Spot and Dot – 3 syllables
January 29, 2013 2 Comments

Spot and Dot – 3 syllables

These blog posts are part of a program that is in development called Phonics the Easy Way. It is a phonics program that gives parents the information that they need in order to help their own kids with reading. These lessons are meant to be utilized with text that a parent is reading with their child vs. isolated skill and drills that do not transfer over into reading. These are the methods that I personally utilize in tutoring with my own students in reading online and I am able to increase their reading levels a full year with just 8-12 hours of instruction.

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So far we have taken a look at using the spot and dot method to figure out the patterns of words so that we can read more words that have two syllables.  Today we are going to split up words that have three, four and five syllables to see how this process works.  Here is a review of the Spot and Dot Rules.

  1. Spot and dot each of the vowels.
  2. Connect the dots and count the consonants in between the vowels.
  3. If there is one consonant, then draw the line before.
  4. If there are two consonants, then draw the line between them.
  5. If there are three consonants, then draw the line between the consonant and the blend of digraph.

Let’s take a look at a 3 syllable word.

ad/ver/tise

First we spot all of the vowels for this word and they are a, e, i, and e.  Next connect the dots and count the consonants in between the vowels.  For the word advertise when you connect the a and the first e you will notice that there are two consonants, so draw a line between them both.  Continue connecting the dots and counting the consonants.  For the next set of dots there are also two consonants, so you will draw the line between the r and the t.  Now it is time to identify where each of the parts goes on the chart.

Closed

ad

 

 Open Silent E

tise
Bossy R

ver

 

 Two vowels C + le

As you can see  ad- goes under closed, -ver- goes under bossy r, and -tise goes under silent e.  After the child has identified where each of these parts goes on the chart, she is ready to put the word together and read advertise.  Check out the video for a detailed example.

http://youtu.be/DOfsuuBV148

Here is a list of other three syllable words that you can practice this strategy on.

  • committee
  • percentage
  • headquarters
  • festival
  • percussion
  • distinguish
  • advantage
  • livelihood
  • bicycle
  • reasoning
  • episode
  • elephant
  • porcupine
  • afterward
  • obstacle
  • permission

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, Phonics Tagged: , ,
Spot and Dot – 3 consonants
January 28, 2013 Leave a Comment

Spot and Dot – 3 consonants

These blog posts are part of a program that is in development called Phonics the Easy Way.  It is a phonics program that gives parents the information that they need in order to help their own kids with reading.  These lessons are meant to be utilized with text that a parent is reading with their child vs. isolated skill and drills that do not transfer over into reading.  These are the methods that I personally utilize in tutoring with my own students in reading online and I am able to increase their reading levels a full year with just 8-12 hours of instruction.

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Today we are going to take a look at using the spot and dot method when there are 3 consonants in between the vowels.  We are going to use the word backpack as our example.

back/pack

  1. Spot the vowels and put a dot above them.  In this case a dot is going to go above the a’s.
  2. Connect the dots.  As you are connecting the dots count how many consonants are in between the vowels  .  In this case there are three.
  3. If there are three, then draw the line between the consonant and the blend or digraph.  The word backpack has a consonant digraph -ck.  A digraph is two consonants that make a one sound.  A blend is two consonants that each keep their own sound.  Some examples would be sp and bl.
  4. Decide which pattern the first part is and read it.
  5. Decide which pattern the second part is and read it.
  6. Blend the whole word together.

Here is a video example of the spot and dot method with 3 consonants.

 

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, Phonics, Uncategorized Tagged: , ,
Spot and Dot – 2 Consonants
January 28, 2013 5 Comments

Spot and Dot – 2 Consonants

These blog posts are part of a program that is in development called Phonics the Easy Way.  It is a phonics program that gives parents the information that they need in order to help their own kids with reading.  These lessons are meant to be utilized with text that a parent is reading with their child vs. isolated skill and drills that do not transfer over into reading.  These are the methods that I personally utilize in tutoring with my own students in reading online and I am able to increase their reading levels a full year with just 8-12 hours of instruction.

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The other day we took a look at using the spot and dot method to break apart a word that had one consonant in between the vowels.  Today we are going to use the spot and dot method to break apart a word that has 2 consonants.

Our word today is “spelling”.  Here are the steps to break apart the word spelling.

  1. Spot the vowels and put a dot above them.  In this word, the vowels are e and i.
  2. Connect the dots.  As you are connecting the dots, count how many consonants are in between the vowels.
  3. There are two consonants in spelling, so you are going to draw a line between the l’s like this.

spel/ling

4.  Figure out the pattern of the first part.  In this case it is the closed pattern, so one knows that the e is stuck in the middle and is going to make it’s stuck sound.

5.  Figure out the pattern of the second part.  In this case it is also the closed pattern, so the i will make it’s short sound or stuck sound.

6.  Put both parts together and you have spelling.

Here is an example of spot and dot being done with the word Spelling.  Tomorrow we will take a look at an example with three consonants in between the vowels.

http://youtu.be/eunbADnr-cw

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, Phonics Tagged: , ,
Spot and Dot with One Consonant – Phonics the E
January 25, 2013 8 Comments

Spot and Dot with One Consonant – Phonics the E

For the last few weeks we have taken a look at the 6 basic vowel patterns that help kids to read more words easily and effortlessly.  One may be thinking, well this is all great that we know each of the patterns, but what happens when there is a multi-syllable word?  How would the child know where the vowel pattern begins and where the vowel pattern ends?

 

The answer is easy.  It is called the Spot and Dot reading strategy.  The Spot and Dot method is a simple way for the child to know where a word begins and where it ends.  Let’s take a look at the word hotel.  Here are the steps with this word. Spot and Dot 1 consonant powerpoint

 

  1. Write the word down on a piece of paper.
  2. Put a dot above all of the vowels.  In this case you would put a dot above the o and the e.
  3. Connect the dots. (As you are connecting the dots, count how many consonants are in between the vowels.) The word hotel has one consonant.
  4. If there is one consonant, like in this example, then you draw the line before it.
  5. Now we have ho/tel.  Ho goes under the open pattern and tel goes under the closed pattern.

Here is a video showing the entire process for the word hotel.

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, Phonics Tagged: , ,
C + le (Consonant plus le) – Phonics the Easy Way
January 25, 2013 4 Comments

C + le (Consonant plus le) – Phonics the Easy Way

The last phonics pattern is C + le.  Unlike the other patterns that often occur in one syllable words, C + le only happens in two syllable or more words.  That is why this is always the last pattern that I teach to kids.

 

Up to this point, when I have come across the C + le pattern I may have added it to the chart, but I have just told the child how to read the word if she was struggling with it.  Let’s take a look at a closed pattern and C + le pattern word like, “bubble.”  The child may come to this word and not be able to read it.  To get her started draw a line after bub/ like this or straight up and down line.  Then ask her what pattern this is.  Reading the first part may be all that she needs to easily figure out that this word is bubble.  Some kids are really good at using context to help them figure out words.  If you haven’t introduced the C + le pattern yet, then tell the child that the second part is /bul/ and have her put both of the syllables together.

 

Once the child is ready to learn about the C + le pattern you can go to your chart and look at the syllable word parts that you have collected.  Your chart may look something like this.

 

Closed

Open

Silent E

Bossy R

Two Vowels

C + le

-tle

-ble

-gle

 

You may notice that there is a dash before the pattern.  This is because this pattern will only happen at the end of a word.  There will be another pattern that comes before it.  All of the patterns except for Silent E have the possibility of being combined with the C + le pattern.  Each of these parts will go in the designated area on the chart.  Not the whole word.  Remember this is a vowel syllable chart.  Having the whole word mumble under the closed pattern is confusing to the child because the –ble belongs under the C + le pattern.

 

Here is an example of what a chart with each of the patterns would look like for the following words.

 

  1. Jiggle
  2. cattle
  3. hassle
  4. bub
  5. bible
  6. table
  7. bugle
  8. staple
  9. purple
  10. startle
  11. gargle
  12. eagle
  13. beagle
  14. noodle

 

Closed

jig

cat

has

bub

Open

Bi

table

bu

sta

Silent E

Bossy R

Pur

Star

gar

Two Vowels

Talkers

Ea

bea

Whiners

noo

C + le

-tle

-ble

-gle

-sle

-ple

-dle

 

Now that the chart is filled out you can take a close look and notice what is happening with C + le pattern.  Remind the child how to read each of these patterns if they do not remember how to pronounce it.  Then, ask the child what she notices about this pattern.  She may notice that they all end in e and that you cannot hear the e sound.  She may notice that they all end in the /ul/ sound.  Use the information that the child gives you and simply acknowledge if they are right.  After the child has finished making observations about the pattern you can introduce her to the rule.

 

Whenever there is an –le at the end of a word it is going to grab the consonant before it.  The consonant is going to make the –le say /u/. 

 

Many children will look at the c + le pattern and think that the pattern only exists if there is a c before it.  If this happens simply let the child know that the C stands for consonant and review what the consonants are.  One way to explain consonants is to say, “Consonants are all of the letters of the alphabet that are not vowels.”

 

Take a look at a video clip where I am introducing the C + le pattern.

 

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, Phonics, Uncategorized Tagged: , ,
Two Vowel Whiners – Phonics the Easy Way
January 22, 2013 1 Comment

Two Vowel Whiners – Phonics the Easy Way

The second two vowel pattern is the whiner pattern.  There are 5 different combinations that are spelled9 different ways.  This is one reason why I had mentioned in a previous post that this is a very confusing pattern.  Also, w is a vowel helper for a couple of patterns which is another thing that causes confusion for kids.  Kids have heard that y is sometimes a vowel, but most kids have never heard that w is a vowel or a vowel helper.  Here is a chart that shows the different combinations and how the vowels are spelled.

/o/

au

aw

/oi/

oi

oy

/ow/

ou

ow

/ew/

ew

oo

/oo/

oo

The reason that these are called the two vowel whiners is because the sound that they make when they are together sounds just like the sound you make when you get hurt or get a boo boo.

Up to this point you have focused on patterns that are spelled the same, sound the same.  Now the confusing part is that there are two ways to spell one sound.  The easiest way to begin teaching this concept is through the use of sorts.  Let’s take a look where we compare aw and au words.

One of the most confusing two vowel whiner patters is the oo /ew/ and the oo as in book.  The reason is because both of these patterns are spelled the same, but sound different.  Take a look at the video to see how using a sort can help clear up any confusions that a child may have.

What questions do you have about the two vowel whiners?

 

 

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, Phonics Tagged: , , ,
Two Vowel Talkers – Phonics the Easy Way
January 21, 2013 Leave a Comment

Two Vowel Talkers – Phonics the Easy Way

The two vowels pattern is broken up into two parts.  They are the talkers and the whiners.  Today we are going to take a close look at the two vowel talkers and see exactly what is happening to help kids read words with these patterns.

 

The first thing to do is to collect words with the two vowel pattern.  These words can come from the books that you are already reading together, or you can choose some of the words for below.

-ai

Sail

Tail

Wail

Chain

Main

Pain

Paint

Saint

Fair

Hair

raise

-ea

Each

Peach

Read

Peak

Sneak

Deal

Meal

Seam

Team

Bean

heap

-ie

Lie

Pie

Tie

Vie

Fried

Tried

Cries

Dries

Fries

Skies

Tries

-oa

Coach

Roach

Load

Road

Coal

Goal

Foam

Roam

Moan

Coast

toast

-ue

Cue

Due

Hue

Sue

Blue

Clue

Flue

Glue

True

 

 

As you can see, the two vowel talkers are made up of the two vowel teams listed above.  They are –ai, -ea, -ie, -oa, and –ue.  After you place the words on the vowel pattern chart, have the child read the words.  Then ask the following questions.

 

  1. How many vowels are in this pattern?
  2. What other pattern had 2 vowels?
  3. Where are the vowels in this pattern compared with the silent e pattern?
  4. Which vowel name do you hear?  The first or the second.
  5. Is it always the first?

 

We ask these questions because we want the child to discover the pattern.  The more that the child notices on his or her own, the more apt she is of remembering the pattern.

 

After all of the questions have been answered it is time to introduce the chant that goes with the two vowel takers.

 

When two vowels go a walking, the first one does the talking and says it’s name.

 

Before you introduce the two vowel whiner pattern that we will talk about tomorrow practice all of the other patterns for the a few weeks.  The last two patterns are the most difficult to understand, so you don’t want to move too quickly into them without the child really understanding all of the other ones.

 

You can review all of the other patterns by giving the child a word and asking what pattern it makes and having the child add it to the chart.

 

In Phonics the Easy Way we talk about the vowel saying it’s name and it’s stuck sound vs. it’s long and short sound.  Children are often confused by long and short and can understand this new way better.  How were you taught about the vowel sounds?

 

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, Phonics Tagged: , ,
Bossy R- Phonics the Easy Way
January 20, 2013 3 Comments

Bossy R- Phonics the Easy Way

Bossy R is another one of the most common vowel patterns.  This pattern causes a lot of confusion for children.  So let’s demystify this pattern and make it a little easier to understand.

First, each vowel comes before the r in this pattern.  When the vowel comes before the r, the r makes the vowel say a sound that is closer to the r sound.  To teach this you can collect words and place them on the vowel pattern chart like was done for the other patterns, or you can put a each of these words on a separate index card.  Then, have the child sort the words by their initial vowel.  An example is listed below.

-er

her

herd

term

jerk

fern

 -ir

Stir

Bird

Dirt

Shirt

skirt

 -ur

Fur

Burn

Curl

Purse

hurt

 -or

For

cork

born

short

sport

 -ar

Star

Car

Dark

Arm

Yarn

After the child has sorted the words by the initial vowel, ask these questions.

1.  What sound do -er words make?

2.  What sound do -ir words make?

3.  What sound do -ur words make?

If your child hasn’t noticed that -er, -ir, and -ur words all make the same sound, then you can say, “Wait a minute, do -er, -ir, and -ur words all make the same sound?”  Most likely your child will notice that -er, -ir, and -ur all make the same sound.  Always group these three r patterns together.  When the child is trying to figure out a word with one of these patterns in it, then you can ask, “Do you remember what sound er, ir, and ur make?  When the child says “er,” then you can say, “That is correct, try it.”

There is a little story that I made up about bossy r to help kids remember this pattern.  First ask the child if he/she happens to know anyone that is really bossy at times and really nice at times.  Usually each child knows at least one.  Then, tell the child that bossy r is just like them.  R is really nice to her vowel friends when she comes before the vowel, but when r comes after the vowel she becomes bossy and makes the vowel say a sound that sounds more like her.  So, er, ir, and ur all say /r/.  -or sounds just like the word and -ar sounds like a pirate.  Ask the child what a pirate says.  The child will have lots of fun with saying Arrr.

Check out the video below that shows how to teach the Bossy R pattern.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, Phonics, Uncategorized
Identifying the Vowel Patterns
January 20, 2013 2 Comments

Identifying the Vowel Patterns

Reviewing the vowel patterns often is critical in children being able to identify them.  Now that the child has discovered the closed, open and silent e pattern it is time to start showing her how parts of words can go under different patterns.  For example, the word “hotel” gets broken up as “ho-tel”.  The ho goes under the open pattern and tel can go under the closed pattern.  Another example is robot.  This word gets broken up as ro-bot.  Ro goes under the open pattern and bot goes under the closed pattern.

Here is a video that shows how to do this with some other words.

Here are some words that can be broken by syllable and added to different parts of the chart.file281239553087-002

robot

basket

chicken

sandwich

wagon

open

jacket

pencil

microwave

potato

octopus

volcano

At this point, only the adult is breaking the word by syllables.  Later on you are going to learn a method called spot and dot, which will be the child’s guide as to how to break up the word to figure out how to read it.

Here is a review of the chants for each of the vowel patterns.  Repeating these when you are going over them with child is helpful.

Closed

One little vowel squished in the middle, makes it’s stuck sound just a little.

Open

When the vowel on the end is free, it is going to pop way up and say it’s name to me.

Silent E

Silent e has a claim to fame, he makes the vowel before him say it’s real name.

 

 

Filed Under: 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, Phonics Tagged: , , , ,
Open pattern – Phonics the Easy Way
January 18, 2013 2 Comments

Open pattern – Phonics the Easy Way

The next pattern to learn is the open pattern.  This pattern usually occurs in multisyllable words, but there are few words that do stand alone that fit this pattern.  Those words are as follows;

go

he

she

we

me

I

be

no

so

Together you and your child can take a look at these words and notice what is happening with the vowel.  Here are some questions to ask file1851239553258-003your child.

1. How many vowels are in this pattern?

2. Where is the vowel in this pattern?

3. What sound is the vowel making in this pattern?

Once the child has made all of the proper observations, you can share the chant that goes with the phrase.

When the vowel on the end is free, it is going to pop way up and say it’s name to me.

Here is a quick video that shows teaching this in action.

Filed Under: 1st grade, kindergarten, Phonics Tagged: , , ,
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