Every letter in a word usually stands for one small sound, called a phoneme. A CVC word has three sounds in this order: a consonant sound, then a vowel sound, then another consonant sound. The vowel sound always sits in the middle. The five vowel letters are a, e, i, o and u.
Blending means pushing separate sounds together smoothly, without stopping between them, until they turn into a whole word you can say. First say each sound on its own, a little slowly. Then say the sounds again, a bit faster each time, until they join up and you hear the real word.
This is how you read a new CVC word: look at each letter, say its sound, then blend all three sounds together, sound by sound, like a phonics detective.
Blend the word cat.
Say the first sound: c
Say the second sound: a
Say the third sound: t
Push them together slowly: c...a...t
Say it faster, until the sounds join into one word: cat
Read the clue, then write the missing letter to finish each word.
Write the matching letter next to each word to join it to its sounds.
Segmenting is the opposite of blending. Instead of joining sounds to make a word, you break a spoken word apart into its separate sounds. This helps you spell a word, because once you know each sound, you can write the letter for it.
A good way to segment is to say the word slowly, stretching it out like a rubber band, and tap or count one sound at a time. Give each sound its own sound box. A CVC word always has three sound boxes: the first consonant sound, the middle vowel sound, and the last consonant sound.
Try this with any CVC word: say it slowly, listen for where one sound ends and the next begins, then write one letter in each box in order.
Segment the word sun into three sound boxes.
Say the word slowly: sss...uuu...nnn
Sound box 1: s
Sound box 2: u
Sound box 3: n
Three sounds, three boxes: s, u, n.
Say each word slowly, then write its three sounds, one sound in each box.
| Word | Sound 1 | Sound 2 | Sound 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| hen | |||
| map | |||
| lid | |||
| cup |
Ask an adult to read each clue aloud. Circle the correctly spelt word for that clue.
1. What a bunny does to move around the garden.
2. A round container you cook food in on the stove.
3. A tool with holes in it, used to catch a fish or a butterfly.
4. What your legs do when you move very fast.
5. The number that comes right after nine.
For the parent or supervisor: set this page aside before handing over the worksheet.
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