SOUND CITY READING
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Welcome To The Sound City Reading Blog

​The most recent blog entry is at the top. 
​Scroll down to see older entries.
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Author - Kathy Davis
  • A Sequential Phonics Program
    • How To Navigate This Site
    • How To Get Started
    • Deciding Which Books To Use >
      • Level 4 - Phonics Patterns
    • Understanding Vowels
    • Understanding Consonants
    • Lesson Outlines >
      • Basic Phonics Patterns Lesson Outline
    • Printing Recommendations >
      • Doing Your Own Printing
      • Using A Print Shop
    • Other Recommended Sites
  • Overview
    • Overview Of All Of The Phonics Books
    • Sound Story Overview
    • Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages Overview
    • Level 1. Learning The Alphabet Overview
    • Level 2. Exploring Sounds In Words Overview
    • Level 3. Short Vowels Overview
    • Level 4. Phonics Patterns Overview >
      • Phonetic Words And Stories, 1-8
      • Basic Phonics Patterns, 1-8
      • Know The Phonetic Code, 1-3
      • Color-Coded Phonetic Lists
    • Level 5. Advanced Phonics Patterns Overview
    • Handwriting Books Overview
    • Charts, Cards, And Games Overview
    • Wall Charts Overview >
      • Current Wall Charts
      • Previous Wall Charts
  • PDF Files
    • How To Work With PDF Files
    • PDF File For Baseline Assessment
    • PDF File For Sequence Charts And Lesson Plans
    • PDF File For A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad
    • PDF File For Phonemic Awareness Picture Pages
    • PDF Files For Handwriting >
      • PDF Files For Manuscript Handwriting Books
      • PDF Files For Cursive Handwriting Books
    • PDF Files - Phonics Books Listed By Level >
      • PDF Files For Level 1 - Learning The Alphabet
      • PDF Files For Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words
      • PDF Files For Level 3 - Short Vowels
      • PDF Files For Level 4 - Phonics Patterns Books 1-8
      • PDF Files For Level 5 - Advanced Phonics Patterns
    • PDF Files For Large Picture-Word Pages
    • PDF Files For Wall Charts
    • PDF Files For Flashcards
    • PDF Files For Activities And Games
    • Older PDF Files
  • Picture Files
    • Sound Story Pictures
    • Keyword/Sound Chart Pictures
    • Level 1 And 2 Pictures
    • Level 3 Pictures
    • Level 4 Pictures
    • Consonant Blends
    • Level 5 Pictures
  • Audio
    • Sound Story >
      • Sound Story Borders Part 1
      • Sound Story Borders Part 2
      • Sound Story, Small, Part 1
    • Sound Pictures >
      • Sound Pictures Pt 1
      • Sound Pictures Pt 2
    • Letter Sounds >
      • Alphabet Sounds
      • More Letter Sounds
    • Sound Charts >
      • Learning The Alphabet And Exploring Sounds In Words Charts
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sound Charts
      • Mixed Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sound Charts
      • Book 1 Sound Charts
      • Book 2 Sound Charts
    • Sound Blending >
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences Sd Bl
    • Picture/Word Pages >
      • Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences P/W Pages
  • Video
    • Sound Story Part 1 Videos
    • Book 2 Long A Patterns
    • Advanced Sound Charts
  • Reading Street
    • Reading Street Stories
    • Reading Street Tests
    • Spelling Worksheets For Reading Street
    • Decoding Practice Pages To Use With Reading Street
    • Word Cards And Phonogram Cards
  • Blog
    • Read My Blog
    • Contact Me
    • Share Your Experience
    • Take This Expanded Survey
  • PDF Files For Wall Charts

4/9/2019

Please Share Your Experience With Sound City Reading

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I have added a new survey to allow anyone who has used the Sound City Reading program to share their experiences with visitors to this website.  I believe that these entries will be very helpful to individuals who are looking for instructional materials to teach reading but aren't sure whether or not the Sound City Reading materials will work for them.  I've received many e-mails over the years from people all over the world who have used Sound City Reading materials with success.  If you have a story to tell about these materials, I hope you will share it.  Look under the BLOG menu heading and go to Share Your Experience. You may fill out the entry form, or if you prefer, e-mail your information directly to me at kathjdavis@gmail.com.  I will post them on a designated page on this site for others to see.  Thank you in advance if you choose to participate.  All entries will be greatly appreciated.

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2/27/2019

How Are Sight Words Taught In The Sound City Reading Program?

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Before talking about sight words, I want to mention that reading aloud to students for fun is the very best thing you can do while you are also teaching the reading skills from this program.  As I'm sure you already know, reading aloud to students is an essential part of any reading program, at all levels.  It builds comprehension skills and vocabulary, and because it's so enjoyable, fosters excitement about reading.  After I talk about sight words, I'll will explain some ways you can integrate reading aloud with the instruction at Levels 1 and 2.  

I want to discuss sight words very thoroughly because I know most programs do teach many sight words at the earliest levels.  I can hopefully reassure anyone that is using the Sound City Reading program that because I don't teach sight words in that way, your students will learn many more sight words, even faster, with far less difficulty, in the long run. 

Most sight word lists include a selection of the most common words, both phonetic and non-phonetic. For example, the first list of Dolch sight words includes the phonetic words: and, we, in, go.  It also includes these words that have phonetic elements that are not pronounced in the expected way: said, the, two, where.    

In the Sound City Reading program, the term "sight words" refers only to "rule-breaker" words that cannot be read phonetically.  It does not apply to words that can be read phonetically, even if they are among the most common words.  For example, the words in, we, and go, are very common, but they can be taught phonetically, so they are not considered sight words.  

As I put the sound city reading program together, I used a list of the one thousand most common words to help me choose which words to teach.  So although there are relatively few non-phonetic sight words listed in the program, a large number of the phonetic words taught are taken from the list of the first thousand words. 
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At Levels 1 and 2, students are not specifically taught to read words, either phonetic words or irregular non-phonetic words.  (That doesn't mean that your son won't naturally begin to recognize some of the words that he sees.)  However, there is much "learning to read" that is going on during this period.  Levels 1 and 2 teach the necessary sub-skills that are required for successful reading and writing.  This includes letter recognition and letter/sound association, beginning handwriting-which not only reinforces letter recognition and sounds but also prepares students for spelling, and phonological awareness exercises (oral blending, segmenting, rhyming). The lessons develop an understanding that words are made of individual sounds that are represented, in order, by a series of sound symbols/letters. While some students are able to develop these skills instinctively, other students need lots of practice to develop them.  So the skills are taught throughout the books, built into the daily lessons, so that both types of students are able to master them. 

At Level 1, there are eight lessons read aloud by the teacher to convey a basic understanding of how print works, how words are arranged on a page, and why the letters in words are arranged the way they are. During this process, students are exposed to a number of printed words.  Students study lists of illustrated words with the teacher a Level 1 and Level 2 to help them understand beginning and ending sounds in words.  Although students are not yet expected to be able to read the words, students may be able to recognize some of them after this initial exposure.  

At Level 2 (and Level 1 if desired), students learn to spell words with plastic letters.  This allows students to learn to spell phonetically while they are still mastering handwriting skills.  Spelling words with plastic letters requires students to listen carefully to the sounds in each word so that they can place the letters accordingly.  Learning to analyze words in this way helps students to "crack the code," so that learning to read and spell words phonetically will make sense to them.  

At Level 3, students learn to read and write phonetic short vowel words.  Students are also taught these sight words: a, A, as, has, was, is, his, I.  The sight words are taught as exceptions to the rules.  For example, in the Rhyming Short Vowel Words And Sentences book, first, students learn to read short a words.  Then they are taught that in the words a, A, and was, the letter a is pronounced as the short u sound.  Since they can already read short a words, learning these words as sight words, as rule breakers, will make sense.  As another example, when studying the sight words as and has, students learn that in some words the letter s is pronounced as the /z/ sound.    

Learning a few sight words is very useful at the short vowel level because it allows students to begin reading and writing sentences. Students learn to read one word after another, going from left to right, putting the words together so that they convey meaning.  Lots of practice helps them develop a rhythm to their reading so that it sounds like normal speaking.  

Most programs, even phonetic ones, teach a lot of sight words at the short vowel level so that students can begin reading easy stories.  In these programs, many sight words are integrated with the short vowel instruction.  This is not how the Sound City Reading short vowel materials are set up.  The focus is on mastering decoding and spelling skills with short vowel words and developing the ability to read sentences.  This prepares students to make rapid progress at the next level, which teaches the various phonics patterns. 

Why have I set up the first three levels in Sound City Reading in this way?  It is because some students are able to pick up sight words fairly easily, while others find it difficult, and others find it nearly impossible.  Many students get discouraged from the very beginning, becoming so anxious that they are unable to focus and learn.  They fall behind quickly and never catch up.  It is not fair to these students to teach this way, when they could be taught the same words phonetically with far better results.     


For example, in one basal reader program that I worked with, the words out, about, around, found, and a number of other ou words were taught throughout the year as sight words, starting at the short vowel level.  During this time, students were not told that the ou pattern shows the ou/ouch sound, so they had to memorize all of the words.  The ou/ouch pattern was not taught until the end of the school year.    


This is my reasoning.  Once students have become confident reading and spelling short vowel words, they can then learn to read and spell words with various phonetic patterns relatively quickly.  Instead of spending a lot of time drilling sight words such as see, look, out, and funny at the short vowel level, why not wait until the phonics patterns level and introduce the patterns in those words, ee, oo, ou, and _y as soon as possible.  It's much easier to teach see, feet, need, keep, and heel as a group of words, phonetically, than it is to teach see as an individual sight word, without teaching the ee sound.  Using the phonetic approach makes more sense to the students.  It builds confidence and paves the way for rapid progress.  Students are able to learn a large number of words in a short amount of time.   

After starting Level 4, Phonics Patterns, students study one new phonetic pattern each day.  This fast pace is possible because they have already learned all of the necessary skills in the previous levels. This works well, allowing students to begin reading real books as soon as possible.  The same lesson plan is followed for each new pattern taught.  For example, students learn that the ai pattern represents the long a sound, as in rain.They practice spelling and reading ai words with that sound.  After studying one or more new patterns, students then read a short practice story that contains words with those patterns and previously taught patterns.  

Level 4 is when most of the sight words in the program are taught.  As they study a new set of phonetic words, students are introduced to any non-phonetic words that are spelled with the same pattern.  For example, when studying words with the ai pattern, which represents the long a sound in words, they are also introduced to the sight word said.   The word said has the short e sound instead of the long a sound, so it is taught as an exception to the rule.   Students are not taught the word saidbefore learning phonetic words with the ai pattern, because they might expect other words with the ai pattern to have the short e sound.  Learning the phonetic words first eliminates that type of confusion. 

The ultimate goal of this phonetic instruction is to provide enough practice so that students are able to decode, or "sound out" words well enough that the process becomes automatic.  At this point, the phonetic words, in a sense, have also become "sight words" that are recognized instantly.

How Reading Aloud Can Be Used To Reinforce Skills At Different Levels

For the suggestions listed below, you can do several words on each page, depending on the amount of time you have and how long your son remains interested.  You will probably be able to think of other similar questions to ask.
  • After reading a page aloud at Level 1, have your son find a word that starts with the /t/ sound or the /h/ sound, using sounds for the letters most recently taught.   Reread the word, emphasizing the beginning sound, and have your son repeat it.
  • After reading a page aloud at Level 2, have your son find a word that either begins or ends with a designated sound.  Reread the word, and have your son repeat it.
  • After reading a page aloud at Level 3, pronounce a short vowel word from the page and have your son find it and read it.  Or ask him if he can find and read a word with the short a sound, and or any other short vowel sound.  Also look for any sight words that have been taught.
  • After reading a page aloud at Level 4, ask your son to find and read words with the sh/ship pattern, or any other recently taught pattern.  


Preparing Students To Read Easy Trade Books Aloud

In Level 4, students study a series of eight books that teach the most common phonics patterns.  They will be able to begin reading easy trade books starting with Phonetic Words And Stories, Book 5.  The books are listed on the sequence charts to show when then can be read.  When a book is listed, you will know that almost every word in the book can be read phonetically, using the patterns that students have already learned.  The sight words that have been taught are also taken into account.  For example, after studying the er/her pattern in Book 5, students will be able to read The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss.  Because they have already learned the necessary phonetic patterns and sight words, students can generally read these books by themselves, with a little help as needed.  

A good strategy is to read each of these books aloud before asking students to read them.  This can be done from the very beginning of instruction, at the earliest levels.  Multiple readings of each book, over a period of time, are the most effective.  Being familiar with the story provides extra support as students read the words and sentences.  

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3/7/2018

Preparing To Sell Physical Copies Of The Sound City Reading Books

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I haven't posted in a while.  I'm trying to get ready to provide physical copies of the Sound City Reading books for purchase on this website.  The PDF files will still be free to download for those who want to print them themselves at home or at school.  But I know some people may not have the equipment needed to print and bind the books.  I want the finished books to be available for those who need them.  It has taken a lot of thought to figure out how exactly to set up the books to sell them.
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  1. I'm still finishing the revisions that I've posted about previously on this blog.  I've added handwriting review pages to the two Learning The Alphabet books and modified the large letter tracing pages so that they can be finger traced and also traced with a pencil.  I've combined the two Exploring Sounds In Words books into one book, and separated the handwriting pages and picture dictionary pages into separate books.  I'm almost finished with these revisions.  I'm happy with the changes and I think I'll be satisfied with the newer versions.  
  2. In the previous versions of the books, I've included extended instructions for teachers, parents, and tutors.  This won't work for someone who is buying multiple books to use in a classroom.  Printing the extra instructions pages in every book would make the books more expensive.  So I'm working on removing the instructions from the student books and placing them in a separate teaching guide.  I still have a long way to go on this.   I've struggled to make this decision because I want to be sure every person who uses the books has the instructions they need.
  3. Because the extended instructions will be in a separate book, I've been working on adding brief one or two-line instructions on all of the pages in the student books.  I'm also including a short lesson plan outline at the end of each student book.  
  4. It has been very difficult trying to decide how to price the books.  I designed the books while working with students in my classroom.  I set them up exactly the way I wanted them, with large print, a predictable format, and a clear layout.  In some of the books, the vowels in the words are printed in color, to make the vowel patterns stand out and to show which vowel patterns sound the same.  In some books, the print is extra large with lots of white space around the words and between the lines.  Some of the books have many, many pictures illustrating the words, sentences and stories.  Most of the books are sequential, starting with the easiest skills and patterns, progressing to more challenging material, going one step at a time.  The books for beginners have sub-skills such as phonemic awareness and handwriting readiness pages designed specifically for that level.   All of these things help students learn to read with confidence.  As I created the books, tried them with my students, tweaked them and tried them again, I didn't take cost into account.  I just wanted to see every student possible learn how to read.  The problem is that the large print, extra white space, step by step lessons, and color-coded vowels make the books costly to print.  The color-coded books are particularly costly, and yet they were the most successful with my students. 
  5. I've been trying to learn about shipping costs and calculations, label printers, and scales to weigh packages.  The business side of providing Sound City Reading books is a topic that has been a steep learning curve for me.

I'm aiming to add books to the website store a few at a time over the next few months.  I'd love to have all of them available by the beginning of June.
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2/1/2018

The Old Web Site Is Coming Down

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Today I contacted the hosting service for the old Sound City Reading website at www.soundcityreading.com to ask them to close the site.  It should be down as soon as they can fulfill the request.  Within a short time, the .com address will automatically forward to the newer site at www.soundcityreading.net.  

I have strong mixed emotions about discontinuing the older site.  I originally posted it in 2008, if I'm remembering correctly.  I updated it regularly with the newest versions of the phonics books I created.  I was able to see a map showing the locations from which people were downloading pdf files from all over the world.  It was very exciting to see more and more countries colored in on the map.  The web site also provided a way to share phonics materials that I created with fellow teachers in Shelby County.  

The software platform for the old site was completely outdated, so much so that my newer computers could not even log on to the site builder any more.  Yet, I didn't have the heart to take it down because hundreds of people were still visiting the site every week.  

The hosting network updated to a new platform but I was stuck in the old one.  It became difficult to even communicate with the web hosting site at all.  So today is the day that the old site is coming to an end.

As I looked at the old site for the last time, it struck me how much better the new Weebly site really is.  I sincerely hope that the users that have visited the old web site faithfully will find many things to like about the new site.

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12/17/2017

Site Format Changes

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I have changed to a newer "theme" for the Sound City Reading website.  The format is different but I'm hoping it will not be too difficult to navigate.  I had to make some trade offs as I've gone through this process.

A major improvement is that the area on the page on which I can display materials is wider.  This will allow me to place sound chart pages and picture-word pages side by side on the pages.  The pages appear to me to be sharper and clearer as well.  

After looking at this new version on my PC and Mac laptops, I can see that some of the charts and images are too tall to fit within the screen area.  To fix this, adjust the window to make it narrower.  This will force the images to become smaller.  Then they will fit on the screen.  On larger screens this won't be a problem.

The site construction controls include an ability to create sections.  This will make it easier for me to add new material.

I'm not happy with the blog format!  The new website version will not allow me to add a sidebar, which I had before.  However, it appears I can add the same pictures I used before within each post.  A little more trouble, but doable.  However, there is no workaround that I can find that will make the blog entries visible until you click on them.

If you have any display issues with the new version, please let me know.  My e-mail address is kathjdavis@gmail.com.
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10/23/2017

Updated Charts Showing All Of The Sound City Reading Books

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I've updated the overview charts and the flow charts showing all of the Sound City Reading phonics books.  Click on any chart to enlarge it. 

​The changes to the overview charts make it more clear that it is not necessary to use every book in a given level.  You could choose, for example, Book A OR Book B OR Book C at a particular level. The different options may present the material in a different order (as in the short vowel books) or in a different format (as in the phonics patterns books).  Although having a variety of books at some of the levels may be initially confusing, the advantage is that you can fine tune your instruction by selecting the particular books that are best suited for your students.

​The overview charts give a range of suggested grade levels for each group of books.  The books are not limited to a single grade level, so that they can be used at any level as needed.  
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The flow chart pages have been changed to show two alternate routes for beginning readers.
  1. You may choose to complete the Learning The Alphabet books, then the Exploring Sounds In Words book, and then one of the short vowel books.  
  2. Or you may complete the Learning The Alphabet books and then work through the Exploring Sounds In Words book and the Mixed Short Vowel Words And Sentences book at the same time, integrating the daily instruction. 
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10/17/2017

I've Uploaded Learning The Alphabet Revised, Books 1 And 2

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I've revised the Learning The Alphabet books and have uploaded the PDF files today.  A separate teaching guide for these books will be posted in the near future.  These books are perfect for students who are learning the alphabet letters.  I developed these pages for my grandson when I was teaching him the alphabet.  The PDF files are copyrighted but they may be downloaded and printed by teachers, parents, and tutors, to use with their own students.

I had previously thought that I might combine these books into one book and put the handwriting and sound story pages into a separate book.  After more thought, I decided that since this is the very first book in the Sound City Reading program, I should leave everything together.  This will make it easier for teachers and parents to follow the teaching sequence.  All you have to do is go from one page to the next, in the order in which the pages appear in the book.

The changes in the books are as follows.
  1. The front and back cover pages are printed in color.  The rest of the book has all black print, as before.
  2. The handwriting pages with the large letters have been changed.  The letter outlines are narrower.  (See the pictures below.)  This allows students to finger trace the letters first and then trace them with a pencil.
  3. An additional handwriting page has been added to each letter section.  It is a letter review page.  Students trace letter outlines for all of the letters that have been taught so far.  (See the picture below.)
  4. The order of the oral blending pages has been modified.  In Book 1, students complete three compound word pages, four two-syllable word pages, and six two-sound pages.  In Book 2, students complete two two-sound pages and eleven three-sound pages.  The purpose for this change is so that there will be a gradual increase in difficulty spread across both books as students complete the pages.  Both books include six pages of two-syllable words at the end of the book as extra practice, to be used as needed.
  5. Due to the addition of the extra handwriting pages, the teaching guide will become a separate book.  However, brief instructions are included on each student page in Books 1 and 2.  Please use the teaching guide in the original Learning The Alphabet 1 until I get the separate guide posted.

This is the handwriting page with large letters in the original version.  Students finger trace the letters.
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This is the handwriting page with large letters in the revised version.  Students finger trace the letters, and they can also trace the letters with a pencil.
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The letter introduction page with small letters has not changed.
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A handwriting review page has been added after each new letter has been taught.
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Both the original and revised versions are set up with beginning learners in mind.  They use multi-sensory instruction to teach new letters.  Tracing large and small letters helps students internalize each letter shape so that they can recognize the letter when they see it.  Saying the letters sounds as they trace helps students associate each letter with its sound.  After tracing a new letter, students complete a letter discrimination page, on which they circle the new letter in rows of individual letters, in rows of words, and in a sentence.  (Students are not expected to read the words and sentence; they are read aloud by the teacher.)
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As each new letter is taught, two types of picture pages are included to teach beginning phonemic awareness skills.  The first teaches oral blending, and the second introduces students to rhyming
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Students also study a page with words and pictures.  Each word on the page begins with the new letter.  The students look at the pictures to figure out the words, with the teacher's help.  As students pronounce each word, they listen carefully for the first sound, and circle the beginning letter.  This introduces them to the concept of beginning sounds in words.  The begin to understand that the beginning letter in a written word represents the first sound in the spoken word.
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10/9/2017

I've Uploaded A Smaller Version Of The Letter Connections Activity Used To Teach "Sound Blending"

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These instructions in the book Color-Coded Short Vowel Words explain how to make letter connections materials to teach sound blending.  However, both a large and small version of these  materials are available as pdf files to download from this web site.
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The two versions of the Letter Connections Activity can be found on the PDF Files page for sound cards, sounds charts, etc.  The larger version has been available for a while.  It is large enough to use with a whole class, displayed on a large easel or on a chalkboard.  I uploaded a smaller version today.  It is a good size to use when working with a single student or a small group.  For one student it can be used on a flat surface such as a desk or table.  For a small group, it can be used on a tabletop easel.  These charts are used to teach "sound blending," the ability to connect a series of letter sounds smoothly when pronouncing them.

The Problem
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Often, students are able to say the sounds for the letters of the alphabet, put alphabet letters together to form words, and read words by saying the sound for each letter.  They understand that letters are symbols for sounds and know that the letters are arranged sequentially in words to show us how to pronounce those words.  However, they are still reading each word by saying one letter sound at a time, pausing between the sounds.  While they can mentally put the sounds together after they have pronounced them separately, they are not yet able to read fluently because the decoding process slows them down quite a bit.
 
The Solution

The Letter Connections Activity teaches students to pronounce two or more letters, one after another, putting the sounds together smoothly.  

Step One: Working With Two Sounds
Students begin by pronouncing short vowel-consonant combinations, such as ab, ac, ad, af, ag, and am.  This exercise helps students learn to slide two letter sounds together smoothly.  For beginners, this can be a challenge but it is much easier than trying to put three sounds together smoothly to pronounce a whole word.  As students pronounce these vowel-consonant combinations, they are also learning that single vowels followed by a consonant usually represent the short vowel sound.  Most of these two-sound combinations are not real words, so in this program they are called "silly sounds."  Often, when students are having trouble pronouncing three-sound short vowel words smoothly, they will also have trouble putting just two sounds together.  This activity teaches them how to do that. 

Step Two: Working With Three Sounds To Read Short Vowel Words
After the first step has been mastered, students can begin reading series of short vowel words formed by moving cards showing the same ending chunks they have already mastered (_at, _oss, _in, _ell, _un, etc.) down a column of beginning consonants.  Students add various beginning sounds to the ending chunks to pronounce either real words or nonsense words.  For example, using the ending chunk _at, students would read bat, cat, dat, fat, gat, hat, etc.  Even though not all of the letter combinations are real words, many of the non-word combinations will be beginning syllables from multi-syllable words that students will eventually learn to read.  Because students are only having to change the beginning letter sound as the ending chunk is moved from one letter to the next, they will find it easier to pronounce the three-letter combinations smoothly, without having to say the sounds separately.

If you prefer to work with only real words with the students, you can just skip any combinations that don't form words.

Step Three: Working With Advanced Letter Connections Charts
After mastering short vowel words, students will learn to read words with beginning and ending consonant blends and words with various long vowel and r-controlled vowel patterns.  As they learn new consonant and vowel patterns, the teacher can use the various advanced letter connections charts to give students practice pronouncing consonant-vowel and vowel-consonant combinations.  Again, these combinations are often not real words, but they are generally found in words that students will be learning to read.  For example, students might practice putting beginning consonants with long vowel patterns, as in bai, cai, dai, fai, gai, hai.  They can also practice pronouncing words or chunks with ending consonant blends, for example band, cand, dand, fand, gand, and hand, or with beginning consonant blends, as in stee, snee, smee, and spee.  (Spell check is NOT happy with these pseudo words!)

Notice that studying these non-word syllables will prepare students to read many multi-syllable words such as daily, Haiti, candy, gander, steeple, and speedy.

Reinforcing With Color-Coded Short Vowel Lists and Color-Coded Phonetic Lists
These two books contain both rhyming and body-coda (same beginning sounds) word lists, sorted by vowel patterns.  They would provide excellent follow up reinforcement after students have done  particular letter connections activities.  Students can practice reading words with the same consonant and vowel patterns they have studied on the charts.

Individualizing Instruction
Some students pick up decoding more quickly than others.  It's important to provide enough decoding practice for students who find it more difficult.  Often students who struggle initially go on to become excellent readers, after mastering sound blending, which is an important sub-skill for decoding.  Developing this skill allows students to begin reading more fluently.  Working with specific letter combinations helps students begin to decode words more smoothly and automatically.  ​At the same time they are able to study a lot of new words in a short period of time.  This allows students to read on their own with more confidence and better comprehension. 

In my experience working with first grade students, even those students who come into first grade already reading will benefit from this specific type of decoding instruction.  It helps them become more conscious of the various letter patterns so that they can apply them when they begin to read more advanced words.  I've seen many good readers become advanced readers who are reading above grade level by the end of the year.  

Some students who begin reading without any problems have particular difficulty with spelling.  These students benefit greatly from this type of instruction because they are able to apply the patterns they have studied when spelling words.

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9/26/2017

The Videos For All Of The Sound Charts In Advanced Phonics Patterns From Children's Books Have Been Uploaded

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I finished the remaining sound charts for Advanced Phonics Patterns From Children's Books today and uploaded them to the portfolio.  You will be able to see the charts and hear the sounds for all of the patterns.  These videos don't have any intro or music.  They are in the same order in which they appear in the book.

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9/25/2017

15 New Videos Showing The Sound Charts In Advanced Phonics Patterns From Children's Book

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Today I uploaded fifteen new videos showing the sound charts in Advanced Phonics Patterns From Children's Books.  This covers approximately the first half of the charts in this book.  You can see the charts and hear the sounds for each of the phonogram patterns.  To see the videos, click on the VIDEOS tab on the menu bar, click on Advanced Sound Charts, and click on the green button to go to the portfolio.  You can watch the videos if you have an internet connection.  If necessary, you can download the videos ahead of time and save them to watch as needed; however, the files are quite large.
Even if you are not teaching from the Advanced Phonics Patterns book, you may want to listen to these sound charts.  Many of them are the same charts found in the Basic Phonics Patterns books, with the addition of a few advanced patterns.  You will be able to get a good idea of how to pronounce the sounds as you work on the charts in your current book. ​

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All Materials Copyright 2018 by Kathryn J. Davis
All Rights Reserved
Teachers, parents, tutors, and schools may download and print PDF files to use with the students they teach. Under no circumstances are they to make a profit from distributing the materials.
​Teaching videos are free to watch, and they may be downloaded for personal use, at home or in the classroom. 
​All other uses of these materials are prohibited.
​You can contact me at kathjdavis@gmail.com.
  • A Sequential Phonics Program
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