Vowel Sound Dominoes
Congratulations on your purchase of Really Good Literacy
Center-in-a-Box™ Vowel Sound Dominoes–a fun and exciting
way to reinforce vowel-sound study.
Objective
The student will match vowel sounds in words using picture cues.
This Really Good Stuff® product includes:
• 32 Vowel Sound Dominoes
• Center Task Card
• This Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide
With Vowel Sound Dominoes, emergent readers have fun while
matching pictures that illustrate words with the same vowel
sound. Students sharpen their phonological awareness skills by
listening for and identifying only the vowel sounds in words.
Through repeated play, students will distinguish among short,
long, r-controlled and complex vowel sounds.
words that have the same sound. Record student words,
highlighting the common vowel sound of each word. Practice
doing this with a few sounds until students are familiar with
the concept. Be sure to point out that while most of the vowel
sounds occur in the middle position of words, the vowel
combination /aw/ occurs in both the middle and ending
positions, as in yawn and saw.
Introducing Vowel Sound Dominoes
Go over the pictures on the Dominoes, making sure that
students are able to identify each one. Explain that they will
need to listen for and focus on only the vowel sound of the
word that names each picture. For a complete list of the
Dominoes and their pictures, see the Dominoes list provided
at the end of this Really Good Stuff® Activity Guide.
Model the Activity
Model the Vowel Sound Dominoes game with a small group of
students. Rules for the game are similar to those of the classic
Dominoes game, with a few exceptions. Choose an appropriate
place to play–either at a large table or on the floor. Pass out six
Dominoes to each player, and place the rest of the Dominoes
face down in a pile where all players can reach them. Select one
Domino and place it face up in the middle of the table. The first
player starts the game by putting down a Domino with a
picture whose name matches the vowel sound on the Domino
played. Players can build on the chain horizontally or vertically.
(There are no points in this game as there are in the traditional
game.) The game continues until one player runs out of
Dominoes.
Managing Vowel Sound Dominoes
• Display the Center Task Card.
• Demonstrate how to tidy the center when the activity is
complete.
• Store the center materials in the box and store it with other
Centers-in-a-Box.
Introducing Vowel Sound Dominoes
A similar game to the classic Dominoes, Vowel Sound
Dominoes provides ample opportunities for students to
practice newly acquired vowel-sound recognition skills in a fun
setting. Vowel Sound Dominoes meets the following
instructional goals:
• Recognizing and identifying middle phonemes
• Comparing and contrasting vowel-sounds
• Sorting and classifying vowel sounds
In this set, there are 32 Dominoes, each displaying a picture
cue with a distinct vowel sound. Students get practice hearing
and identifying 16 vowel sounds with four different picture
representations each. Included are picture cues for short, long,
r-controlled, and complex vowel sounds.
Matching Vowel Sounds
Before playing Vowel Sound Dominoes, familiarize students
with the concept of matching sounds. Select a vowel sound,
hold up a Domino that displays a picture representing that
sound, and ask students to identify objects or think of other
After modeling Vowel Sound Dominoes, use it as a literacy
center activity. The familiarity of the game, ease of instruction,
and picture cues make the game accessible to all students.
Tactile learners will enjoy moving the Dominoes, while visual
learners will benefit from the picture cues.
Center Task Card
Post this at a literacy center in a visible position. The student
or helper can refer to the Center Task Card for instructions.
Refer to the shaded section at the top of the Card for center
preperation, including needed materials.
All activity guides can be found online:
Helping Teachers Make A Difference
®
© 2010 Really Good Stuff
®
1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #304153
Vowel Sound Dominoes
Vowel Sound Domino List
Vowel Sound Dominoes Game
Two to four players
Object: Match pictures by vowel sounds
Materials: Vowel Sound Dominoes
1. Each player gets six Dominoes and places them
face up in front of them.
2. All other Dominoes are face down where everyone
can reach them. To start, place one Domino face
up in the middle of the table. Decide on the order
of play.
3. Player 1 looks for a Domino with a picture to
match the vowel sound of the starting Domino.
That player names the pictures and says their
vowel sound.
4. Players take turns adding to either end of the
Domino chain.
5. A player who does not have a match takes a
Domino from the pile and keeps it.
6. The first player to use all of his or her Domino is
the winner.
7. If no one uses all their Domino, the player with the
fewest Domino wins.
clap
corn
bell
jacks
flag
first
third
band
horse
hill
skirt
shorts
sword
nest
shed
hop
sit
tent
smoke
shirt
barn
whip
knob
heart
star
crawl
nut
yarn
jigsaw
fox
lock
plug
skunk
saw
yawn
boil
coin
stump
chain
ghost
soil
clown
Variations:
• Build only a horizontal chain.
• Use dividers between players so that each player’s
Domino are out of the sight of the other players.
Extensions
Vowel Sound Object Sort: Select two or more vowel
sounds to compare, and gather three to five objects
that represent the sounds. Name the objects, and
have students sort them into their vowel-sound
categories. Encourage students to find additional
objects in the classroom to add to the sort. They
can also use pictures.
Related Really Good Stuff® Products:
Rhyming Dominoes (#303262)
Blend and Digraph Dominoes (#303253)
Beginning Sound Dominoes (#304096)
Ending Sound Dominoes (#304088)
CVC Dominoes (#303257)
Short Vowel Dominoes (#303257)
R-controlled Vowel Dominoes (#303218)
RIP
house
flame
gate
cheese
broom
grave
beak
loud
town
fruit
stool
peel
seat
night
pipe
tube
float
smile
stripe
point
thin
stove
Helping Teachers Make A Difference®
© 2010 Really Good Stuff® 1-800-366-1920 www.reallygoodstuff.com #304153