Empowering English Language Learners: Visualizing the Sounds of English

Briarwood Elementary School

Sound Wall Package awarded to Ms. Laub at Briarwood for use in ESL class.

The Science of Reading emphasizes the crucial role of phonics in learning English. As such, there's a clear need for materials that allow these students to visually grasp the formation of the 44 distinct sounds in English. This grant funds essential resources—visual sound packs, spelling cards, grapheme cards, and student desk top charts—to address this need.

The visual sound packs are particularly impactful as they depict how the mouth moves and how sounds are formed using the lips, tongue, and teeth. Having these comprehensive packages in our schools would significantly aid all ELLs in their English language acquisition, reinforcing phonics instruction and building a stronger foundation for reading proficiency.