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VIDBE - Q Volume 62 Issue 4
t, s, f, g, a, h, c, and i . To ensure consistency with matching letter sounds to the actual
letter I would often give Alice three different magnets to choose from, but only giving her
the sound of the letter I was looking for. She consistently c hose the correct letter for the
14 letters listed above.
Since working with students with CVI was new to me, I looked for more resources.
My instructors showed me Elkonin Boxes (see Figure 2) to help simplify and focus the
instruction on each letter or let ter sound. The Elkonin Boxes also simplified the visual
space. For instruction, I said the word aloud and Alice had to find the letter magnets that
matched the sounds in the word. She always had a choice of three letters in front of her,
of which only one was correct. I provided 2 minutes of wait time while she sounded out
the letter choices. Alice picked up on this exercise quickly, and was very adamant when
a letter was an incorrect choice, sounding it out and saying, "Nope!" Through these
activities, I saw Alice progress and I started to change my instruction to continue to
challenge Alice and have high expectations.
Figure 2. Elkonin boxes used to hold letters for blending and segmentation of sounds.
