Kinesthetic Cues Update

Help Students Master Short Vowel Sounds with Kinesthetic Cues

A kinesthetic element is one important aspect of multisensory instruction. Teachers can use these terrific kinesthetic cues to help clarify or remind students of the short vowel sounds. We recently took the time to update a couple of our cues and their accompanying descriptions. Below, you’ll find descriptions of the changes that were made and answers to a couple of FAQs. Be sure to watch the video that shows one of our fantastic trainers, Brittiney, demonstrating each cue.

/A/ as in Apple and /I/ as in Itch
No changes were made to these cues or their accompanying descriptions.

/E/ as in Echo
You’ll notice this cue wasn’t changed; we simply changed the way we describe it. This new description ties the cue and sound to a real word: echo. In addition, the pronunciation of the word ‘echo’ isolates the /e/ sound in a way that ensures exact production of the phoneme (i.e., the pronunciation of the vowel sound is not influenced by proceeding phonemes).

/O/ as in Opera
In the past, this cue didn’t have an accompanying real word to reinforce its pronunciation. Now it has a fun (potentially harmonious) sound and an associated word! Even though we’re no longer gesturing toward our mouths, you should still call attention to mouth placement as the sound is made (as you would with the other cues).

/U/ as in Up
Over the last few years, we have had a couple of different options for this cue. For many of you, this version isn’t new at all! As with echo and opera, this version ties the sound to a real word.

What If I Like the Old Way?
While these will be the cues taught in all of our trainings going forward, we want to be clear that you can continue to use old versions of the cues or descriptions if you choose. Whatever versions of the cues you decide to use, we encourage you to promote uniformity in your school or organization so students have a consistent experience from grade to grade or instructor to instructor.

We hope you like these new cues and descriptions as much as we do! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your Customer Success Manager if you have any questions or concerns. We’re here to support you!