How to Create Phonogram Cards

Whether you're a home schooling parent or just want to give your child a jump on language learning, consider the use of phonograms, which are a single letter or group of letters representing a sound. There are 72 such combinations that produce the most common sounds in the English language, according to All-About-Spelling.com. Although phonogram flash cards are available for sale, you can make your own with very little effort taking on your computer. Create your own set of phonogram cards with just a couple of clicks and a few minutes' time.

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Adobe Photoshop
• Microsoft Publisher

Instructions

Using Paint

1. Open Paint, pull down the "Image" menu and select "Attributes." Set your dimensions to 8.5 inches by 11 inches and click "OK." You'll actually make both sides of the card on the same sheet.

2. Click the "Line" tool and draw a line directly across the middle of the page, splitting it in half. This is just your guide to keep the two sides of the card separate.

3. Click the "Rounded Rectangle" tool and position your cursor near the top left corner of the page. Drag your cursor down toward the bottom right corner of the top section, creating a rectangle frame. This will be your guide to cutting out the card. Repeat on the bottom section to add a second rectangle.

4. Click the "Text" tool, which looks like an "A." Click inside the top rectangle. When the text toolbar appears, select a big, bold font such as Elephant or Rockwell Extra Bold. Set your font size to "200." Type the phonogram, such as "igh," in lower case letters.

5. Move your cursor down into the bottom rectangle and click to bring up the text toolbar. Reduce the size of the text down to a smaller option and type the words "Sounds Like" and then type a lower-case "i."

6. Click further down on the card and type "Words include:" and add example words such as "sigh" and "high."

7. Pull down the "File" menu, click "Save As" and name the card the phonogram name; in this case "igh." Repeat to create other cards.

Using Photoshop

1. Open Photoshop and click "File," then click "New." Name the file the name of the phonogram card, such as IGH and set the dimensions to 8.5 inches by 11 inches. Click the "OK" button.

2. Right-click the "Shape" tool on the "Tools" palette; this may look like a hollow rectangle, hollow circle, line or solid star. These tools all share the same space. Select the "Rounded Rectangle Tool." Draw a rectangle from the top left corner of the "IGH" box to about halfway down the page. Repeat this so you've got a second rectangle, both equally sized.

3. Click the "Type" tool, which looks like a "T" on the "Tools" palette. Select a bold, easy-to-read font from the text toolbar at the top of the screen, such as Arial Black, and set your cursor size to "200." Position your cursor on top of the first rectangle and type "IGH" or your preferred phonogram.

4. Move your cursor to the bottom rectangle. Reduce the text size on the text toolbar and type the words "Sounds Like" and the letter "i." Shift your cursor down a bit on the rectangle and type the words "Words include: sigh and high."

5. Save the phonogram by pulling down the Photoshop "File" menu and clicking "Save As." Consider starting a folder on your computer for the different phonogram graphic files to keep them all together.

Using Publisher

1. Open Publisher and click "Blank Print Publications." Click the "Index Card" option, which opens in the Publisher workspace sized to 5 inches by 3 inches. To change the size, pull down the "File" menu, click "Page Setup" and type in new dimensions.

2. Click the "Text Box" tool, which looks like an "A" on an index card, and draw a large text box taking up almost the entire size of the index card. Type the letters "IGH," then highlight them with your cursor. Use the text toolbar at the top of the page to change the font and increase the letter size so they take up almost the entire card.

3. Save the card by clicking "File" and "Save As." Name the file "IGH-Front" and save it to your computer. Do not close the file.

4. Highlight the "IGH," reduce the font size and type the words "Sounds Like: i." Press the "Enter" key to move down a few spaces on the card and type "Words include: sign and high." Highlight both lines with your cursor and increase the font size as preferred.

5. Save the card by clicking "File" and "Save As." Name the file "IGH-Back" and click "Save."

References

• Windows: Using Paint
• All About Spelling: Phonograms
• University of Washington: Adobe Photoshop Type Tool
• In Pictures: Microsoft Publisher 2007 In Pictures