...And since curiosity tends to do that to those poor harmless creatures, I guess I will reveal what these interesting objects are! I think I stumped everyone. Some told me that they looked like pipes, others told me that they looked like large pills, and others had no idea!!!
Well, I gave you a clue at the end of my last post about me having "teacher" on the brain. I first saw these objects at the teacher convention I attended in October. The lady was advertising some of the products they were selling at the convention, and this was one of the objects she held up. She called it a "phonics phone."
As children are being introduced to the sounds that letters make, they sometimes mix up the sounds that sound similar. As a teacher I try to sound out the letters carefully, but when the children repeat it, they may think they are making the same sound that I have made, but in reality it is totally different.
I remember learning in choir practice during high school, that in order to hear your singing voice better, you should cup your ears forward as you sing. When you sing out (or speak out), it sounds different to you because your ears are behind your mouth and the words/sounds are being projected forward not back towards your ears. Cupping your ears forward helps you to better hear what you actually sound like!
Anyway, back to the "phonics phone." When children hear what they sound like, they will *hopefully* be quicker in catching on to the letter sounds, and later as they begin to read they will be able to concentrate more on how they sound. Plus, when all you hear is the sound of your own voice, the distraction of other sounds in the room are minimized. I tried it out, and all you have to do is whisper into the phone and you hear your voice loud and clear directly in your ear. Pretty cool, huh? I can't wait to try them out in the fall with my new kindergarten kiddos!!! But until then, I will enjoy hearing the sound of my own voice... (hahaha...just kidding :D)
Well, I gave you a clue at the end of my last post about me having "teacher" on the brain. I first saw these objects at the teacher convention I attended in October. The lady was advertising some of the products they were selling at the convention, and this was one of the objects she held up. She called it a "phonics phone."
As children are being introduced to the sounds that letters make, they sometimes mix up the sounds that sound similar. As a teacher I try to sound out the letters carefully, but when the children repeat it, they may think they are making the same sound that I have made, but in reality it is totally different.
I remember learning in choir practice during high school, that in order to hear your singing voice better, you should cup your ears forward as you sing. When you sing out (or speak out), it sounds different to you because your ears are behind your mouth and the words/sounds are being projected forward not back towards your ears. Cupping your ears forward helps you to better hear what you actually sound like!
Anyway, back to the "phonics phone." When children hear what they sound like, they will *hopefully* be quicker in catching on to the letter sounds, and later as they begin to read they will be able to concentrate more on how they sound. Plus, when all you hear is the sound of your own voice, the distraction of other sounds in the room are minimized. I tried it out, and all you have to do is whisper into the phone and you hear your voice loud and clear directly in your ear. Pretty cool, huh? I can't wait to try them out in the fall with my new kindergarten kiddos!!! But until then, I will enjoy hearing the sound of my own voice... (hahaha...just kidding :D)
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