blending

Digraphs vs. Diphthongs.

Jj is for Jottings 114.  Digraphs vs. Diphthongs.

Digraphs vs. diphthongs – what exactly are they and how do they differ?  They both begin with the same two letters, but then they diverge (get the pun?)

THE ROOTS OF DIGRAPHS AND DIPHTHONGS.

It is always helpful to understand the roots of words, because then we are able to transfer that learning to other situations.  It’s like teaching a man to fish rather than just giving him a fish.  (“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”  Maimonides.)  For a discussion of root words which underlie one of my pet peeves, see here. Continue reading →

Reading Difficult Words.

Jj is for Jottings 98.  Reading Difficult Words.

Picture of a man reading "Aa is for Alpacas", with the caption: Reading difficult words is not an issue with this book!

Reading difficult words is not an issue with this book!

When your child starts to read aloud to you, they will often have problems with reading difficult words.  These words may be just long, or tricky in other ways, such as having several consonants together.  (See consonant clusters).  Or they could have vowel patterns which are unfamiliar, the rules for which they don’t yet know.  It is important to give children time to try to work out the word for themselves.  This helps develop reading skills.  However, when they get really stuck you will need to help them out. Continue reading →

Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness, Phonics.

Jj is for Jottings 94.  Phonological Awareness, Phonemic Awareness and Phonics.

Picture of the book "Aa is for Alpacas" on a pot-bellied stove, with the caption: Learning phonics with this book helps with phonemic awareness and phonological awareness skills, too.

Learning phonics with this book helps with phonemic awareness and phonological awareness skills, too.

You may have heard the terms “phonological awareness”, “phonemic awareness” and “phonics” and wondered what they mean and whether they are different terms for the same thing.  Let’s sort this out right now.

PHONICS.

This is sound-letter links – i.e. learning which sound is made by each letter of the alphabet, and other sounds which are made by combining 2 or more letters.  Children develop the concept that there are consistent relationships between letter symbols and sounds.  This book is a great way to learn sound-letter links.  But you need to make sure you are saying sounds rather than letter names.  You can find this on the video. Continue reading →

Consonant Clusters.

Jj is for Jottings 93.  Consonant Clusters.

Consonant clusters, or blends, can cause problems when analysing sounds  and blending.  Children with speech, language or literacy problems often have difficulty in detecting the second sound in a consonant cluster.  I mentioned this in a previous article on blending sounds.  Children who can easily analyse a consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) word, may completely disregard the second sound in a consonant cluster (CCVC).  This is even when they say the word correctly. Continue reading →

Analysing Consonant Sounds: 5 Activities.

Jj is for Jottings 82.  Analysing Consonant Sounds: 5 Activities.

 

In the previous post on analysing sounds, I said I’d give some activities for analysing sounds – in this case consonant sounds at the beginnings and ends of words.  You can use the activities for sounds at the beginning of words, and then repeat for the end consonants.  Remember that, in these early stages, the words need to be very simple – CV (consonant-vowel) eg. “toe”or CVC, eg. “bit”.  When choosing words, remember that one letter doesn’t always equal one sound.  Click on that phrase if you need further information on that – it’s very important.  I have divided the 5 activities for analysing consonant sounds into two areas – Listening and Producing. Continue reading →

Blending Sounds: A Simple Game For Everyday Life.

Jj is for Jottings 77.  Blending Sounds: A Simple Game For Everyday Life.

What is Blending?

Blending is “pushing” individual sounds or syllables together to make a word.  In early stages of reading the child will be blending sounds, but as they progress and begin to recognise chunks of words, they will also be blending syllables. Continue reading →

One Letter Doesn’t Always Equal One Sound.

Jj is for Jottings 48.  One Letter Doesn’t Always Equal One Sound.

 

If you have read “Aa is for Alpacas” you will already know this, but just in case you haven’t… the letter x is actually two sounds /ks/.  (Remember that the slashes mean the sound rather than the letter name/s.)  The other thing you will know Continue reading →