Sound walls are a great change that many teachers are making in their literacy classrooms. Why? Sound walls are a great visual for students of how phonemes and letters or letter patterns are used to write words. Giving each student a copy of their own sound wall is a valuable tool in the classroom. Let’s dive into what a personal sound wall for students is, why we should give our students this tool, where to store them, and some ideas on how to use them.
A personal sound wall for students is a sound wall that a student is able to have and keep for their personal use. It will look exactly like the one you have in your classroom on a wall. Your students will also need two different walls- a consonant wall and a vowel wall.
If you need more information on what a sound wall is, check out my blog post about sound walls vs. word walls HERE.
Having a personal sound wall gives students some independence in their learning. It allows them to pull it out when they need it. It is a good reference page for students to have as they are continuously learning new phonics patterns.
They also provide a good visual for students as to how their mouth should look when they say certain vowel or consonant sounds.
Before you give each student in your class their own sound wall, it is important to think about where they will be stored when they are not in use. There are so many different ways to store them!
If your students have individual book boxes or bags they use in your classroom, you could have them keep them in their book box. That allows them to take it out and use it whenever they need to.
Some teachers keep them in a bin on a shelf where students can easily access them. I’ve also heard of teachers storing them in clear photo boxes and pulling them out when needed.
Your students will be the ones using the personal sound wall. They may use it:
There are so many uses for an individual sound wall in the classroom!
Are you looking for a personal sound wall for your students? I have one I made as part of my FREE literacy manipulatives.
I glued mine inside a file folder and laminated it for better durability. I also have a sound wall that you can use to create your classroom sound wall HERE.
Do you have personal sound walls for your students? If so, how do you use and store them? I’d love to hear in the comments.
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I’m a K-1 teacher who is passionate about making lessons your students love and that are easy to implement for teachers. Helping teachers like you navigate their way through their literacy block brings me great joy. I am a lifelong learner who loves staying on top of current literacy learning and practices. Here, you’ll find the tools you need to move your K-2 students forward!
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