| Don't rely only on the teacher at school to | | | | Another reason blends should not be taught is |
| teach your child to read. The teacher | | | | that one of the signs of a good reader is being |
| unfortunately has too many students in her class | | | | able to manipulate/change the sounds in words |
| and can't possibly give your child all of the | | | | (phonemic awareness) to make new words. This |
| attention he deserves. | | | | strategy can be taught when all of the sounds |
| Read aloud to your child every day. Even | | | | are separated, but not when two sounds are |
| fifteen minutes before bedtime will accomplish a | | | | blended together. You can have your child work |
| great deal, such as: increase love of reading, | | | | with letter tiles and say, "spell and say the sounds |
| increase vocabulary, give knowledge of other | | | | in tap." That says, tap-- now change it to top. |
| worlds and ways to solve problems, provide a | | | | That says, top, now change it to stop, etc. You |
| time to bond with you, and perhaps even help | | | | can't do this very important exercise without |
| your child to sleep better! Children love to be read | | | | separating all of the sounds and avoiding blends. If |
| to and often request the same books over and | | | | you try this, be sure to make only one change at |
| over. They are learning something new from the | | | | a time. |
| book, so play along; eventually you'll breathe a | | | | Next teach your child to read and spell |
| sigh of relief, like I did, when, after the | | | | "digraphs" (words wherein two letters symbolize |
| twenty-fifth time, my daughter finally let Mike | | | | one sound) such as sh/ch/th/ck. This includes |
| Mulligan's Steam Shovel lay to rest! | | | | words such as: ship, wish, chat, that, sick, etc. |
| Point to and let children fill in the simple words | | | | This is the first time your child will learn that |
| (pig, dog, cat, etc.) in the story as you read. | | | | sometimes two letters represent one sound. Even |
| Sound these words out for your child to begin | | | | though the words listed above all contain four |
| with until they get the hang of it. [p I g -- c a t] | | | | letters, those four letters represent only three |
| Be sure you're saying the sounds--not the | | | | sounds. A good strategy, and multi-sensory |
| letters. Your child will learn more quickly by relating | | | | approach, is to draw one line for each sound and |
| the sounds to the "pictures of the sounds," than | | | | let your child fill in the lines with the sound pictures |
| by knowing the letter names. For example, with | | | | letters while he or she says the sounds. |
| the word "cat," the letters pronounced, "see a T," | | | | ___ ___ ___ [ch o p ] |
| don't give the child a strategy to use in sounding | | | | Young children like sorting things into groups. |
| out the word and may be confusing. | | | | You could, for example, make lists of words |
| When you start with the sounds in the | | | | containing /sh/ /ch/ /th/ and /ck/ as mentioned |
| words, you are starting with something the child | | | | above, cut them out, and let your child sort them |
| already knows. He knows how to talk! Our | | | | into the aforementioned groups. This helps children |
| language didn't start out with letters and then | | | | to be more aware of the differences as they |
| make sounds to go with them; we started out | | | | begin to read and spell these words. |
| with sounds and created letters to go with the | | | | Spend time writing with your child each day. |
| sounds. Humans have been speaking for | | | | When you're making a grocery list, let her make |
| thousands of years, but only reading and writing | | | | one too. When you're writing a letter, let him |
| for a relatively short amount of time. | | | | write a letter to his grandparents or a friend who |
| Reading ought to be a progressive endeavor. | | | | has moved away. Don't worry for now that he |
| It really isn't a natural activity like talking. Your child | | | | can't spell every word correctly, or that she |
| won't learn how to read by osmosis. Follow the | | | | writes some of the words phonetically (the way |
| simple steps (below) and your child will be | | | | the words sound). I call this process |
| enjoying reading in no time. | | | | "developmental spelling," and seeing what he |
| Start with simple words. These are called | | | | knows about the sound/symbol relationships can |
| CVC words for their (consonant-vowel-consonant) | | | | tell you what he still needs to learn. Teach |
| order. [For example, red, pot, bad, rug]. | | | | "conventional spelling" a little bit at a time, |
| When you say the sound of a consonant, try | | | | concentrating on the CVC, CCVC, and common |
| not to put a vowel sound after it. This confuses | | | | digraph words early on. Eventually you can teach |
| children, because they may not be able to hear | | | | the "accepted spellings" for more advanced |
| the real vowel sound. Say the consonant sounds | | | | words. Also, the more your child begins to read, |
| sharp. [For example, when you say /p/ let your | | | | the more he or she will begin to recognize |
| lips pop out, don't say "pu." | | | | accepted spellings for words. |
| Ability to segment the sounds in a word is | | | | Talk about ideas and meanings of words with |
| predictive of reading success. Play simple games | | | | your children from the beginning. By the time |
| to teach your child how to segment each of the | | | | they've learned to decode (sound out) words, |
| sounds and then how to blend them together to | | | | they'll be much further ahead in the literacy game. |
| make a word. Say, "I'll say some sounds, i.e. [d o | | | | Don't assume your child knows the definition of |
| t], and then you tell me what the word is..." When | | | | words; ask your child what a word means and |
| your child gets the hang of this, let him tell you | | | | you may be surprised that often they won't |
| the sounds in little words and you "guess" the | | | | know. But, if they have an idea (even a little bit of |
| word. You can also ask, "Tell me the sounds you | | | | an idea), give them the opportunity to try to |
| hear in the word "fog," for example. Make sure he | | | | express it. This is good practice. |
| is separating each of the sounds. [f o g] | | | | Be sure to enunciate clearly when speaking to |
| Play rhyming games as well. These are fun | | | | your child. Children, especially those who struggle |
| and will help your child to hear the subtle changes | | | | with reading, have difficulty hearing all of the |
| in words. "I'm thinking of a word that rhymes with | | | | sounds in words, and may tend to leave out or |
| fish." Children love to fool you too, so also let | | | | add some sounds. A third grade boy I worked |
| them play along as they say, "I'm thinking of a | | | | with years ago, used to add the letter "a" to the |
| word that rhymes with hat," etc. | | | | end of words he spelled anytime he wasn't sure |
| After your child is somewhat successful with | | | | what to do. Later on he and I had a good laugh |
| 3-sound words, begin teaching words that are | | | | about that. If children don't know how to |
| called CCVC (consonant, consonant, vowel, | | | | pronounce a word correctly, they will not be able |
| consonant) words such as "stop," "trip", and "frog." | | | | to spell it or read it correctly. |
| These words are more difficult because children | | | | When your child wants help spelling a word, |
| may have trouble hearing the adjacent (or double) | | | | you can help him access his own knowledge by |
| consonant sounds. Teach these sounds as | | | | saying, "Say the word _____. How many |
| separate sounds; do not teach the two | | | | sounds do you hear when you say ____?" For |
| consonants together as a blend! Struggling readers | | | | example, if the word is 'flat,' hopefully, he will hear |
| have more difficulty reading when they've | | | | and say, "4 sounds". Next, have him write a little |
| previously been taught blends. When you say a | | | | line for each of the four sounds, and fill them in as |
| blend (like /bl/ or /fr/ or /gl), it's difficult not to | | | | he says the sounds out loud. This multi-sensory |
| put a 'u' sound after it. This makes the real vowel | | | | strategy will help time after time. |
| sound difficult to hear. Also, teaching blends in | | | | If you want to teach your child on your own, |
| isolation is a waste of precious time. So, the word | | | | I recommend the book "Reading Reflex" by |
| "frog" should be taught as four separate sounds. | | | | Carmen & Geoffrey McGuinness. |
| [f r o g]. | | | | |