the student says each sound, have them place a counter in each colored circle below the letter.
- They can repeat the sounds, touching each counter as they say the sound.
Spelling:
- Choose a word
- Say the word aloud slowly, stressing each sound
- Guide the student to segment each sound
- As the student says each sound, have them write or make the corresponding letter in each box
Tips for Implementing Elkonin Sound Boxes in the Classroom
As mentioned above, start small! Choose words with simple phonemes (NO DIGRAPHS YET!) and help by saying the different sounds together. Show them how to segment the words before you let them try independently.
What is the Science of Reading Behind Elkonin Sound Boxes?
There is a lot of research that ties long-term reading success to early phonemic awareness skills. Using Elkonian boxes to teach phonemic awareness, therefore, is something key to building strong literacy foundations.
Orthographic Mapping: How Elkonin Sound Boxes Fit In
This is simply the process by which learners store words in their long term memory. Elkonian boxes help learners with this process by allowing them to map sounds to letters within words. This allows learners to see word families more easily by seeing and reading words within words (for example Manhatten = “man” + “hat” + “ten”), making readers more efficient with their energy.
How Can Elkonin Sound Boxes Help Different Learners?
By their nature, Elkonian boxes are useful to learners with many different learning styles. The hands-on, multisensory approach is especially helpful for those learners who find visual and aural learning challenging.
Supporting Struggling Readers with Elkonin Boxes
Struggling readers often find comfort in the very structured and simple way to practice blending and spelling. I have personally found that one of the biggest wins is that learners who were finding reading difficult and, therefore, a chore rather than a pleasure became excited to read! Parents would also comment on how their child would happily read at home now instead of hide at the sound of a page turning!
Using Elkonin Sound Boxes for Differentiated Learning Needs
For learners who find CVC words easy, Elkonian boxes can be used for more challenging words too! Simply add more boxes and use longer, more challenging words!
Where Can I Find Elkonin Sound Boxes?
Here!
If you would like to try my printable sound boxes to help build phonemic awareness, teach blending and spelling in your class, please download here!
