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Phonics · Ages 4–6 · 30 minutes

Blending sounds to read CVC words

Children read consonant–vowel–consonant words by saying each sound in order and blending them, then read a short decodable sentence.

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Success criteria

  • I can press each sound button and say the sound
  • I can push the sounds together to read the word
  • I can read a short sentence and check it makes sense

Key vocabulary

  • sound
  • blend
  • sound buttons
  • word
  • vowel
  • sentence

You will need

  • grapheme cards for sounds already taught
  • CVC word cards with sound buttons
  • mini whiteboards
  • a soft toy or puppet

Curriculum links

  • Reception· England
  • Kindergarten· United States

Practice sheets

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The lesson at a glance

30 minutes in all. Timings are a guide: follow your class.

  1. Step 1: Starter

    Speed sounds (3 minutes): flash the grapheme cards for every sound taught so far.
    Revisit and review, 6 minutes

  2. Step 2: Teach

    Write cat large on the board with a dot under each letter.
    10 minutes

  3. Step 3: Guided practice

    Hold up word cards one at a time.
    8 minutes. Practise

  4. Step 4: Independent practice

    Choose a level with the practice buttons.
    Apply

  5. Step 5: Plenary

    Play "Real or silly?" Show four cards: cat, vop, mop, lub.
    3 minutes

  6. Step 6: Assessment for learning

    Listen to individuals read five words.

  7. Step 7: Differentiation

    Support: start with words beginning with stretchy sounds (m, s, n, f) so children can slide through them.

  8. Step 8: Common misconceptions

    Guessing from the first letter: bus becomes "bat".

  9. Step 9: Home link

    Say a word in sound talk at bathtime, "Where's your /l/ /e/ /g/?", and let your child blend it and point.

Use this plan once children know a good handful of single letter sounds, including at least two vowels. Use only words whose sounds your class has already been taught, and follow your school's programme order for which sounds come first.

1.Starter

Revisit and review, 6 minutes

Speed sounds (3 minutes): flash the grapheme cards for every sound taught so far. Children say the sound, not the letter name. Go faster each round, and put any card that makes children hesitate at the back of the pile to come round again.

Oral blending (3 minutes): the puppet can only talk in sounds. "Puppet wants the /m/ /a/ /p/." Children blend aloud: "Map!" Do five or six, with no letters on show. This warms up the ear before the eye has to join in.

  • cat
  • pig
  • hen
  • bus
  • sun
  • net
Say each word slowly, one sound at a time, then say it fast.

2.Teach

10 minutes

Write cat large on the board with a dot under each letter.

"These dots are sound buttons. Each button is one sound. Watch me press them."

Touch each dot: "/c/ /a/ /t/." Sweep your finger under the whole word: "cat."

"I said the sounds, and then I pushed them together. That's blending."

Model two more, pig and hen. Then make a deliberate mistake: read hen as "hat".

"Hmm. Did I check every sound? /h/ /e/ /n/. Oh, hen! I guessed from the first letter. Good readers check every button."

The rest of the plan

Guided and independent practice, the plenary, assessment for learning, differentiation, common misconceptions and the home link are free with a Crayonbird account.

  1. Guided practice8 minutes. Practise
  2. Independent practiceApply
  3. Plenary3 minutes
  4. Assessment for learning
  5. Differentiation
  6. Common misconceptions
  7. Home link
See the whole plan, free

Learning Wiki

Blending

Blending means saying the sounds in a written word one after another and pushing them together to hear the whole word, like /c/ /a/ /t/ → cat.

Digraphs

A digraph is two letters that make one sound, like sh in ship, ch in chip, ck in duck or ai in rain.

Phonics

Phonics teaches children to read and spell by linking sounds (phonemes) with the letters that write them (graphemes), then blending and segmenting those sounds.

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