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Supporting Your Child's Reading at Home

Supporting Your Child’s Reading at Home

Second Grade: Recommendation 3: Blending Letters, Recognizing and Reading Words

Help your child blend letters to read words and recognize common word parts and words, and encourage them to write words.

Blending to Read Words

blending words

Blending is the ability to put letter sounds together to read a word. To read a word, children must know the sounds the letters represent in the word and be able to blend those sounds to come up with the correct word. For example, after children know the letter sounds /­f/ for f, /­i­/ for i, and /­sh­/ for sh, they learn to blend those sounds together to read the whole word. When they see the word fish, they are able to say, "/­f­/ /­i­/ /­sh­/, fish." We call this, blending because you are putting sounds together to read a word.

Short and Long Vowel Sort
Help your child identify short or long vowels and read words.


Fun With Consonant Blends and Digraphs

Key Points About the Video

  • Mom explains that a digraph is two (or more) letters that make one sound (sh says /sh/).
  • Mom explains that a consonant blend is two or more consonants next to each other that keep their individual sounds (You can hear the /s/ and the /l/ in the word sleep).
  • When her son has difficulty with the /ch/ (as in chick), Mom models it for him and has him practice it several times.

Fun With Consonant Blends and Digraphs
Help your child blend consonant blends and consonant digraphs from left to right to read a word. A consonant blend is two or more consecutive consonants that make their individual sounds (sl, gr, ft). A consonant digraph is two consecutive letters that are read as a single sound (ch, th, sh).


r-Controlled Vowel Sort

Key Points About the Video

  • Dad reviews the r-controlled vowels on the activity sheet before they begin the activity.
  • Dad provides positive feedback to his son: "Great job, buddy!"
  • Dad uses words in a sentence to model oral language and help his son understand the word.

r-Controlled Vowel Sort
Help your child identify r-controlled vowels (ar, er, ur, or, ir) in words and spell those words.

Sound-Spelling Patterns

word families

For the following activities, your child will blend letters, analyze word parts, and write and recognize words. Use the documents below as needed before or while engaging in the activities.

Sound-spelling patterns consist of letters that are often combined to make a specific sound. Common sound-spelling patterns can include consonant patterns, vowel patterns, and syllable patterns. See examples below (not an exhaustive list of examples).

Syllable Pattern Examples

Pattern Type Pattern Examples
Consonant Patterns Consonant digraphs are two or more consonants next to each other that make one sound.
th (this)
sh (fish)
tch (patch)
Consonant blends are two or more consonants next to each other that make their individual sounds.
st (stop)
ft (raft)
scr (script
Silent-letter combinations are two consonants next to each other where one says its sound and the other is silent.
kn (know)
wr (write)
mb (lamb)
Vowel Patterns Vowel teams are two or more letters next to each other that say one vowel sound.
ea (weak)
igh (night)
oa (boat)
Vowel diphthongs two vowels next to each other that begin with one vowel sound and changes to another vowel sound within the same syllable.
ow (cow)
oi (noise)
r-controlled vowels are vowels followed by r.
ar (car)
er (her)
ir (sir)
or (afford)
us (fu)

A syllable is a word part with a vowel in it. Usually, a word has as many syllables as it has vowels. Vowels are a, e, i, o, u. The other letters (like b, c, d, f) are consonants.

  • Cat has one syllable.
  • Picnic has two syllables (pic-nic).
  • Yesterday has three syllables (yes-ter-day).

Syllable Pattern Examples

Syllable Pattern Description Examples
Open A syllable ending with a vowel sound that is spelled with a single vowel letter (a, e, i, o, or u).
me
pro/gram
mu/sic
Closed A syllable ending in one or more consonants and a short vowel sound spelled with one vowel.
hat
dish
bas/ket)
VCe V stands for vowel. C stands for consonant. e is the silent e at the end of a syllable or word.

A syllable pattern that ends in silent e, which makes the vowel before it a long sound (say its name).
stripe
shine
bake
Vowel Team A syllable that has multiple vowels spelling the vowel.
tooth
pain
train/er
Vowel-r A syllable that has at least one vowel followed by an r. The r always comes directly after the vowel (ar, er, ir, or, ur).
car
bird
cor/ner
Consonant-le A final syllable that contains a consonant followed by le. The e is always silent in this syllable pattern.
sim-ple
puz-zle
a-ble

Floss Spelling Rule

Key Points About the Video

  • Dad clearly explains the floss rule and provides examples at the beginning of the activity.
  • Daughter uses her favorite color markers to complete the activity.
  • After several practice opportunities, Dad asks his daughter to explain the difference between words that follow the floss rule and those that do not.

Floss Spelling Rule
Help your child practice the floss spelling rule. When a one-syllable words ends in f, l, or s, double the final f, l, or s (sniff, fall, mess). We call this the floss spelling rule because the word floss follows this rule and includes the letters f, l, and s to help us remember the rule.


Long Vowel Spelling Patterns

Key Points About the Video

  • Mom explains and shows examples of long o spelling patterns before beginning the activity.
  • Mom does the first one to show her daughter how the activity is to be completed.
  • As each word is spelled by the daughter, Mom uses it in a sentence to promote vocabulary and oral language.

Long Vowel Spelling Patterns
Help your child identify long vowel spelling patterns and spell words.


Vowel Diphthong Bingo

Key Points About the Video

  • Siblings have fun identifying vowel diphthongs while playing bingo.
  • Oldest son engages both siblings in the activity.
  • Oldest son encourages siblings to use the word in a sentence to promote language development.

Vowel Diphthong Bingo
Help your child identify vowel diphthongs (ou, ow, oi, oy) in words.


Double the Consonant and Add -ing or -ed Spelling Rule

Key Points About the Video

  • Mom explains the double the consonant spelling rule and provides examples at the beginning of the activity.
  • Mom reviews the double the consonant rule with each word her daughter spells.
  • Mom asks her daughter to use a word in the sentence to promote language and vocabulary development.

Double the Consonant Spelling Rule
Help your child practice the double the consonant spelling rule. We use this rule when we add -ing or -ed to a word. When a vowel is followed by a consonant in a one-syllable word, double the consonant and then add -ed or -ing (swim/swimming, shop/shopping, mop/mopped).

Change the y to i Spelling Rule
Help your child practice the "change the y to i and add the ending" spelling rule (rely + ed = relied).

Map and Swoop Open Syllables and Closed Syllables
Help your child identify open and closed syllable patterns to read and spell words. An open syllable ends with a vowel sound that is spelled with a single vowel letter (a, e, i, o, or u). Examples include me, pro/gram, mu/sic. A closed syllable has a short vowel ending in a consonant. Examples include hat, dish, bas/ket.

Open and Closed Syllable Sort
Help your child identify and sort words with open and closed syllable patterns.

Map and Swoop VCe Syllable Pattern
Help your child identify VCe syllable patterns to read and spell words. A VCe syllable pattern ends in silent e, which makes the vowel before it a long sound (say its name). Examples include stripe, shine, bake.

Map and Swoop Vowel Team Syllable Pattern
Help your child identify the vowel team syllable pattern to read and spell words. A vowel team syllable pattern has multiple vowels spelling the vowel. Examples include train/er, boat/ing.


Vowel Team Syllable Pattern Practice

Key Points About the Video

  • Dad discusses what vowel teams and syllables are to make sure his son understands before starting the activity.
  • Dad is patient and encouraging ("you're doing a great job") throughout the activity.
  • Dad points out and explains the "tricky" words (boatload, toenail). These words are compound words, and each include two vowel team syllables.

Vowel Team Syllable Pattern Practice
Help your child identify the vowel team syllable pattern in words.


Map and Swoop Vowel-r Syllable Pattern

Key Points About the Video

  • Mom explains vowel-r syllable patterns before beginning the activity.
  • Mom explains the meanings of unknown words (cursor) to promote vocabulary development.

Map and Swoop Vowel-r Syllable Pattern
Help your child identify the vowel-r syllable pattern in words. A vowel-r syllable pattern always has at least one vowel followed by an r. The r always comes directly after the vowel. Examples include start, learn, doc/tor.

Common Word Parts

decodable words

Understanding common word parts like base words, prefixes, and suffixes will help children break words into smaller, meaningful word parts, which can help them read, write, and understand more challenging words.

The word help is called a base word because it can stand alone and has meaning. It is also called a base word because we can add to it to change the word. For example, we can add the ending -ful, for the word helpful. When we add a word part to the end of a word, it is called a suffix. We can also add a word part to the beginning of a base word. When we add a word part to the beginning of a base word, it is called a prefix. For example, the prefix un- can be added to helpful to make the word unhelpful.

Word = Prefix + Base Word + Suffix
Unhelpful = un + help + ful

Base Words and Inflectional Endings

Key Points About the Video

  • Mom reviews what they started before dinner to remind her son of what the activity was all about.
  • Mom asks her son the meaning of the inflectional endings -es and -ed to make sure he understands the meaning of the words they review.
  • Mom prompts her son by asking him to say the whole word, the base word, and the inflectional ending.

Base Words and Inflectional Endings
Help your child break words into base words and endings.


Contraction Bingo

Key Points About the Video

  • When her daughter doesn't find I've, Mom tells her that it will have an I first to help her find the contraction.
  • Mom has her daughter read the word cards and asks her what contraction makes up the words.
  • Mom encourages her daughter to look on both bingo cards to find the contraction to provide more practice opportunities.

Contraction Bingo
Help your child practice identifying the words that make up contractions.


Prefix or Suffix?

Key Points About the Video

  • Mom discusses the meaning of each word to promote vocabulary development.
  • When her daughter can't remember the word prefix, Mom gives her a choice, "Is it a suffix or a prefix?"
  • Mom and daughter enjoy painting and reading words with prefixes and suffixes.

Prefix or Suffix?
Help your child identify prefixes and suffixes.

Reading Words

reading words

Blending is the ability to put sounds together to read a word. For example, when children see the word soil, they are able to say, "/s/, /oi/, /l/, soil." There are many ways to support your child in reading words. For example, provide opportunities for your child to practice reading words in a list or on flashcards. It is also important for children to practice reading words in sentences and stories.

Let's Read!

Key Points About the Video

  • When her son encountered a difficult word, Mom encouraged him to separate the word into individual sounds (still) or parts (badly) and then read the whole word.
  • Mom talks about important vocabulary (tour, caught her eye) in the story.
  • Mom asks her son questions about what he read to encourage language development and ensure he understood what he read.

Let's Read! Text 1
Help your child read words in a list and then read text that contains these words.

Let's Read! Text 2
Help your child read words in a list and then read text that contains these words.

Let's Read! Text 3
Help your child read words in a list and then read text that contains these words.

High-Frequency Words

high-frequency words

High-frequency words are words that appear frequently in books. Examples of high-frequency words are again, every, know, could. It is important that children learn how to read high-frequency words automatically, correctly without hesitation. The more your child reads and writes high-frequency words, the better he or she will get at reading them automatically.

There are many activities that families can do to help their children read high-frequency automatically.

  1. Show your child the high-frequency word because. Have your child say the word, write the word, and then say the word again.
  2. Use the provided high-frequency word cards as flash cards and time your child as he or she reads a stack of them. You can place words that were challenging for your child in a separate pile, so you know which words need more practice. The goal is to read more words correctly in less time each time you engage in the activity.

Read and Spell High-Frequency Words

Key Points About the Video

  • Dad provides several opportunities for his daughter to read and spell each word.
  • Daughter uses her favorite color markers to complete the activity.
  • Dad has his daughter write a sentence using high-frequency words of her choice to provide more practice opportunities.

Read and Spell High-Frequency Words
Help your child practice high-frequency words (always, because).

Challenging and Important Words

challenging and important words

Just because a book contains challenging words, it doesn't mean that you can't read it with your child. Before reading a book with your child, skim it to see if there are any challenging and important words. For example, Tyrannosaurus rex would be considered challenging to read, but are important words in a book about dinosaurs. Words also may be challenging because the child has not learned the sound-spelling pattern contained in the word or the word contains irregular sound-spelling patterns as in the words resource or necessary. Select three such words that appear most frequently in the book. Introduce the words to your child before you read the book. Point to each word in the book and tell your child how to pronounce it and what it means. Ask your child to point to the word and say it. If there are too many challenging words, you can read the book aloud to your child rather than have him or her read it to you.

Challenging and Important Words

Key Points About the Video

  • Mom reviews the main idea of the book since they are reading the book over several days.
  • Mom reviews three challenging and important words (independent, razor, treasure) and relates them to something familiar to her son before reading.
  • When the challenging and important words appear as they read, Mom asks her son what they mean.

Challenging and Important Words Bookmark
Follow the steps on this bookmark to discuss challenging and important words with your child as you read books together.


Books to Share

A list of informational books to read with your child. Use the provided bookmark as a reminder to talk about challenging and important words that appear often in the book.

  • Emperor Penguins by Roberta Edwards
  • Your Fantastic Elastic Brain by JoAnn Deak
  • Fly Guy Presents: Dinosaurs by Tedd Arnold
  • Pet Heroes by Nicole Corse

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