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An initial sound table is a table, list or chart which shows the initial sound letter of a word together with its picture (pictured words). The initial sound table can assist students to recognise initial sounds and to get first reading and writing skills. In 1658 John Amos Comenius created an initial sound table in Orbis Pictus (a picture book intended for children).
Contents
Alternative names: initial sound list, initial sound chart, initial sound alphabet, alphabet chart, alphabet picture chart
Writing to read
In the German-speaking countries, language experience is often based on children's writing of stories that involves invented spellings (e.g. with the help of an "initial sound table" picturing words that start with a specific sound). The Swiss teacher Jürgen Reichen (progressive education) founded this "writing to read" method 1982. The method combines two basic features of in favour of "phonics" (unduly equated with "direct instruction", stepwise teaching, etc.). According to this approach children should be encouraged to "write words as they pronounce them" with the help of an "initial sound list" of pictured words. Constructing words in this way is supposed to help them to understand the basic relationship between spoken and written language.
Johann Amos Comenius already added 1658 an initial-sound-table to his „Orbis sensualium pictus“.
Initial sound keyboard
There are software for children which has a multimedial initial sound keyboard for text input (virtual keyboard). Several hardware keyboards for kids also have initial sound pictures on its keys. With initial sound stickers and a standard computer keyboard you can create your own initial sound keyboard.app0l
Initial sound examples
There are initial sounds, medial sounds and final sounds.