Elkonin sound boxes: An evidence-based literacy strategy
Expert reviewed by Margie B. Gillis, EdD
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear and manipulate the smallest units of sounds (phonemes) in words. Many students with learning differences like dyslexia struggle with phonemic awareness. Because phonemic awareness is a foundational literacy skill, students who have trouble with this skill often have difficulty with reading.
Elkonin sound boxes can help students develop phonemic awareness by focusing on segmenting and blending the sounds in words. Segmenting is breaking a word apart into its individual sounds. Blending is putting the individual sounds together to say the word. Read on to learn how to use Elkonin sound boxes to teach these important skills.
Watch: See Elkonin sound boxes in action
Download: Printable Elkonin sound boxes
Elkonin sound boxesPDF
Read: How to use this strategy
Objective: Students will use Elkonin sound boxes to segment words into phonemes and blend them back together.
Grade levels (with standards):
- K (Common Core ELA Literacy RF.K.2: Understand spoken words, syllables, and sounds)
- 1 (Common Core ELA Literacy RF.1.2: Understand spoken words, syllables, and sounds)
Best used for instruction with:
- Small groups
- Individuals
How to prepare:
Gather materials. Give each student an Elkonin sound boxes printable and five counters, coins, tiles, or other small objects. For students who struggle with fine motor skills, consider using larger objects that are easier to handle.
Choose words to practice. Prepare for the lesson by choosing words for your students to practice. Depending on your students’ needs, you might focus on any of the following:
- Words with two sounds and two letters: it, no
- Words with three sounds and three letters or with three sounds and four letters ending in a ‘silent e’: hop, cat, game
- Words with three sounds and one or more digraphs (two letters that make one sound): fish, tooth, chime
- Words with four phonemes and blends (two or more letters that blend together but that have separate sounds): crab, skip, trade
- Words with five phonemes and blends: street, crust, blend
How to teach:
1. Review sounds in words. Remind students that words are made up of sounds. Explain that they will practice hearing all of the sounds in a word. Be sure to emphasize that they should focus on the sounds they hear, not the letters they see.
2. Model. Point to the set of boxes that has two squares. Explain that students will move one counter into one square for each sound they hear. Model how you’ll do that by lining up two counters above the squares. Say the word it. Pull down one tile into the first square as you say /ĭ/ and the second tile as you say /t/. Then run your finger along the arrow underneath the box to blend the sounds back together: it.
3. Practice and give feedback. Invite students to practice another word with you. Depending on your students’ needs, you might use the sound box with three squares and the word hit. Support students as they pull down one tile for /h/, one for /ĭ/, and another for /t/. Then blend the sounds back together to make hit.
Repeat the activity with several words that have two, three, four, or five sounds (as appropriate for your students). Provide feedback as students segment and blend the sounds.
For English language learners (ELLs): Hold up a picture of the word you are asking students to segment. Say the word and have students repeat it. (If the word is a cognate, say the word both in English and in the student’s home language.) After students say the word in English, segment the sounds and then blend them together. By doing so, you’ll help students build vocabulary by connecting the word with its meaning.
4. Reflect. Wrap up by asking students to tell you how the boxes helped them to hear the sounds in each word.
Understand: Why this strategy works
All students — and particularly students who learn and think differently — benefit from explicit instruction in literacy. The visual element of the sound boxes helps students to segment each sound separately. Similarly, moving the tiles and dragging their finger along the word helps to engage students in multisensory learning.
Elkonin sounds boxes are especially useful for ELLs. Learning English can be difficult for some students because there are sounds in English that may not exist in their home language. For instance, English has many more vowel sounds than Spanish. Elkonin sound boxes give students repeated practice with hearing unfamiliar sounds.
Connect: Link school to home
Share this resource with families to help them understand the importance of phonemic awareness and other phonological skills.
Research behind this strategy
About the author
About the author
Kim Greene, MA is the editorial director at Understood. A former elementary teacher and a certified reading specialist, she has a passion for developing resources for educators.
Reviewed by
Reviewed by
Margie B. Gillis, EdD is the founder and president of Literacy How, which provides professional development for teachers on research-based reading practices in the classroom.
