• Phase 3: Full Alphabetic Course→
  • Word Reading & Comprehension Skills→
  • Prepare to Read→
  • Words Are Made of Sounds

Guide

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Objective

Students will tap the number of sounds in a word and identify each individual sound and the letter(s) that makes that sound to spell a pictured word.

Teacher Tips
Focus on individual letter sounds in words and the concept of a blend (two or more consonants found next to each other in words). Use the vowel hand signals to help students remember the medial vowel sound.
Begin Lesson
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Words Are Made of Sounds

Listen for each sound in words

Begin Lesson

Guide

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  1. Say
    We are going to practice listening for consonant blends in words. This will help us to read and spell more words.
    Let’s listen for each sound in the word. Then we will spell each sound in a sound box.  
  2. Point to the picture and Say
    I see number three. Say three.
    (three)
  3. Point to each box as you Say each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s tap a box for each sound we hear in the word three: /θ/ – /r/ – /ē/
    We tapped three boxes because the word three has three sounds.
  4. Ask
    Now let’s listen for each sound in the word three.
    What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word three?
    (/θ/)
  5. Ask
    What digraph spells the /θ/ sound?
    (digraph TH)
  6. Say
    It’s the digraph TH that makes the /θ/ sound at the beginning of the word three. It’s the quiet sound of TH.
  7. Push next to show the first digraph

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What consonant sound do you hear after the beginning sound /θ/ in the word three?
    (/r/)
  3. Ask
    What letter spells the /r/ sound?
    (letter R)
  4. Push next to show the second letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What vowel sound do you hear at the end of the word three?
    (/ē/)
  3. Say
    What letters can spell the long /ē/ sound like in the word see?
    (letters EE)
  4. Say
    It’s the vowel digraph EE that makes the long /ē/ sound. We will put both letters in one sound box because they spell one sound. 
  5. Push next to show the last digraph

 

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Guide

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  1. Review each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s say each sound in the word three: /θ/ – /r/ – /ē/
  2. Stretch out the vowel as you Blend all sounds in the word: Say
    Now blend the sounds together and say the word slowly: /θ-r-ēēē/
  3. Say
    Did you notice the consonant sounds /θ/ and /r/ blended together at the beginning of the word three? We call it an r-blend.
  4. Say the word together: Say
    Now say it fast: /θrē/

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s do another word.
  2. Point to the picture and Say
    I see an octopus walking on the bottom of the sea. I think it is free from harm so it is just walking around. Say free.
    (free)
  3. Point to each box as you Say each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s tap a box for each sound we hear in the word free: /f/ – /r/ – /ē/
    We tapped three boxes because the word free has three sounds.
  4. Ask
    Now let’s listen for each sound in the word three.
    What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word free?
    (/f/)
  5. Ask
    What letter spells the /f/ sound?
    (letter F)
  6. Push next to show the first letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What consonant sound do you hear after the beginning sound /f/ in the word free?
    (/r/)
  3. Ask
    What letter spells the /r/ sound?
    (letter R)
  4. Push next to show the second letter

 

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What vowel sound do you hear at the end of the word free?
    (/ē/)
  3. Say
    What letters can spell the long /ē/ sound like in the word see?
    (letters EE)
  4. Say
    It’s the vowel digraph EE that makes the long /ē/ sound. Remember we put both letters in one sound box because they spell one sound. 
  5. Push next to show the last digraph

 

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  1. Review each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s say each sound in the word free: /f/ – /r/ – /ē/
  2. Stretch out the vowel as you Blend all sounds in the word: Say
    Now blend the sounds together and say the word slowly: /f-r-ēēē/
  3. Say
    Did you notice the consonant sounds /f/ and /r/ blended together at the beginning of the word free? We call it an r-blend.
  4. Say the word together: Say
    Now say it fast: /frē/

 

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  1. Say
    Let’s do another word.
  2. Point to the picture and Say
    I see an octopus get away fast. Say fast.
    (fast)
  3. Point to each box as you Say each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s tap a box for each sound we hear in the word fast: /f/ – /ă/ – /s/ – /t/
    We tapped four boxes because the word fast has four sounds.
  4. Ask
    Now let’s listen for each sound in the word fast.
    What sound do you hear at the beginning of the word fast?
    (/f/)
  5. Ask
    What letter spells the /f/ sound?
    (letter F)
  6. Push next to show the first letter

 

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What vowel sound do you hear in the middle of the word fast?
    (/ă/)
  3. Ask
    What vowel spells the /ă/ sound?
    (vowel A)
  4. Push next to show the second letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Stretch out the sound /s/ in the word fast: Ask
    What sound do you hear after the vowel sound /ă/ in the word fast?
    (/s/)
  3. Ask
    What letter spells the /s/ sound?
    (letter S)
  4. Push next to show the third letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the ending sound. 
  2. Say /făs/ and Exaggerate the sound /s/ and then Say with emphasis the sound /t/: Ask
    What sound do you hear at the end of the word fast?
    (/t/)
  3. Ask
    What letter spells the /t/ sound?
    (letter T)
  4. Push next to show the last letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Review each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s say each sound in the word fast: /f/ – /ă/ – /s/ – /t/ 
  2. Stretch out the vowel as you Blend all sounds in the word: Say
    Now blend the sounds together and say the word slowly: /f-ăăă-s-t/
  3. Say
    Did you notice the consonant sounds /s/ and /t/ blended together at the end of the word fast? We call it a final s-blend. 
  4. Say the word together: Say
    Now say it fast: /făst/

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s do another word.
  2. Point to the picture and Say
    Look at these two pictures. The octopus was walking in the sea but then it suddenly gets away. What a quick move! Say quick.
    (quick)
  3. Point to each box as you Say each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s tap a box for each sound we hear in the word quick: /k/ – /w/ – /ĭ/ – /k/
    There are four boxes because the word quick has four sounds.
  4. Ask
    Now let’s listen for each sound in the word quick.
    What sounds do you hear at the beginning of the word quick?
    (/kw/)
  5. Say
    When we hear the consonant blend /kw/, we have to consider a special spelling. In the /kw/ blend, the sound /k/ is represented by the letter Q and the sound /w/ is represented by the letter U.
    So in the first box, we expect to see the letter Q. 
  6. Push next to show the first letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What sound do you hear after the beginning sound /k/ in the word quick?
    (/w/)
  3. Ask
    What letter spells the /w/ sound in the /kw/ blend?
    (letter U)
  4. Say
    The letters QU spell the /kw/ blend.
  5. Push next to show the second letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What vowel sound do you hear in the middle of the word quick?
    (/ĭ/)
  3. Ask
    What vowel spells the /ĭ/ sound?
    (vowel i)
  4. Push next to show the third letter

 

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Guide

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the ending sound.
  2. Ask
    What sound do you hear at the end of the word quick?
    (/k/)
  3. Ask
    What letter or letter or letters can spell the /k/ sound at the end of the word quick?
    (letter K, or digraph ck)
  4. Say
    Yes, but in the word quick, it’s the digraph CK. When it follows a short vowel sound, the digraph ck spells the /k/ sound following a short vowel. The letters CK go in one box because they make just one sound /k/.
  5. Push next to show the last digraph

 

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Guide

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  1. Review each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s say each sound in the word quick: /k/ – /w/ – /ĭ/ – /k/
  2. Stretch out the vowel as you Blend all sounds in the word: Say
    Now blend the sounds together and say the word slowly: /k-w-ĭĭĭ-k/
  3. Say the word together: Say
    Now say it fast: /kwĭk/

 

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  1. Say
    Let’s do another word.
  2. Point to the picture and Say
    As another way to describe this quick change, I can also say the octopus quits walking and gets away. Say quit.
    (quit)
  3. Point to each box as you Say each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s tap a box for each sound we hear in the word quit: /k/ – /w/ – /ĭ/ – /t/
    There are four boxes because the word quit has four sounds.
  4. Ask
    Now let’s listen for each sound in the word quit.
    What blend do you hear at the beginning of the word quit?
    (/kw/)
  5. Ask
    What letters spell the /kw/ blend?
    (letters QU)
  6. Say
    Each letter in the QU blend gets its own sound box because it is a blend. 
  7. Push next to show the first two letters 

 

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the next sound.
  2. Ask
    What vowel sound do you hear in the middle of the word quit?
    (/ĭ/)
  3. Ask
    What vowel spells the /ĭ/ sound?
    (vowel i)
  4. Push next to show the third letter

 

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  1. Say
    Let’s listen for the ending sound.
  2. Ask
    What sound do you hear at the end of the word quit?
    (/t/)
  3. Ask
    What letter spells the /t/ sound at the end of the word quit?
    (letter T)
  4. Push next to show the last letter

 

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  1. Review each sound in the word: Say
    Let’s say each sound in the word quit: /k/ – /w/ – /ĭ/ – /t/
  2. Stretch out the vowel as you Blend all sounds in the word: Say
    Now blend the sounds together and say the word slowly: /k-w-ĭĭĭ-t/
  3. Say the word together: Say
    Now say it fast: /kwĭt/

 

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