[You may have learned that ng, sh, ch, th, and wh are called consonant digraphs. Here they are simply called "mouther pairs."

Start each lesson with a review of the keywords in the previous lesson.

Have each line and each challenge mastered before going to the next.

The words should be written on lined paper, and if they are not written reasonably satisfactorily, they should be practiced.

You will need "My Word Book" containing the Basic Keywords, a tablet or notebook, pencils, a highlighter, the "word hat," and a Sharpie. ]

Not Enough Mouther Letters

Now here's a problem: We have more mouther sounds than mouther letters. How do you think they fixed that problem using the same old letters?

They made pairs of the old letters stand for single new mouthers. As I point to each of these words, you say the beginning mouther and the rime:

cat /k-k-k/ /at/ -- hat /h--/ /at/

Now I am going to use the same "c" and "h" letters to write the new beginning mouther pair in a new word. Say it with me:

chat /ch-ch-ch/ /at/

Think of the "ch" pair as one new letter standing for one new sound.

Script for each line in the challenges: Watch as I read and point to the words in a sentence and as I point to and repeat the keyword. Say the sounds in the keyword with me as I write them. Say the keyword and trace over my letters as we both say the sounds in the keyword. Say the keyword and you say its sounds as you trace the letters again. Say the keyword and say and write each sound in the keyword. Say the keyword and say and write the onset and rime in the keyword. [E.g., "rang" /r--/ /-ang/] Say the "plus" words along with me. Highlight in your Basic Keywords the mouther pair in the new keyword. [Celebrate by writing the new word on his Word Hat.] Review the words in the completed challenge: Repeat each keyword after me and say and write the onset and rime. You have met the challenge, let's celebrate!

CHALLENGE 1: Three mouther pairs that end rimes.

rang: He rang the bell and ran. + sing, bong, lung
---Compare what your tongue does with the /ng/ sound in "rang" and with the /n/ sound in "ran."

sick: Dan is sick in bed. + sack, sock, luck
---When the /k-k-k/ sound comes at the end of words like these, we write it with the ck pair of letters.

sink /ngk/: Sing as you wash pots in the sink. + bank, junk, honk
---The /ng/ and /k/ sounds are joined together for the /nk/ sound but are written with only two letters.

CHALLENGE 2: A beginning and ending mouther pair standing for two sounds.

bath /th/: I will have a hot bath. + path, math, lath

thin: Did you see the thin man? + thing, thick, think
---The /th--/ sound is an air sound made as the breath is pushed through the teeth. Try it.

that /th/: I will read that book first. + the, this, them
---The /th--/ is a voiced sound. When we push the air through our teeth, we add a sound from our voice box. Try it.

CHALLENGE 3: More beginning and ending moutherpairs.

shin /sh/: I hit my shin on the bin. + ship, shop, shut

fish: Put the fish in the sink. + dish, wish, bash

much /ch-ch-ch/: How much is that book? + such, rich

chum: Did you chat with your chum? + chin, chop, chip

CHALLENGE 4: Ending consonants written with a doubled letter.

mess: Who made this mess? + pass, kiss, fuss

huff: Yes, she is in a huff. + cuff, puff, off

sell: I will sell it to Bill. + bell, dull, well

jazz: Don't give me that jazz. + fizz, fuzz, buzz

CHALLENGE 5: A beginning moutherpair standing for two different sounds.

when /hw-hw-hw/: When will Eric come? + where, why, what

who /h/: Who will sing with me? + whom, whose, whoop

ENDING MOUTHER BLENDS

[You may have learned to use the word "clusters" for these combinations of letters and the word "blend" for the sounds. To simplify matters, "blend" is used here for both.

An ending mouther blend is part of the rime and is a little easier to sound out than a beginning blend. If a learner has a problem reading a word like "dent," cover the "t" and have him say "den" and then uncover the "t" and have him say the word.

We can sound out a blend sound by sound (/b/ /l/ /e/ /n/ /d/ or by onset and rime, (/bl/ /end/), which is our goal for the learner.

If a task is not done well, have it repeated until it is mastered.]

As I point to and slowly say each of these words, listen to the ending mouthers:

den - dent

"Den" ends with a single mouther, /n/. "Dent" ends with two mouthers, /n--//t/, but when we say "dent," we smoothly join or blend together the two sounds, /nt/. The rime in "den" is ("-en"), and in "dent" the rime is ("-ent"). We will say the onset and rime in "dent" together: /d-d-d//ent/.

Script for each line in the challenges: Watch as I read and point to the words in a sentence and as I point to and repeat the keyword. Say the sounds in the keyword with me as I write them. Say the keyword and trace over my letters as we both say the sounds in the keyword. Say the keyword and you say its sounds as you trace the letters again. Say the keyword and say and write each sound in the keyword. Say the keyword and say and write the onset and rime in the keyword. [E.g., "last" /l--/ /-ast/] Say the "plus" words. Highlight in your Basic Keywords any new mouther letters you have learned to write and highlight the ending mouther blend in the new keyword. [Celebrate by writing the new word on his Word Hat.] Review the words in the completed challenge: Repeat each keyword after me and say and write the onset and rime. You have met the challenge, let's celebrate!

CHALLENGE 1: The /t-t-t/ blends.

last: Ted was the last boy to bat. + fist, rust, cost

gift: Tim has a gift for you. + left, sift, raft

fact: Is it a fact that Kevin is sick? + act, tact, pact

CHALLENGE 2: More /t-t-t/ blends.

felt: Jack felt too bad to go to school. + melt, pelt, wilt

wept: Jan wept with joy when she won. + slept, kept

sent: What have you sent to her? + pant, tent, hunt

CHALLENGE 3: The /l---/ blends.

help: I will help you dish up the ice cream. + yelp, gulp

held: Jack held the baby. + weld

shelf: The cookies are on the shelf. + gulf, self

milk: I like milk and cookies. + elk, silk, sulk

CHALLENGE 4: Other ending blends.

camp: We will put up the tent in the camp. + damp, chimp, rump

bend: The stick will not bend. + hand, lend, fond

mask: I have a Halloween mask. + task, husk, bask

lunch: I had a big sandwich for lunch. + bench, punch, ranch
---Here is a blend of a single letter mouther and a mouther pair.

fox /foks/: The fox has a den. + box, tax, hex
---Here is a blend spelled with a single letter but it has two sounds.

BEGINNING MOUTHER BLENDS

[Remember that if a task is not done well, have it repeated until it is mastered.]

As I point to and say each of these words, listen to the beginning mouther:

lad - glad

"Lad" begins with a single mouther, /l--/. "Glad" begins with two mouthers, /g//l--/, but when we say "glad," the two sounds are smoothly joined or blended together, /gl--/. Two mouthers smoothly blended together is called a "blend." In the words we will study the beginning blend is the onset. Say along with me the onset and rime in "glad:" /gl/ /ad/.

Script for each line in the challenges: Watch as I read and point to the words in a sentence and as I point to and repeat the keyword. Say the sounds in the keyword with me as I write them. Say the keyword and trace over my letters as we both say the sounds in the keyword. Say the keyword and you say its sounds as you trace the letters again. Say the keyword and say and write each sound in the keyword. Say the keyword and say and write the onset and rime in the keyword. [E.g., "black" /bl--/ /-ack/ ] Say the "plus" words. Highlight in your Basic Keywords any new mouther letters you have learned to write and highlight the beginning mouther blend in the new keyword. [Celebrate by writing the new word on his Word Hat.] Review the words in the completed challenge: Repeat each keyword after me and say and write the onset and rime. You have met the challenge, let's celebrate!

CHALLENGE 1: The /l-l-l/ blends.

black: Do bad men have black hats? + bled, blot, blush

cliff: The fast car went over a cliff. + class, clam, clip

flip: Can you do a back flip? + flab, flesh, fling

CHALLENGE 2: More /l/ blends.

glass: May I have a glass of milk? + glib, glut, glitch

plus: What is 4 plus 5? + plum, plank, plant

slap: Do not slap your dog. + slip, slum, slick

CHALLENGE 3: The /r---/ blends

drop: Do not drop the hot pot. + drab, drink, drunk

bring: Please bring me a soft drink. + brag, brick, bran

crack: Jack hit the ball and put a crack in the glass. + crab, cram, crop

fresh: Freddie likes fresh milk and cookies. + frill, fret, Fran

CHALLENGE 4: More /r/ blends.

grass: Who will cut the grass for her? + grit, grill, grub

prank: It was just a Halloween prank. + print, prop, prod

trash: Dump the trash in the bin. + trap, trim, trot

CHALLENGE 5: The /s---/ blends.

scat: The boy said "scat" to the cat. + scar, scum, scam

skin: Shall we play "skin the cat?" + skit, skid, skim

smell: He said, "I smell a rat!" + smack, smug, smog

CHALLENGE 6: More /s/ blends.

snack: Would you like a snack? + snap, sniff, snub

spot: There is a black ink spot on the rug. + spell, spin, spud

stop: Can you stop Spot? + still, stem, stub

swim: I want to swim with him. + swell, swig, swift

CHALLENGE 7: Beginning blends written with three letters.

shrink: If the pants get wet, they will shrink. + shrub, shrill, shred
---A mouther pair is blended with a single letter mouther.

thrill: It was a big thrill to win. + thrust, thrift, throb
---Another mouther pair is blended with a single letter mouther.

scrub: She said, "Scrub your hands." + scrap, scrimp, scratch

sprint: They left in a fast sprint. + spring, sprig, sprang

CHALLENGE 8: The quirky /kw/ blend. Both sounds in the blend are written in surprising ways.

quit /kwit/: Bill quit his job. + quick, quiz, quilt
---Circle the new letter in Basic Keywords.

Listen to this sentence and tap the table when you hear the /kw/ blend:

When will that queer duck quit that quacking at the quiet little quail?

CHALLENGE 5: Word Part Rummy

[Make cards for these rimes: ang, ing, ung, ack, ick, ank, ink, ash, ish, ath, ith ast, act, end, ent, and ump.]

I will deal the new rime cards, and we will play word part rummy. You draw first from the mouther pile. * Back to the Beginning

CHALLENGE 9: Word Part Rummy

[Make up cards for these beginning blends: bl, cl, fl, sl, dr, br, cr, gr, tr, sm, sn, sp, st, shr. Use the closed vowel rimes ending with single mouthers.]

I will deal the new rime cards, and we will play Word Part Rummy. You draw first from the mouther pile.

CHALLENGE 10: Write this sentence saying each word as I dictate it:

Fred went for a quick swim in the pond and drank a glass of skim milk with lunch at camp.

You have learned to write the mouther pairs, the ending blends, and the beginning blends. Let's celebrate!

Back to the Beginning