Phonics Step 3: Begin blending short vowels with consonants
using Chart 3.
Goals: In step 3, the primary goal is smooth blending of the short vowels with
consonants using blend charts.
Step 3: How-To Ideas
A blend in this step is the combination of a short vowel + a consonant.
First sound out the letter ‘t’ and then sound out the short ă. Then say the sounds together tă. In the beginning, students will read each chart using this three step method. The goal will be to encourage them to pick up their pace and to read the blends as one sound instead of two. [tă, tĕ, tĭ, tŏ, tŭ]
Blend charts, such as the ones below, are easy to make if you have the time. They should include all consonant-vowel combinations. If you don’t have the time, Abeka Books sells a My Blend and Word Book as well as individual Blend Ladder sheets that cover all of the sounds. For more information on Abeka Books, see our Links page. We recommend Abeka resources because we have used them for over thirty years with success.
A Note Concerning Steps 1-3:
You can progress on to Step 4 BEFORE your child has mastered all of the consonants! However, there should be smooth blending of the short vowels without hesitation at this point.
This completes our Step 3 ideas. Now let’s move on to Step 4.