I remember the first time I saw a beautifully crafted classroom sound wall on Pinterest. Like many of you, I thought, “If I just put this up in my classroom, my students’ reading will improve!” But as much as I love making things beautiful, simply having a pretty display isn’t enough. Today, let’s talk about how to make your classroom sound wall truly work for you and your students.
Why Sound Walls Matter (And Why They Sometimes Don’t)
Here’s the truth: a classroom sound wall is only as effective as how we use it. Think of it like a piano – it’s not the instrument itself that makes beautiful music, but how we play it. Sound walls serve as a bridge between those abstract sounds in language and the concrete letters we use for reading. They help our students make those crucial connections between speech and print.
While we don’t have specific research on classroom sound walls yet (stay tuned!), we do know something important: teaching students about how their mouths make sounds (those articulatory features) supports phonemic awareness, letter-sound knowledge, and decoding skills. It’s like giving students a roadmap to the sounds in our language.
Making Your Classroom Sound Wall Work
Let me share some practical strategies that have worked in real classrooms:
Start with Sound Production
When you introduce a new phoneme, make it an exploration. Model the sound, show students the articulation card on your sound wall, and teach the most common spelling pattern. When teaching my students a new sound, I usually demonstrate the sound and then have my students make the sound. Then I ask them to notice a few things:
- Is this a sound that we can hold (like /m/), or is it short (like /p/)?
- What are your lips doing?
- What is your tongue doing?
- What do you feel in your throat – is it quiet, or does it buzz?
Some sounds are easy for students to describe (like /m/) and others are more difficult (like /r/). I’ll usually describe what’s happening in my mouth and ask students to notice specific features, like my mouth is closed or my tongue sticks out. Having students pay attention to what’s happening in their own mouths turns abstract concepts into concrete experiences. It can also be especially helpful to English language learners who may not have the same sounds in their home language.
Partner with Your Speech Language Pathologist
Your SLP is a valuable ally in this work. Having started my career in Special Education, I had the benefit of collaborating with several Speech Therapists over the years. I still reach out to our school’s SLP if I notice that a particular student is having difficulty with a certain sound or if I’m not quite sure how to describe what my mouth is really doing. For your students who receive speech services, it can be helpful to collaborate with the SLP to become more aware of any articulation difficulties that could also impact their ability to read or spell.
Make Sound Exploration Interactive
One of my favorite techniques comes from Louisa Moats – using handheld mirrors for sound exploration. Give each student a mirror and let them watch their mouths as they make different sounds. Ask them: “Is your mouth open or closed? Where is your tongue? What are your lips doing?” When students make the /m/ sound, they can see their lips pressed together. This visual feedback helps them connect the feeling of making a sound with its representation on your classroom sound wall.
Daily Implementation Strategies
- Start your phonics lesson by referencing the sound wall. When teaching a new sound-spelling pattern, have students locate it on the wall and practice the articulation.
- During writing time, encourage students to use the sound wall as a reference. I love watching students walk up to their classroom sound wall, find the sound they’re trying to spell, and return to their seats with newfound confidence.
- Use the sound wall during intervention time. When working with struggling readers, I often have them stand near our sound wall as we practice difficult sound-spelling patterns.
Practical Tips for Success
Remember, implementing a classroom sound wall doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s what works:
- Don’t feel like you need to perfect your wall before using it. Start small and build gradually.
- Keep instruction brief and targeted – reference the wall at appropriate moments rather than spending long periods focused on it.
- Work with grade-level colleagues to share ideas and experiences.
- Remember that your SLP can be an incredible resource for understanding articulatory features.
Making It Work in Your Daily Routine
Here’s what this might look like in practice: When introducing a new sound, spend a few minutes having students explore it with their mirrors. Guide them to notice specific features about how their mouths make the sound. Then point to the corresponding articulation card on your classroom sound wall. As students encounter this sound in their reading and writing throughout the day, you can quickly reference back to the wall.
A Note of Encouragement
Every adult knows that there are 26 letters and could easily name them, but if you asked them how many speech sounds there are in English, far fewer would come up with the number 44. For most adults, that fun fact would only come up at Trivia Night. For anyone teaching reading it’s essential information to know. This might feel overwhelming at first, but you don’t have to master everything at once. Start with one sound at a time, and build your confidence along with your students’.
Your classroom sound wall is a tool that supports instruction – it doesn’t replace good teaching. The magic happens in those moments when you help students make connections between how sounds feel in their mouths and how those sounds appear in print. Take it one sound at a time, and watch your students’ understanding grow. Happy teaching!
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Additional Resources
The most common question I get when teachers are building their sounds walls is “Where do I find those mouth pictures?” If you’ve already searched high and low and come up empty handed, I’ve linked an affordable option below.
- Sound Wall Card Set by Hand 2 Mind
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