1) Letter sounds
2) Letter names
3) Beginning sounds
4) CVC Blends
5) Whole words / high frequency words
Here’s part 2 of the post where I would like to share a tad more on blending and some tips to whole word approach.
4) CVC
After your child has mastered the beginning sounds, the next thing to do before the blend would be to work on the ending sound. I know of parents who work with the child on the ‘middle’ sound first which is fine, but my preference is to work on the ending sound next. This is because some children may not be sensitive enough to break the word into the respective parts and may not pick up the middle sound easily.
CVC stands for Consonant Vowel Consonant - so this is where you will be blending only 3 letter words: m / a/ t. I am a firm believer of 'manipulatives' for the younger kiddos so do use magnetic letters / letter tiles and push them around with your child as you sound out the individual letters. Say the letter sounds faster and faster as you push the tiles closer and closer till it forms the word.
Depending on the age and readiness of your child, blending requires a lot of practice before they pick up the technique. I have also shared another phonics system which Dumpling and I are using at home. In this post (last clip at the end of the post) you are able to view how Dumpling attempted to spell out a new word with me sounding it out slowly.
5) Whole words / Sight words / High Frequency words
For sight words / whole words recognition, exposure is key where you need to read, read, read a lot with your child as you point out the high frequency words again and again. There is an element of "rote" learning for such words.
However, to be able to recognise is one thing, being able to recall is another. So, to start off, work on perhaps 2 / 3 new words per week. Identify what those words are and you can try the following in guiding your child in this.
:: Look / Recite / Cover / Copy / Check
This is a bit "old" school where we let the child look at the word, recite (spell it out via letter name) and then cover and get the child to attempt writing it out, check and repeat if necessary. If the child is older, you can practise penmanship too. Now, to make it more engaging and especially for younger learners, you can also use other "materials" for the child to write on - foam, salt, sandpaper, sand, etc.
:: Games
Games are sure ways to commit these words to memory!
1) Bowling contest
Paste words on toilet roll core and placing this into a formation like the bowling pins. Take turns to shout out a word and use the tennis ball to roll / hit the chosen word. (Squeals and laughter guaranteed!)
2) Words Bingo (with a twist)!
Place the various sight word cards on the floor (on anti slip mat) and take turns shouting. You can either jump / use a fly swatter to hit the words. (Mayhem guaranteed!)
3) Fill in the colour
For the arty child who likes colouring, you can prepare an outline of the words and get the child to stamp / colour via the number / colour code. With such a practice, the child is also being taught the read colours too.
For sight words / whole words recognition, exposure is key where you need to read, read, read a lot with your child as you point out the high frequency words again and again. There is an element of "rote" learning for such words.
However, to be able to recognise is one thing, being able to recall is another. So, to start off, work on perhaps 2 / 3 new words per week. Identify what those words are and you can try the following in guiding your child in this.
:: Look / Recite / Cover / Copy / Check
This is a bit "old" school where we let the child look at the word, recite (spell it out via letter name) and then cover and get the child to attempt writing it out, check and repeat if necessary. If the child is older, you can practise penmanship too. Now, to make it more engaging and especially for younger learners, you can also use other "materials" for the child to write on - foam, salt, sandpaper, sand, etc.
:: Games
Games are sure ways to commit these words to memory!
1) Bowling contest
Paste words on toilet roll core and placing this into a formation like the bowling pins. Take turns to shout out a word and use the tennis ball to roll / hit the chosen word. (Squeals and laughter guaranteed!)
2) Words Bingo (with a twist)!
Place the various sight word cards on the floor (on anti slip mat) and take turns shouting. You can either jump / use a fly swatter to hit the words. (Mayhem guaranteed!)
3) Fill in the colour
For the arty child who likes colouring, you can prepare an outline of the words and get the child to stamp / colour via the number / colour code. With such a practice, the child is also being taught the read colours too.
4) Word Search Puzzles
Head over to sites like this where you can generate word search puzzles. Transfer the puzzle over to a word doc, change the font size and print! Great for car journeys and quiet time too!
:: Songs
Songs are a great way for the young ones to pick up the spelling of sight words. You can search for loads of them via YouTube or you can even make up your own with popular kid songs. It is ok for the song to sound silly as long as it is catchy!
Example: (Sing to the tune of "Mary had a little lamb")
T - H - E - Y spells out 'They'
Spells 'They', Spells out 'They'
T - H - E - Y spells out 'They'
We can spell 'They' now!
Once your child is comfortable with these (or if your child is reading) and you are looking for ways to encourage Creative Writing, head on over to Upside Down Homeschooling where I guest blogged and shared 5 tips!
Have a great week ahead!
Alicia - Mama Sue :)
The Bowling game is SUCH a clever idea :) And also versatile. i could use it for math or more advanced words. Definitely trying this out! Thanks for the part 2..
ReplyDelete-Reshama
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