Onset-Rime

What are onsets and rimes?

Onset and Rime are terms that technically explain the phonological units of a spoken syllable. Syllables are normally split up into two parts, the onset and the rime.

Onset- the initial phonological unit of any word which contains the initial consonant or consonant blend. However, not all words have onsets.

Rime- the string of letters that follow the onset which contains the vowel and any final consonants.

The first skill within onset-rime is rhyming...

Recognizing rhyme- determining if words rhyme
Generating rhyme- identifying a word that rhymes with a given word
Categorization- given a set of 3 to 4 words, determining which one does not rhyme

Choosing Rhyming Words

Start with rhyming words that have sounds at the end that are made with distinct mouth movements that the student can see (e.g. tap, map).
Then move to other rhymes that end in consonants but are less visible when spoken (e.g. tan, man).
Eventually move to rhyming words that end with vowels rather than consonants (e.g. way, may).

Tips for Rhyming Activities

Increase complexity of rhyme awareness tasks along the skill continuum.
Be careful not to turn everything into a test. Mix up the activities and make it fun!
Provide feedback besides “good job.”

“I saw you looking at my mouth. Did you see it look the same?”
“Let’s say the words again. Do they sound the same at the end?”
“Watch my mouth as I say the words again. Does my mouth look the same at the end?”

Rhyming Activities

Copy of Rhyming "at" words_Cat in the Hat

Yes/No Activity

Students identify words that rhyme by saying Yes/No. They can do thumbs up/thumbs down, point to the correct choice on the slides, or use their AAC system to respond.

Extension activity: Ask students to identify a word to add to the rhyming set by pointing to a picture or finding it in their AAC system.

Rhyming Picture Cards with Printables.pdf

Rhyming Memory

Students identify words that rhyme by playing rhyming memory. This activity can be differentiated by adjusting the number of cards in play and by adjusting the complexity of the words. If the students have limited verbal ability, give them time to think about the words in their heads before asking if the pair rhymes.

Copy of Rhyming with Fox in Socks_Dr Seuss

Rhyming Word Challenge

Adjust the complexity of the task by increasing the field of choices. You can also have students select which word doesn't rhyme in a field of 3 to 4 choices.

Make it fun by playing "Slap it!" ~ Place 3 pictures cards in the middle (two that rhyme and one that is different). Have students slap the one that doesn't belong.

*Modification: Have students use eye gaze, a switch, or their AAC system to identify the correct choice.

Go Fish!

Use the same cards as memory, or another set of cards with matching rhyming pairs. Deal five or six cards to the student and yourself, and place the remaining cards face down in the middle. Take turns trying to find rhyming pairs. Model the task by saying, for example, "Do you have a word that rhymes with 'bat'?" If the student does not have a match for you, Go Fish!

*Modification: Student can say just the one word or show the card to you. Again, model by saying "Bat-- I do not have a word that rhymes with 'bat.' Go Fish!"

Blending and Segmenting Onsets and Rimes

Blending onset and rime- Given a word broken into onset & rime, student blends the sounds together to create the whole word
Segmenting onset and rime- Given a word, student is able to break the word into onset & rime

onset_and_rime_picture_cards.pdf

Onset and Rime Picture Cards

*Modification: Name a picture for the student (ex. "Star"). Show the student the word parts with closed fists (left fist - onset / right fist - rime). Put your fists together to show the blending of the parts and say the whole word. Have the student complete the picture puzzle for Star.

You could have the words pre-programmed on a switch or on the student's device for speech output.

Next skill: Initial Phonemes

Page updated

Report abuse