Create a Sound Wall for your Kindergarten Classroom

The words "Create a sound wall for you kindergarten classroom". The background is a bulletin board with letter posters. The poster being held up has the letter Ff with the sound /f/ and a picture of a fish.

Switching up the traditional alphabet posters in your kindergarten classroom to a sound wall can greatly impact your students’ reading skills!

This year, I am switching from using a word wall in my classroom to having a sound wall. I’ve done quite a bit of research lately on how to teach students fundamental reading skills. Sound walls seem to be where science is moving to.

As I make phonics and literacy routine part of the day, I want to make sure the tools in my classroom match up to what I am teaching my students. Having traditional alphabet posters didn’t quite fit my ideas around focusing on the sound letters make.

Over the school year, I changed up my sound wall to fit the needs of my students. I want to make sure I am using it in a way that helps them learn to read and write, so it has to be responsive to their learning. I’ve created this sound wall set with that in mind: there are different sizes and variations that will allow you to make it fit your students’ needs.

Alphabet Posters

The background is a bulletin board with letter posters. The posters for A, B, C, D, E,F, G, H and I are visible.

Using these alphabet posters can be a great way to anchor the learning happening during your phonics routine. I use the same pictures in a phonics slide deck and posters to help my students develop a deep understanding.

I want to ensure that I am displaying these posters at the eye level of my students. If they are too high, they might not be able to see them.

Sound Wall Headers

The word wall that I have traditionally used just had the letters, but I want to upgrade it this year to reflect letter sounds. I use it with my writing table and mount it on velcro or magnets so that students can use it to support their writing.

Wall space is at a premium in my classroom, so these smaller header cards are a must for ensuring that I can get it all to fit.

Small Groups

The full-page posters can be printed 4 to a page and put on a ring to make them portable. This way, you can use them to reinforce phonics skills in small groups as well.

I love re-using these kinds of cards for setting up provocations and literacy centres as well! The more uses I can find for them, the better!

Do you have a sound wall in your classroom? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!