To be able to read, first a child must hear initial sounds, and then s/he must be able to hear sounds in words - in the middle and at the end in order for him/her to be able to read words such as d-o-g. A Suitable method of teaching oral blending for all childrenNot all children will need intensive help to blend sounds, but others will. Teaching should go at the speed of the child, not at an arbitrary speed set by a programme. Therefore, these strategies can be used by all children of any ability, but some will quickly grasp what is required and not need to spend much time at all at this stage and will be able to move on to sounding out cvc words. I like to start oral blending by using syllables, starting with words with just two syllables. Actions Actions can be very helpful to emphasise the different parts of the word. There are various strategies used by teachers, and you can find one that works for your child. Some use the arm, touching the shoulder for the first sound, the front of the elbow for the second and the wrist for the third and then sweep down the arm as the whole word is said. For children with coordination difficulties, which is many children with a special need of some kind, I like to use big movements, and I use the head, shoulders and stomach. Always work in this way. 1. Explain to the child that you are going to say a word together and tell the child the word. For example robot. This is because we are going to talk like a robot. 2. Demonstrate to the child how to touch the head as you say 'ro' and the shoulders as you say 'bot'. Leave a gap of about one second between the two parts of the word. Have the child do it with you several times. 3. Finish by saying the complete word 'robot'. So: ro (touch head) - bot (touch shoulders) : robot. Let's do it again, ready? ro (touch head) - bot (touch shoulders): robot. Then choose another word. Find one that is meaningful to your pupil. You can use compound words like 'foot -ball', or any other two syllable word. Here are some my pupils like: rocket Lego story rainbow table seven snowman donkey sausage rabbit Once your pupil has the idea, try just saying the word with the actions, and see if the child can say the whole word without being told. Once this happens consistently, we know it is time to move on to the next stage. Oral blend words with two soundsNow we can break one syllable words into two parts. I like to use words with long vowel sounds to start with. Use the same approach and the same actions, but use words like these, broken as indicated: t-ie p-ay s-ea g-o (go) t-oe p-ie s-ay d-ay t-ea p-ea s-o (so) m-e (me) Oral blend words with three syllablesOnce these are being heard consistently, go back to syllables again, but this time use words with three syllables: tel-e-phone cho-co-late sat-ur-day com-pu-ter bu-ter-fly ham-bur-ger Now oral blend word with three soundsNow you can take the plunge and try breaking words into three syllables. Here are some ways to try. With special needs children particularly it can be a matter of finding out what works with your child. I like to start with words with the short vowel 'a' and a nice clear ending sound of 't', to help to make it easier for the child to hear the word. You might also decide it is best to start with words with initial sounds that can be held on to like: m-a-t s-i-t s-a-t f-i-t r-a-t v-e-t Then you can move onto other words with other final/middle sounds, such as m-a-n, m-a-p, v-a-n, m-e-n, r-u-n, m- o-p etc..., still with an initial sound that can be held on to. Some children have more success with some final/middle letters better than others, so keep trying different words and noting the response. One lad I taught, with severe needs, found any words ending with 'g' easy, even if they did not start with a sound that could be held onto: big, dig for example. You may find that your child hears the final two sounds, e.g 'at' of c-a-t, but not the first sound, in which case, help him/her to put the initial sound with 'at': c-at, m-at, etc... and then another day try again. If the child guesses too much, then revert back to a stage of oral blending from above in which s/he was successful. Always aim to build confidence. Try again in a few days time, after more practice at a previous stage. In all situations be patient! Always praise and be ready to change tactic, to put it aside for the day if the child still does not grasp what is necessary. You are sowing seeds, showing the child what can be done, but you might not see a 'shoot' for a while yet. But never think nothing is happening. One day it will, but it might take many weeks. Moving on to sounding out wordsOnce you feel that your child is consistently oral blending these cvc words, it is time to start introducing him/her to more words. If you want help to do this please see our video below. Our CVC words gamesHead over to our CVC words games to find ways to take the tedium out of learning. Our games are all free and have been made for real children who have needed help. I hope you find something to help your pupil! Do let others know if they work, and tell us if they don't!
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WelcomeHello, I'm Lilibette, qualified teacher (B.Ed Hons). I have taught phonics in mainstream education, followed by have home-educated my two sons to 18, and am now a private tutor. Categories
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