Sequence of Phonics Instruction – Part II

Phonics teaches children to identify relationships between letters and sounds which aids in indentifying words. When teaching phonics a methodical and explicit approach works best. Begin with the simple relationships – ones a child can easily understand and gradually move along the continuum to the more complex relationships.

The previous post, Sequence of Phonics Instruction – Part I, addressed consonants, short vowels and word families, specifically VC and CVC. This post will discuss digraphs, blends and related word families. It is important to begin with Part I before advancing to two or more consonant sounds and the patterns that involve both blends and digraphs, e.g., CVCC, CCVC and CCVCC.

1. Initial Consonant Blends

   Introduce initial consonant blends (two or more consonant sounds at the beginning of a word in which each letter retains its own sound).

   Letters	Example	Letters	Example
   pr	print	fr	frog
   tr	truck	st	star
   gr	grape	sp	spill
   br	bread	sk	skin
   cr	crab	sc	score
   dr	drive	sw	swing
   sm	small	fl	flag
   sn	snack	sl	sleep
   pl	plan	gl	glad
   cl	clap	tw	twenty
   bl	blow	dw	dwell
   spr	spring	str	straw
   scr	scream	shr	shrink
   spl	splash	thr	throw

   The above initial blends belong to one of five families:

   • L family – e.g., cl as in clam or gl as in glue
   • R family – e.g., br as in Brad or fr as in fry
   • S family – e.g., sn as in snail or st as in step
   • 3-letter family, -e.g., str as in street or thr as in three
   • No family – e.g, dw as in dwell or tw as in twin

   Consider beginning with the L family followed by the R family.

2. Final Consonant Blends

   Introduce final consonant blends (two or more consonant sounds at the end of a word in which each letter retains its own sound). Using rhymes to teach ending consonant blends facilitates making a connection between letters and sounds.

   Letters	Examples
   ct	act, fact & pact
   ft	left, theft, gift, lift, drift & shift
   ld	old, told, hold, sold, held & weld
   lf	elf & shelf
   lk	milk, silk, bulk, sulk & hulk
   lm	calm, palm & balm
   lp	help, yelp, kelp & gulp
   lt	halt, salt, felt, melt & belt
   mp	camp, champ, stamp, dump & jump
   nch	ranch, branch, bench, drench, inch & pinch
   nd	band, hand, land, send, bend & blend
   nk	ink, stink, stank, stunk, trunk, bank & sank
   nt	bent, sent, hint, mint, print, hunt & bunt
   pt	kept, swept, slept & wept
   rd	card, hard, guard, yard, cord, afford & Lord
   rt	art, cart, mart, part, chart, smart, start, dirt, shirt & skirt
   sk	ask, mask, task, dusk & husk
   sp	gasp, clasp, grasp, lisp, crisp & wisp
   st	fast, last, list fist, best, guest, chest, must & trust

3. Consonant Digraph

   Introduce the combination of two letters that represent one sound (digraph).
   

   Letters	Example
   ch	chimp
   sh	ship
   th	thin and these
   wh	whale
   ph	phone
   gh	tough
   ng	sing

   Consider introducing the following digraphs first: ch, sh, th and wh.

4. Consonant-Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CCVC), Consonant-Vowel-Consonant-Consonant (CVCC) and Consonant-Consonant-Vowel-Consonant-Consonant (CCVCC)

   Now that’s a mouth full of gibberish! Practice both digraphs and blends using CCVC, CVCC and CCVCC words. Using the words noted below, create word cards. Write each word on a card and perform the following:
   

   • Tell your child to sound out each letter-sound relationship and then read the word fast.
   • Show your child a card and model your expectations – sound out the word very slowly and then read the word quickly. For example, using the word clap, say slowly ccllllaaapp and then quickly say clap. Of course, you must end by clapping since you successful said the word!
   • If your child mispronounces a word, have her slowly sound out the word using her finger to point to each sound and then move her finger quickly as she says the word fast. Offer assistance when deemed necessary, e.g. if your child is struggling with a word, pronounce it for him. As always keep it fun and practice applying a good dose of patience!

   CCVC	CVCC	CCVCC
   blob	belt	black
   chop	card	brick
   clap	fact	check
   crab	fish	front
   drum	gift	glass
   flag	hand	graph
   plum	hold	print
   skip	jump	scarf
   snap	kelp	shelf
   spin	last	skunk
   stop	mask	slept
   swim	milk	smart
   them	palm	snack
   twin	sing	think
   whip	wasp	trunk

I always like to keep it fun when learning to read. So let’s review what your child has learned with a fun game! Using paper or index cards create two piles of cards.

• The first pile will contain the onsets (the initial sounds of a word):

1. Single letters: t & l
2. Blends: cl & sl
3. Digraph: sh
• The second pile will contain the rimes (the ending part of a word):
1. VC: -ot & -ip
2. VCC: -ack, ick & uck

On a separate card write the five onsets and rimes. If possible use colored paper; write the onsets on one color and the rimes on another. You should have a total of ten cards.

• Review each card with your child.
• Place the two sets face down.
• Select one card from each pile and read the word. For example, if you selected sh from the onset pile and ip from the rime pile, you would say, “ship.”
• Ask them if they can name other words that rhyme with ship, e.g., hip, lip, chip & skip.

Please note shick and sluck are not words but may be formed in this game. If your child says these words, ask them if this is a real word. If you want a good laugh, make up a definition for these made-up words.