Read Write Inc Set One - Optimized Visual Sound Mat

Visually optimized RWI Set One sound Mat as writing reference, review, environment learning support. Improve children’s writing outcomes.

As Early Years children write, they use a sound mat as a reference to segment words and spell them. This ‘letter rainbow’ uses concepts and elements from Multimedia Learning Theory and Gestalt Psychology to reduce the cognitive load, extraneous processing, and help children to more independently find the letters they need as they try to independently write words.

With many years of experience teaching Early Years abroad to English language learners, I’ve found that the traditional sound mat, with all the letter squares squished together (in an order I would argue is arbitrary to 4 and 5 year old children) I designed this to be in the order of the alphabet (which they almost all know the ABC song) and which also teaches the principle of alphabetic order.
Print this out on a large A3 to have on the wall, or as A4’s to tape to the table, and include in your writing area. Once children know how to use it, they can become much more effective at writing words independently by segmenting them and finding the corresponding graphemes on this optimized visual reference.