Archive | Phonics

Here we look at the difference between the short and long vowel markings. Short Vowel: The diacritical mark ˘ above a short vowel is called a ‘breve’ (pronounced ‘breeve’). Breve means ‘short or brief’ in Latin, hence why it is used to indicate a short vowel! Examples of short vowels are: (notice how the vowel […]

Here are activities and suggestions for teaching alphabet letters.  Pick and choose what you think will work for your child and keep in mind that this should be a fun process for both parent, teacher and child!  You will find this is the most rewarding way to teach….why do it any other way?! Fun Activities for teaching […]

Frequently asked questions on teaching alphabet letters are: What is the ideal age to introduce the alphabet? What letters to teach first? Do I teach letter names or letter sounds? Should I teach capital or lower case first? Is it a good idea to teach the alphabet in alphabetic order? How do I actually teach […]

Phonics blends or clusters, are groups of consonants whose sounds blend together. As children become more confident with the alphabet consonants, they start to blend these letters together. Consonant blends are so called, because you will notice that they do not have any vowels between them. Each letter within the blend is prounounced individually, but quickly, so they ‘blend’ […]

Consonant clusters or blends, are the names given to two or three consonants that appear together in a word. Each consonant retains its sound when blended. The term cluster refers to the written form and the term blend refers to the spoken form. Consonant clusters consist of four major categories: r-clusters s-clusters l-clusters 3 letter clusters You can teach beginning […]

What are the Vowel Sounds? From the 26 letters in the English alphabet, 5 of these letters are used to make 19 vowel sounds. The other 21 letters are used to make the 25 consonant sounds. The 19 vowel phonemes consist of: 5 Long Vowels 5 Short Vowels 3 Dipthongs A long and short oo (2 […]

Click the links below to view all the free phonics printables! Just sit at your computer and press the ‘print’ button!!  Word Blends Alphabet Printables Word Search Puzzles Flashcards Sight Words Rhyme Printables Flip Books Phonics Worksheets Lesson Plans Phonics Games PowerPoint Phonics: rhyme powerpoint short presentation – dog/frog, carrot/parrot, cat/hat, house/mouse

Listen to Phonic Sounds The 44 phonic sounds of our English Language consist of: Vowel Sounds Consonant Sounds See also Schwa Sound Lesson plans to teach phonic sounds Listening to phonic sounds is important for developing your child’s language and literacy skills. By listening & becoming familiar with them, your child will realize that letters stand […]

Moving on from blending letters to making words is an exciting development in learning how to read. Here are some printable phonic activities to help your child learn while having fun! Initial Blend Dominoes: This is a great game to revise initial blends. Suitable for those who know their blends, but just need a little extra practice. Wonderful graphics and […]