Manipulating Phonemes for Phonemic Awareness

The ability to distinguish and manipulate the distinct sounds in words is a fundamental aspect of phonemic awareness.

The purpose of this set of worksheets is to guide students to create a word chain by manipulating one phoneme at a time in a series of words. Students write down the target start word, then follow a specific direction to make a new word (e.g. Change the “b” to “n”). They keep going until the chain is finished.

The download includes:

• 2 x CVC directed word chain worksheets
• 2 x CVCC directed word chain worksheets
• an answer key.

Tips for Scaffolding and Extension

• Support students who may need additional scaffolding by adding in every second or third word in the word chain as a guide, and to make the task seem less daunting.
• Challenge more-capable students by asking them to continue each word chain by changing one phoneme at a time.

Easily Download & Print

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or Google Slides version of this resource. 

As this resource contains an answer sheet, we recommend you print one copy, then photocopy the desired number of worksheets for your class.

You might also like to print a few copies on thick card, then slip them into dry-erase sleeves. Students can record their answers with a whiteboard marker, then erase and reuse. 

Alternatively, project the worksheet onto your interactive whiteboard for a paperless lesson!

This resource was created by Lisamarie Del Valle, a Teach Starter collaborator.