• Blending to Read Words

    blending words

    Blending is the ability to put letter sounds together to read a word. To read a word, children must know the sounds the letters represent in the word and be able to blend those sounds to come up with the correct word. For example, after children know the letter sounds /­f/ for f, /­ĭ­/ for i, and /­sh­/ for sh, they learn to blend those sounds together to read the whole word. When they see the word fish, they are able to say, "/­f­/ /­ĭ­/ /­sh­/, fish." We call this, blending because you are putting sounds together to read a word.

     

     Short and Long Vowel Sort

    Help your child identify short or long vowels and read words.

     

    Fun With Consonant Blends and Digraphs

     
    Key Points About the Video
    • Mom explains that a digraph is two (or more) letters that make one sound (sh says /sh/).
    • Mom explains that a consonant blend is two or more consonants next to each other that keep their individual sounds (You can hear the /s/ and the /l/ in the word sleep).
    • When her son has difficulty with the /ch/ (as in chick), Mom models it for him and has him practice it several times.

     

     Fun With Consonant Blends and Digraphs

    Help your child blend consonant blends and consonant digraphs from left to right to read a word. A consonant blend is two or more consecutive consonants that make their individual sounds (sl, gr, ft). A consonant digraph is two consecutive letters that are read as a single sound (ch, th, sh).

     

    r‑Controlled Vowel Sort

     
    Key Points About the Video
    • Dad reviews the r-controlled vowels on the activity sheet before they begin the activity.
    • Dad provides positive feedback to his son: "Great job, buddy!"
    • Dad uses words in a sentence to model oral language and help his son understand the word.

     

     r‑Controlled Vowel Sort

    Help your child identify r‑controlled vowels (ar, er, ur, or, ir) in words and spell those words.