- Blends Skill Explainer
Introducing the ‘dr’ Blend
Princess Watts-Blount, a first-grade teacher at Burgess-Peterson Academy in Atlanta, provides explicit instruction on the tricky ‘dr’ blend, as in the word drink. That blend often sounds like /j/, /r/ when it’s pronounced. She explains that ‘j’ and ‘r’ do not appear next to each other in English words. Learn more about teaching ‘dr’ and other consonant blends in our Blends Skill Explainer.
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Narrator: When you are teaching a tricky spelling pattern, it's important to be crystal clear with your students. Watch Teacher Princess Watts-Blount deliver explicit and direct instruction to our first graders about 'dr'. One of the tricky 'r' blends.
Princess Watts-Blount: All right, so as I mentioned today, we're talking about tricky blends. Okay? Tricky 'r' blends specifically. The first one we're going to focus on is 'dr'. Who could tell me why this one is so tricky? Yes, Leo.
Leo: Because it sounds like 'jr'.
Princess Watts-Blount: Exactly. It sounds just like 'jr'. Can you guys say it for me?
Students: /jr/.
Princess Watts-Blount: And guess what? I'm glad that Leo told u s that 'dr' sometimes sounds like 'jr', but guess what? 'J' and 'r', they don't like to hang out together. They're not BFFs, so we will not see 'j' and 'r' working together. Okay, I'd like for you guys to repeat after me. Drip.
Students: Drip.
Princess Watts-Blount: Drain.
Students: Drain.
Princess Watts-Blount: Dress.
Students: Dress.
Princess Watts-Blount: Drink.
Students: Drink.
Princess Watts-Blount: What was the beginning blend in all of those words?
Students: /dr/.
Princess Watts-Blount: What was the beginning blend?
Students: 'Dr'.
Princess Watts-Blount: 'Dr'. Yes, 'dr.' Alright. So 'dr' is one of our tricky, tricky blends. Okay.
Narrator:
Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim and Donna Barksdale, the Hastings Quillen Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the AFT, the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation, and anonymous donors. Special thanks to Burgess-Peterson Academy and Atlanta Public Schools. If you enjoyed this video, please subscribe to our YouTube channel @RUTeaching. Reading Universe is a service of WETA, Washington D.C., the Barksdale Reading Institute and First Book.
