thr, squ, gr, sn, cl, sw short story

The chipmunk is looking for help.
Our baby squirrel is lost.

Let's have fun reading a short story stuffed with words using consonant blends. In a consonant blend each letter keeps its own sound, as in  

 s n   sneeze,   s q    squeeze. 

But in any story, your child is also going to see the four teams th, sh, wh, ch (called digraphs). What matters is that in those teams letters melt together to make a special sound: thorn, shiver, what, chipmunk.  Tell your child unknown words, then return to read the story again, after all words are known by your child. Lots of rereading is very helpful to skills-building.

The story:

Baby Squirrel has a Surprising Adventure

Chipper the chipmunk climbed up the post.  Chipper the chipmunk was shouting as he climbed up the post. "Help, help," Chipper shrieked as he put his paws on the post. 

Chipper stopped at the top of the post and called out to the fawns. The fawns stopped munching grass. The fawns pricked up their ears. The fawns looked at the pink flowers, then the fawns saw the little brown chipmunk.

The chipmunk was clinging to the gray post and shouting at them. "A tiny baby squirrel fell out of its mother's nest. The tiny baby squirrel may have fallen on a prickly thorn. The tiny baby squirrel may be shivering in the grass. The mother squirrel is screaming and shrieking for our help." Chipper the chipmunk stopped shouting so that he could catch his breath.

Fannie the fawn stepped through the pink flowers to get close to the post. Fannie said, "Climb onto my back, Chipper. Show us the tree where the mother squirrel has her nest."  

Soon, Fannie, and Chipper, and Fonzy the fawn were standing at bottom of the tree where the mother squirrel had built her nest. The three animals saw many other creatures searching through the grass for the baby squirrel. A big skunk was sniffing through a batch of thorny bushes. A slippery green snake was sliding through patches of tall grass.

An opossum was swinging from a low branch as it helped the mother squirrel search.

A frisky mouse was running to the tree. A blue butterfly spread its wings as it looked for the baby squirrel.

Suddenly, a funny snort was heard as a black mole stuck its head up out of its hole.  "Ho," said the mole in a scratchy voice. "Are you looking for this little creature?"

Then, the black mole clawed its way up out of its hole. As the mole climbed up, up, up, the mother squirrel saw a tiny gray bit of fur with its paws wrapped around the mole's nice tail.

Soon, all the animals were cheering. The mother squirrel ran down the tree and grabbed up her tiny baby. The mother squirrel smiled and thanked the black mole very kindly.  

                                                         The End

1) Are you surprised how this story ends? Did the baby squirrel fall out of its nest and down into the mole's hole?  What do you think happened?
2) Did you see lots of letter blends sprinkled in the sentences of this story?
3) Find at least ten words with blends.

I now use eBay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all of my books will pop up. All books are brand new and come with my info; you can email or call.

Have a great day reading with your child, Mary Maisner

ck consonant blend

Will our two little duckings grow up to be big ducks?  

Help your child see the letter team ck at the end of words like back, sick, and duck.

Ask your child to point to each word as you read this list. Reread the list letting your child read with you. 

Now, ask your child to point to the ck in each word. Tell him it will be easy for him to know this sound since c and k both say the k sound.

Next, let your child point to each word and use it in a sentence.

back              crack           Jack          sack                tack              rack

black             pack            stack         smack             track            quack

Ask your child if he knows why Jack has a capital J as its 1st letter. Ask your child if his name has a capital letter as the 1st letter? Yes, because all names start with a capital letter. 

Let's try:
deck           peck   Do ducks peck at seeds in the dirt?  yes  no 

neck           wreck

Let's try:
Dick       Mick       pick         Rick       slick       tick         Vic

click       Nick       prick        sick        stick       trick       wick  as in candle wick

After you read this list once, ask your child why he thinks Dick, Mick, Nick, Rick, and Vic have capital letters? Answer: they are names of people. Next, take turns reading these words and telling each other sentences using them.

Let's look at how being able to see ck in short words can help your child as he begins to encounter longer words. Ask your child to point to the ck in each word. Give your child a chance to try the word before you tell him. Have fun with this, avoid frustration. The goal is to help your child see ck within words:

tack  > tackle       The duck can tackle the bug.

crack > crackle    If I step on paper, the paper can crackle.

buck > buckle      I have a buckle on my belt.

trick > trickle        The water in the sink was stuck, only a trickle would come out. 

A rule having to do with adding suffixes to words ending in c is why the k is needed (because ce, ci always stand for the s sound. Look: pac > paced > pacing. (pac is not the word pack)

This why our ancient scribes chose to use ck. Look: track > tracked > tracking and pack > packed > packing > unpackable.

But, look:  trace > traced > tracing and untraceable and notice > noticed > noticing > unnoticeable. (unnoticeable has two letters n because prefixes are added without change to prefix or base word).

I use eBay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help, all my books will pop up for you.
All my books blend phonics, sight words, and a special comprehension method to provide lessons through stories and skills pages. Lots of color pictures and tools for your child that you will find nowhere else.     Have a great day reading with your child, Mary Maisner

ng consonant blend

The rooster sang a song for the horse.

Early readers see ng at the end of words, like bang. Soon they will see ng in the middle of words, like tangle and triangle.

Ask your child to watch for ng as he points to each word while you read this list. Reread the words, repeating them with your child. Ask your child to point to ng as he tells you a sentence using each ng word:

bang      fang      rang     sang     sprang
clang     gang     hang     slang     pang
harangue

A pang is a sudden, sharp feeling, like a pang of hunger, or a pang of fear. Harangue is a fun word to know, though a young reader will not see it for many years. Ue are silent at the end of harangue, which means a long, blustery speech. If you misbehave, your mother may give you the gift of a long, noisy harangue.

Let's try:
bing        ding     ring      wing      sing      string       sling 
bring       fling     zing     wring     sting     spring      swing

Are you surprised that s has so many ng words?  yes   no   maybe

Wring means to twist something, like you might wring the water out of a wet washcloth. A ding is a tiny mark, like a chip on a china cup, or a bruise on an apple. Fling means to throw a thing, as in, please fling that shirt over to me. Although fling may sound like a slang word, it came into English hundreds of years ago from the ancient Norse language.  Zing refers to having a lively energy, such as in, Angela makes her bed with a lot of zing in her movements. Or, Adam sings with a lot of zing in his voice.

Let's try:
rung     lung      stung      tongue
hung    sung     swung    

Are you surprised tongue, with silent ue, is in the sung family?   yes    no   maybe

Let's try:
long         song      wrong
belong    strong    ping pong

Are you ready for some hard words? These seem harder because they end with ge, the team that says j:
range         strange            lunge                 grunge       binge     cringe      singe

arrange     try: stranger     try: dungeon         sponge      fringe     hinge       syringe

To binge means to behave without curbing your action, as in: the lady went on a shopping binge. Singe refers to a burn around the edges of something, as in: the old map had been in a fire and its edges were singed.

Being aware of the bits and teams within words will help your child get control of the reading task. You might like to look at the books I have to help your child become a strong, skillful reader.  I use eBay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help, all my books will pop up for you.    Have a great day reading with your child, Mary Maisner

sc, scr, tr, wr



Is our owl sitting in a tree?  yes   no          

Sc is a much used consonant blend. Be sure your child understands that it is the same sound as in skin.

Ask your child to point as you read; then reread, repeating each word with your child. Always end by telling each other sentences using the words. This will extend your child's vocabulary:

scat           scan             scar           scuff
scab          scamp          scarf          scold

Remind your child of the letter r sound: rat, ram, ride, rope, rhinoceros, raccoon.

Let's blend sc with r. Ask your child to point as you read, then reread and repeat with your child:
scrap         scratch           scrub          scrunch
scram        scream           screw         scruff

Your child probably cannot read these words. Ask your child to look at the letters in each word and tell you which of these words will have the scr sound he said and heard in scrap, scram. 

1) snow   or   screen

2) scroll   or   spider 

3) slip     or    script

Let's look at the tr consonant blend. Ask your child to point as you read; reread and repeat with your child:
trap     trail      trade      troll    travel

trip      train     trace      try      track

Your child probably cannot read these words. Ask your child to look at the letters in each word and tell you which of these words will have the tr sound he said and heard in trap, trip: 
1) trim    or    time

2) trash  or    toad

3) take   or    tripod

4) type   or    try

W is silent in the team wr.

wrap           wren         wrinkle        write         wrath         wring            writhe long i

wrestle       wreck        wriggle       wrote        wrong        wrought silent gh

Notice write / wrote words.  Ask your child to point to write and take turns using it in sentences, such as: I can write my name. I write my name often. I will write a note to Grandma.

Ask your child to point to wrote and use it in sentences: Yesterday, I wrote my name with a blue crayon. Last week, I wrote a note a my Aunt Sally.  Explain to your child that we use the word wrote when we talk about writing that was done before, in an earlier time.

Wrath is the anger your mom displays when you do something wrong. Wring means to twist, as in wringing the water out of a wet washcloth. 

Wrought refers to something done with wringing and twisting as in wrought iron metal; also wrought is another word for something accomplished through work: after three hours alone in his room, Adam wrought forth a clean bedroom.

Wriggle means to twist and turn; writhe means to twist and turn in agony or pain, to suffer: the pavement was so hot the snake hissed and writhed as it crossed the road.

I now use ebay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up for you. All are new and full of color pictures, and teach through stories and skills practice; lots of tools you will find no where else. Phonics, sight words, and a special comprehension method are woven together for very interesting lessons.

Have a great day, Mary Maisner

shr, thr

Would a little mouse shriek if he saw this lion?       

We have many consonant blends in which each letter keeps its own sound and blends with other consonants, like cl claw and cr crow. 

We have only 6 digraph teams. In a digraph, each letter drops its basic sound and the two letters melt together to create a special sound: sh, th, wh, ch, ph, gh - ship, thorn, chip, whale, photo, laugh / night (silent gh).

Digraph teams sh and th blend with letter r: shr and thr.   Young children have trouble twisting their tongues to make these sounds.

You say each word below, letting your child point to and repeat after you. Directing your child to listen for the difference between the s for sip and the sh for ship. Talk about the difference.

sip > ship            sell > shell            sake > shake        so > show

Ask your child to point as you read, then reread and repeat these words with your child. Tell each other sentences using these words:

ship             shoe           shake          sharp 

          

shell            shop           share           shark     

Now, say and listen to shr. Take turns using these words in sentences.

shred         shrill       shrimp      shrew a mouse      shriek a scream

Ask your child to try to read these words, while you listen.

shrub        shrug         shrink        shriek         screw       screwdriver

  

Guide your child through the same steps with t then th then thr.  Take care to say and hear these separate sounds. Repeat. Watch for these letter teams when you read together. Assign the task of finding and circling these letter teams in stories your child can write on, or used books.

torn > thorn            tin > thin           tick > thick

 

Try:

thorn          thin           thick         thunder       thousand

thumb        think         thistle       thump          thirty

Now, say and listen to thr:

three        throne      throw the ball               I ran through the bushes (silent gh)

thread      throat      a minute ago, I threw the ball


Look to the right side of this blog to see other lessons. You may like to look at the books I have to help your child become a strong and happy reader. I use ebay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up for you. Scroll down to see books at your child's level. Lots of color pictures with lessons practiced in stories. These will not be throwaway workbooks. Lots of info for parents and teachers, plus my contact info.

Feel welcome to leave questions or comments. Have a great day reading with your child,
Mary Maisner

fr, gr, pr quiz

Do frogs live in green places like this?  

Let's look at fr, gr, and pr. 

Ask your child to point to each word as you read. Reread the list, repeating the words with your child. Tell each other sentences using these words to help anchor the r-blend and the word in your child's mind:

frog         friend      frilly      frown     free        frost

frogs       fribble     front     fruit        freeze     Frosty  

Fribble actually is an ancient word. Fribble is a describing word referring to things or actions of little or no importance. What does your child think fribble might mean in these sentences:

The little bird forgot to clean its part of the nest, as its mother had commanded. The little bird fribbled away the day watching the green frogs hop in and out of the frilly green grass. 

Now try:
grass     green       grump      grip      grow

grab       greedy     grumpy    grim     growl

Now try:
prince        print     pro        prowl  to sneak around looking for things; Do raccoons prowl?

princess    prick    proper  prompt

Quiz: Let your child tell you whether or not each word has an r-blend:
1) frog         yes     no
2) fry            yes    no
3) grump     yes    no
4) green      yes    no
5) prank      yes    no
6) purr         yes    no
7) pretzel    yes    no
8) far           yes   no

Answers: 1) yes, fr; 2) yes, fr; 3) yes, gr; 4) yes, gr; 5) yes, pr; 6) letters p and r would have to be side-by-side, purr does not have an r-blend; 7) yes, pr; 8) Are letters f and r side-by-side? No, far does not have an r-blend. 

I now use ebay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up for you. All books are brand new and include my contact info.  Thank you, Mary Maisner

br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, sr, scr, shr, tr, thr, wr

Does our crocodile look friendly to you?  

Letter r is a strong sound; it takes young children a long time to learn to twist their tongue muscles into the shapes needed to produce it. 

In blends, letters keep their own sounds and blend together. The full r-blend family is large: br, cr, dr, fr, gr, pr, sr, scr, shr, tr, thr, wr.

Today's blog will target br, cr, dr words.

Fr, gr, pr, sr, scr, tr, and wr will be covered in the next two blogs. You might need my search box - top left corner.

Being able to see r-blends within words while reading will take many repetitions.  This is because letter r is seen working on its own in words like rabbit, arm, and our; not just in r-blends, like brag and trip.

As you are reading stories together, ask your child to watch for specific r-blends in order to help your child isolate one small group from the vast pool of letters he is seeing on the page.

Let's listen to letter r at the start of:

rat      ram       raccoon      reindeer       rhinoceros   rooster


Let's say the b sound before the r sound:
brat       brand           brave       brace           bread

brag      bramble       brain        bracelet       breath same vowel sound as in bread

Let's say the c sound before the r sound:
crab     crack       crazy       crawl      creature    crocodile

cram    crash       crayon     creep     cricket       croak

Let's say the d sound before r:
drat      dream      drop     drill      drift

drab     dress       drip      drink    drive

Note: shr and thr are not blends. English has 6 digraphs: sh, th, wh, ch, ph, gh. In digraphs, the letters drop their standard sound and melt into a special sound. Sh always sounds like she, shoe, ship. So shr is shrimp, shred, shriek.  Th always sounds like the and them, so thr is three, thread, throne. Look for the shr, thr lesson; use my search box - top left corner. 

I use eBay as my website. Search: Instant Reading Help 1st Grade, 2nd Grade (Giraffe cover). Also: Instant Reading Help kindergarten (panda cover) and Instant Reading Help Vowels (rabbit hopping through the woods cover). Instant Reading Help 3rd Grade, 4th Grade.

All books include my contact info; email or call for help.

Have a great day reading with your child, Mary Maisner

bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl



Do our puppies like to ride on a sled?    

Many letter teams, also called consonant blends, use the letter L: bl, cl, fl, gl, pl, sl.

Ask your child to point to each word as you read. Read the list four times; let your child take over the reading when he can. Tell each other sentences using these words:

blob     blue     blank        blast     blister
block   black   blanket     blink     blustery

Try:
clap      class     claw      clip      club
clam     clamp    clasp    climb   clump


Try:
flip              flap    fluff      flick          float          flow          flower
flippers      flat     fluffy    flicker       floating     flowing      flutter

Try:
glob     glass        glue      glitter          glow          gleam        gloss
glow    glasses    glued    glittering     glowing     gleaming   glossy

Try:
plan      play          please     sled     slip     slop       slam
plant     playing     pleats      slide    slid     sloppy   slab


You may like to see the books I have to help your child become a strong, skillful reader. All my books teach a special comprehension method. They also underline or put in bold the tricky phonics teams, like ce. This makes it much easier for your child to see them, and learn them. I use eBay as my website. Search for Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up for you. 

Or search Instant Reading Help 1 Grade, 2nd Grade. This book teaches everything your 1st and 2nd grade child needs. 

Have fun reading with your child! Mary Maisner

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

difference blends, digraphs

Does our squirrel have a fluffy tail?  
Watercolor by Hans Hoffmann

Our ABCs have two kinds of letters: vowels and consonants. The vowels are: a, e, i, o, u, y. The consonants are all of the other letters.

Consonants can work together in teams called digraphs and blends.

Th, wh, sh, ch, and ph, gh are consonant teams that melt together to make a special sound. This group is called digraphs.

In consonant blends each letter keeps its own standard sound and blends with other consonants; like st in star, stand. Also, str as in street, streak. There are many two and three-letter consonant blends.

Realize your child is learning to twist his tongue to form the complex sounds in consonant blends, such as sq and fl. It is good to have your child hear you make the sound so that he can aim toward that sound.

After reading a story with your child, go back and look over the pages for words with consonant blends. Being good at seeing that specific letters work together in special teams will help your child get control of reading work.

Look at this list with your child. Can your child find the consonant blends?

1) dream       3) prick            5) squirrel      7) scream

2) growl        4) squeal          6) flea            8) blue


I now use ebay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up. All books are brand new, include my contact info so you can email or call for help. All use color pictures and stories to weave phonics, sight words, and comprehension into fun and powerful lessons.  

Answers: 1) dr; 2) gr; 3) pr; 4) squ (u is always with q);  5) squ;   6) fl;  7) scr;  8) bl

Please feel welcome to ask a question or leave a comment. Have a great day reading with your child. Mary Maisner

bl, br, cl, cr

Do you see a black and white mother skunk
and her three baby skunks? 

We have two categories of letters: consonants and vowels. Our ABC letters keep their own sounds in consonant blends: black, blue, bring, broom, clear, cloud, clown, crow, crisp. 

Think: consonsant - constant sound / vowel - variable sound.

As you are reading together, freely tell your child any unknown word - better to keep reading. After you are finished with your story, look back through the pages and ask your child to point to the particular consonant blend you are helping him learn. 

Then, you print the letter blend, such as bl, and ask your child to print the blend three times. Tell each other words that use the blend. Draw pictures of items using the blend, such as a black cat. Print the words below the drawn picture: black cat.

Young children have trouble saying consonant blends because their tongue muscles are still learning to perform these kinds of special twists. Even though your child may not say the sound properly, it is important for you to say it and let him repeat it. This will help him recognize the letters together as he sees the blend within words on the page.

Ask your child to point to each word below as you read. Read the list several times, letting your child take over the reading when he is ready:

black      blank          blame              bless       blink         blob        blow      blur 

blast      blanket       blazing fire       blue         blister       block      blot        blustery breeze

Bonus lesson: in 2nd Grade, use the words blew and blue, telling your child we spell the color blue differently. Print blew and blue. Let your child point to the word you are using as you say these sentences: the wind blew a leaf across the street; the wind blew the door shut; Adam blew out the candles on the cake; I blew up the red balloon, etc. The sky is blue; my shirt is blue; the boy's wagon is blue.

Notice the difference between a consonant blend and special consonant teams, called digraphs.

blends                         digraphs - letters melt together to make a special sound
black                            the               shoe         whale         chip       
branch                         thumb           ship           wheel         chin
clam                            thump           shell           what          cheese
crash                                
dress
and many others

I use eBay as my website. Search Instant Reading Help all my books will pop up. All are brand new and include my contact info; email or call for help.

Have fun reading with your child, Mary Maisner