More Blend Phonics Fun!

Max and I got through to step six in the Blend Phonics book a couple of weeks ago. Step six is the final step and once we arrived there we learned that we had taken this course a bit too fast. I am always guilty of this...but I am learning and Max is very forgiving. Step six is sort of a blend all you have learned from the steps before and use it to decode these big words. Since we had not mastered all of the phonics rules as we went through each step it was daunting for Max, to say the least to try and blend the different rules in one word. So we have pulled back....looked at how to master the phonics rule at each step. In looking at how to go about this, I discovered some cool FREE Montesorri materials, and a simple lap book for consonant blends and a few other odds and ends to make this mastery happen. Thus we begin again our journey into Blend Phonics.

We enter now at step two: Consonant Blends and Diagraphs. I started out using this Montesorri tool called "Alphbatical Order" to give them a firm grasp on the alphabet while in addition getting more familar with what are the consonants and what are the vowels.

We have used this little chart in several different ways. First off we simply put the words onto the chart in alphbetical order. Then the next day we raced doing it. Then we raced again. the next day I had them outline the boxes that were vowels. Then we sorted our words according to what vowel it had. The next day we raced sorting the vowels.

The boys hard at work competing to finish the alphbetical chart.

TJ working hard.

Zak almost done.

Finished!!!

Next we moved on to another Montesorri tool called the Vowel Tree.

Print on cardstock and laminate. I do not have a color printer so I rpinted it B&W and colored in the tree with ink pen, then glued it on to a colored paper.

To use the Vowel Tree: Have the child take two consonants from the movable alphabet
(or write two of them on small pieces of paper, or type them in word and print them out and cut them up). Place one consonant in front of the letter “a” and one after. Have the child say the word that is formed, combining the first two letters into one blended sound. Then have them slide the letters down to the next vowel and say the word. Continue all the way down the tree. For the purposes of this work, they can say a word even if it’s a “nonsense” word, just for the practice of saying the vowel
sounds.
Some possible beginning and ending consonants are:
b _ d   s _ p
b _ t   t _ p
b _ g   p _ n
j _ m   s _ t
f _ n   m _ t
m _ d   s _ m
h _ m   t _ n
r _ g   l _ t
b _ n   h _ t
r _ t   r _ n
r _ d   c _ t
Once the child has mastered short vowel words, they can use the chart with “silent e” combinations and long vowel sounds:
l _ ore   t _ le
t _ ack  s _ ck
p _ ne   m _ re
m _ ne   m _ le
r _ de   l _ ke
l _ te   t _ me

Our Movable Alphabet.

Today, we used the vowel tree to review words with the CVC contruction.I gave them each the consonants from the alphabet to use in making words, then I dictated a word, "bag" and they raced to see who could build it first. The winner got two treats and all who kept a good attitude got one treat. We are working on good sportsmanship as we learn to read and write. We did about 20 words.

As I move through the Blend Phonics book again I am keeping three things in mind:
1) drill: I have phonogram cards which I drill about 8 each day until mastered. 
2) hands on: Montesorri and lap books and other games.
3) Practice and review: re-read all the words from each section.

Phonogram cards for this week.