Posted by: Alesia Netuk

Updated: October 10th, 2023

Elkonin Boxes – Building Phonemic & Phonological Awareness

Elkonin Boxes – Building Phonemic & Phonological Awareness

Elkonin boxes help students develop phonemic awareness skills by breaking words into individual sounds (phonemes). With this tool,  students hear a word and then place a chip into a box for each sound that makes up the word. To make the process easier, different colored tokens can be used for consonants and vowels.

Are Elkonin Boxes Evidence-Based?

In the 1960s, Russian psychologist D.B. El’konin developed the method of using sound boxes to help improve reading capabilities in young children. The method involved segmenting words into individual sounds (phonemes) and proved to be an effective strategy that helps students build phonemic and phonological awareness.

Using Elkonin sound boxes involves three parts of the brain – where the sounds (phonemes) are stored, where spelling (graphemes) is stored, and where meaning is stored.

Research Behind this Strategy

PREPARING ENGAGING LESSONS
JUST GOT EASIER …

Save hours on your lesson preparation time every week with an organized collection of high-quality, low-prep, hands-on printables right at your fingertips!

PREPARING ENGAGING LESSONS
JUST GOT EASIER …

Save hours on your lesson preparation time every week with an organized collection of high-quality, low-prep, hands-on printables right at your fingertips!

elkonin boxes

How to Use Elkonin Boxes

There are two ways to use Elkonin boxes in your classroom: with and without letters. Using Elkonin boxes without letters develops phonemic awareness skills. Students learn to distinguish individual sounds (phonemes) within the word. Using Elkonin boxes with letters adds new skills when students start to associate sounds with letters and manipulate sounds to blend words (during reading) and segment words (during spelling).

The more students practice mapping sounds to spelling, the better they become at segmenting sounds in words. Explicit instructions during teaching increase reading and spelling achievement.

Blending helps students hear how sounds are combined to make a word and prepares students to decode words independently (blend sounds together to read the word). Segmentation helps students split a word into sounds to write them and prepares them to spell words independently.

Elkonin Boxes Examples

Before using sound boxes, make sure students can stretch a word. For example, ask students to stretch the word cat (cccaaattt) and mark each sound in a word (drag one chip in the box as they move from sound to sound).

elkonin boxes

CVC Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word CAT. The word CAT follows a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) pattern. When the word follows this pattern, the vowel in the middle represents the short sound.

Say the word (cat). Let’s stretch the word CAT together (cccaaattt). Great. Let’s say the word CAT sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/k/ /ā/ /t/). How many sounds do you hear? (3)

Let’s write the word CAT. What letter spells the sound /k/? (c) Write a C under the box. What letter spells the sound /ā/? (a) Write an A under the box. What letter spells the sound /t/? (t) Write a T under the box. How do you spell the word cat? (C-A-T) How many letters does the word CAT have? (3)

Read the word CAT and slide the finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word CAT and share them with the class.

elkonin boxes

Silent E Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word CAKE. When the word has a silent E at the end, the previous vowel says its name. It is called a split digraph. A split digraph is a digraph that is split by a consonant.

Say the word (cake). Let’s stretch the word CAKE together. Great. Let’s say the word CAKE sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/k/ /ā/ /k/). How many sounds do you hear? (3)

Let’s write the word CAKE. What letter spells the sound /k/? (c) Write a C under the box. What letter spells the sound /ā/? (a) Write an A under the box. What letter spells the sound /k/? (k) Write a K under the box. Now, we have one more letter, the silent E. The silent E’s job in this word is to change the letter A sound from /ă/ to /ā/. Write an E at the end of the word. How do you spell the word cake? (C-A-K-E) How many letters does the word cake have? (4)

Read the word CAKE and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word CAKE and share them with the class.

Where Does Silent E Go in Elkonin Boxes?

In Elkonin boxes, the silent E goes in the same box as the letter preceding it.

elkonin boxes

Consonant Digraphs Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word BATH. In the word bath, the letters th stand for the /th/ sound. It is called a consonant digraph. A consonant digraph is two consonants that make one sound.

Say the word bath. Let’s stretch the word BATH together. Great. Let’s say the word BATH sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/b/ /ă/ /th/). How many sounds do you hear? (3)

Let’s write the word BATH. What letter spells the sound /b/? (b) Write a B under the box. What letter spells the sound /ă/? (a) Write an A under the box. Two letters spell the sound /th/. They are TH. Write TH under the last box. How do you spell the word bath? (B-A-T-H) How many letters does the word bath have? (4)

Read the word BATH and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word BATH and share them with the class.

How do you put consonant digraphs in Elkonin boxes? Do consonant digraphs go in one sound box?

A consonant digraph is two consonants that make one sound. Consonant digraphs do come together in one sound box.

elkonin boxes

Consonant Blends Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word CRAB. In the word crab, the letters cr stand for the /kr/ sounds. It is called a blend. A blend is two consonants that come together and keep their sounds.

Say the word crab. Let’s stretch the word CRAB together. Great. Let’s say the word CRAB sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/k/ /r/ /ă/ /b/). How many sounds do you hear? (4)

Let’s write the word CRAB. What letter spells the sound /k/? (c) Write a C under the box. What letter spells the sound /r/? (r) Write an R under the box. What letter spells the sound /ă/? (a) Write an A under the box. What letter spells the sound /b/? (b) Write a B under the box. How do you spell the word crab? (C-R-A-B) How many letters does the word crab have? (4)

Read the word CRAB and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word CRAB and share them with the class.

How do you put blends in Elkonin boxes? Do consonant blends go in one sound box?

Blends are two consonants that come together and keep their sounds. Blends do not go together in one sound box. Each sound in a blend has its own sound box.

elkonin boxes

Vowel Digraphs Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word EAT. In the word eat, the vowel pair ea stands for the /ē/ sound. It is called a vowel digraph. A vowel digraph is two vowels that make one sound.

Say the word eat. Let’s stretch the word EAT together. Great. Let’s say the word EAT sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/ē/ /t/). How many sounds do you hear? (2)

Let’s write the word EAT. In the word eat, two letters spell the sound /ē/. They are EA. Write EA under the first box. What letter spells the sound /t/? (t) Write a T under the box. How do you spell the word eat? (E-A-T) How many letters does the word eat have? (3)

Read the word EAT and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word EAT and share them with the class.

How do you put vowel digraphs in Elkonin boxes? Do vowel digraphs go in one sound box?

A vowel digraph is two vowels that make one sound. Vowel digraphs do come together in one sound box.

elkonin boxes

Diphthongs Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word BOY. In the word boy, the vowel pair oy stands for the /oi/ sound. It is called a diphthong. A diphthong is two vowel sounds that slide together to make one sound.

Say the word boy. Let’s stretch the word BOY together. Great. Let’s say the word BOY sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/b/ /oi/). How many sounds do you hear? (2)

Let’s write the word BOY. What letter spells the sound /b/? (b) Write a B under the box. In the word boy, two letters spell the sound /oi/. They are OY. Write OY under the last box. How do you spell the word boy? (B-O-Y) How many letters does the word boy have? (3)

Read the word BOY and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word BOY and share them with the class.

How do you put diphthongs in Elkonin boxes? Do diphthongs go in one sound box?

A diphthong is two vowel sounds that slide together to make one sound. Diphthongs do come together in one sound box.

elkonin boxes

Floss Rule Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word BALL. In the word ball, the letters ll stand for the /l/ sound. It is called a floss rule. When a one-syllable word ends with the letter l, it is doubled.

Say the word ball. Let’s stretch the word BALL together. Great. Let’s say the word BALL sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/b/ /ô/ /l/). How many sounds do you hear? (3)

Let’s write the word BALL. What letter spells the sound /b/? (b) Write a B under the box. What letter spells the sound /ă/? (a) Write an A under the box.In the word ball, two letters spell the sound /l/. They are LL. Write LL under the last box. How do you spell the word ball? (B-A-L-L) How many letters does the word ball have? (4)

Read the word BALL and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word BALL and share them with the class.

How do you put double letters in Elkonin boxes? Do double letters go in one sound box?

When a one-syllable word ends with the letter l, it is doubled. Double letters do come together in one sound box.

elkonin boxes

R-Controlled VowelsElkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word BIRD. In the word bird, the letters ir stand for the /ər/ sound. It is called an r-controlled vowel. When a vowel is followed by an /r/ in a syllable, the vowel becomes “controlled” by the /r/ and makes a new sound.

Say the word bird. Let’s stretch the word BIRD together. Great. Let’s say the word BIRD sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. ( /b/ /ər/ /d). How many sounds do you hear? (3)

Let’s write the word BIRD. What letter spells the sound /b/? (b) Write a B under the box. What sound is next? ( /ər/? Usually, the sound /ər/ spells with two letters IR. Write IR under the next box. What letter spells the sound /d/? (d) Write a D under the box. How do you spell the word bird? (B-I-R-D) How many letters does the word bird have? (4)

Read the word BIRD and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word BIRD and share them with the class.

How do you put r-controlled vowel words in Elkonin boxes? Do r-controlled vowels go in one sound box?

When a vowel is followed by an /r/ in a syllable, the vowel becomes “controlled” by the /r/ and makes a new sound. R-controlled vowels do come together in one sound box.

elkonin boxes

Trigraphs Elkonin Boxes

Today, you are going to learn the word LIGHT. In the word light, the letters igh stand for the /ī/ sound. It is called a trigraph. A trigraph is three letters that make one sound.

Say the word light. Let’s stretch the word LIGHT together. Great. Let’s say the word LIGHT sound by sound and move a chip in a box for each sound. (/l/ /ī/ /t/). How many sounds do you hear? (3)

Let’s write the word LIGHT. What letter spells the sound /l/? (l/) Write an L under the box. In the word light, three letters spell the sound /ī/. They are IGH. Write IGH under the nest box. What letter spells the sound /t/? (t) Write a T under the box. How do you spell the word light? (L-I-G-H-T) How many letters does the word light have? (5)

Read the word LIGHT and slide your finger across the arrow as you read it. Orally, generate one or two sentences with the word LIGHT and share them with the class.

How do you put trigraphs in Elkonin boxes? Do trigraphs go in one sound box?

A trigraph is three letters that make one sound. Trigraphs do come together in one sound box.

Elkonin Boxes Template and Word Lists

We designed the Elkonin boxes template for the activities above (two, three, four, and five phonemes) and the Elkonin boxes word lists for the above activities.

elkonin boxes

Elkonin Boxes and High-Frequency Words

The research shows that readers store the “irregular” words in their memory, like “regular” words. The readers extract the word’s spelling and store it as a sight word in long-term memory. Many high-frequency words are decodable and can be included in your phonics instructions. The only difference is those words appear more frequently in print than others.

The “irregular” words can be grouped by similar unusual spelling patterns and be explained during the phonics instruction pointing out their difference. Students can use different colors to show the usual and unusual spellings and memorize the irregular part of the word (phonics coding chart).

Keys to Success

  • Explicit instructions. Provide explicit step-by-step instructions and make sure all students understand the concept. Guide students through the activity and provide support as necessary.
  • Phonemic Awareness. Ask students to place (slowly slide) a chip in a box for each sound they hear.
  • Blending. Ask students to slide their fingers across the arrow to blend sounds and read the word.
  • Segmentation. Ask students to say word sound by sound and count the number of sounds in the word.
  • Spelling. Ask students to write the letters that make each sound.
  • Observe and assess students’ progress to ensure they are on the right track.

When Students Struggle

Elkonin boxes are an effective multisensory strategy for struggling students. Students may sound out letters but cannot blend them together to read the word. Elkonin boxes help students visualize phonemes when breaking down the word.

Pausing between the letters and breaking down words by phonemes help students see that many sounds are made of more than one letter. Once students break down the sounds, they blend them together to read the word.

LEARNING MATERIALS TO MEET EVERY CHILD’S NEEDS

Here, at PrimaryLearning.Org, we tend to deliver the best-differentiated learning materials to K-2 students. Our resources can be easily incorporated into multisensory lessons to meet every child’s needs, whether s/he is a visual, kinesthetic, or auditory learner.