Chapter 8: Blending Sounds into Words¶
Overview¶
This chapter teaches children to blend individual sounds together to read words. Starting with simple two-sound words and progressing to three-sound (CVC) words, children will develop essential decoding skills.
Learning Objectives¶
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Remember: Recognize common word patterns (VC, CVC)
- Understand: Explain how sounds blend together to make words
- Apply: Blend sounds to read simple words
- Analyze: Decode unfamiliar CVC words
Chapter Summary¶
Blending is the key skill that turns letter sounds into real words. This chapter teaches children to smoothly connect sounds together, starting with two sounds (VC words like "at") and building to three sounds (CVC words like "cat"). This is where reading begins!
Concepts Covered (15)¶
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Blending | Putting sounds together to make words |
| Sound Blending | Connecting sounds smoothly |
| VC Pattern | Vowel-consonant words (at, in, up) |
| CVC Pattern | Consonant-vowel-consonant words (cat, dog) |
| Word Patterns | Common letter arrangements |
| Decoding | Using letter sounds to read words |
| Sounding Out | Saying each sound then blending |
| Word Reading | Reading whole words |
| Word Families | Words with same ending (-at, -an, -ig) |
| Onset-Rime Blending | Combining beginning sound with word ending |
| Continuous Blending | Holding sounds together smoothly |
| Word Building | Making words from letters |
| Letter Manipulation | Changing letters to make new words |
| Simple Words | Easy decodable words |
| Decodable Text | Text with words students can sound out |
Key Vocabulary¶
- Blend: Put sounds together to say a word
- Sound out: Say each sound in a word
- CVC word: A word with consonant-vowel-consonant (cat, dog, pig)
- Word family: Words that end the same way (-at: cat, hat, bat)
Activities¶
- Sound Slides: Slide finger under letters while blending sounds
- Word Family Sorting: Group words by their ending pattern
- Build-a-Word: Use letter tiles to build CVC words
- Blending Practice: Blend teacher-provided sounds into words
- Decodable Book Reading: Read simple books with CVC words