sw, sn, sc, spl letter teams

Do you think our swans are pretty?     

Letter s has many blends: sc, scr, sch, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, spl, spr, squ, st, str, sw;    plus the digraph sh as in shell which can add r as in shrink, shred.

(There are only 6 digraphs; the letters do not blend, instead they melt into a special sound.)

Each letter in a blend keeps its own sound and blends with another consonant, as in scat, scram, skate. In digraphs, the two letters "melt" together, as in shell, ship, shiver.

Have fun with your child as you help him find s blends in stories you are reading together.

Make an s-blend book in which he can draw pictures of s-blend items. He can also cut pictures out of magazines of s-blend items to glue on pages of his s-blend book. Extend your child's skills by labeling his pictures and drawings.

Ask your child to point to each word as you read. Let your child take over the reading task when he can. Tell each other sentences using these words, it will help anchor the word in his mind:

swan     small     snake     scat           skate    spill      spring       stop       street
swap     smell     snail       scatter       skin      spin      sprinkle    stomp    stream
swim     smile     snap      scamper     skip      spot      sprout      still         streak

Below, let your child look at each word and tell you whether or not he sees an s-blend in it. The goal is to begin to recognize s-blends within a word.  

1) swan      yes, I see an s-blend  or no, I do not see an s-blend

2) sweep    yes   or   no

3) swing     yes   or    no

4) thorn       yes   or   no

5) stop        yes   or   no

6) store       yes   or   no

7) skunk      yes   or   no

8) skate      yes   or    no

Answers: 1) yes, sw; 2) yes, sw; 3) yes, sw; 4) no; 5) yes, st; 6) yes, st; 7) yes, sk; 8) yes, sk.

You may like to see my books. I use ebay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up. Scroll down to see books at your child's grade-level. Lots of color pictures with lessons practiced in stories, lots of phonics exercises, sight words, and a special comprehension you will find nowhere else. Being a strong reader is more important than ever.

Have fun reading with your child, Mary Maisner