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Skill Explainer

1. Overview: What Are Blends?

Blends Skill Explainer

Common Blends
Initial two-letter blends: bl-, cl-, gl-, fl-, pl-, sl-, br-, cr-, dr-, fr-, gr-, pr-, tr- , sm-, sn-, sc-, st-, sk-, sw-, sp-, tw-
Initial three-letter blends: str-, spl-, spr-, scr-, squ-
Ending two-letter blends: -lk, -nd, -mp, -nt, -st, -ft, -ld, -sp, -tz, -ct, -lf, -lm, -sk, -lt, -lp, -pt, -ln, -lb
Ending three-letter blends: -mpt
Video thumbnail for Quick Look: Elkonin Sound Boxes
Produced by Reading Universe, a partnership of WETA, Barksdale Reading Institute, and First Book
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Carla Stanford: These are called sound boxes. [Ms. Stanford points to boxes drawn in a row on a white board.] I'm going to say a word. I'm going to have you repeat the word and then we are going to push the two, the first two sounds in the word, and you can tap, so it will go like this. We'll do a practice. The word is block. Repeat.

Students: Block.

Carla Stanford: Tappers up.

Carla Stanford and students: /b/, /l/ ...

Carla Stanford: Did you hear that? '/b/, /l/, /ŏ/, /c/. Block. Excellent.

Reading Universe is made possible by generous support from Jim & Donna Barksdale; the Hastings/Quillin Fund, an advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (opens in new window); the AFT (opens in new window); the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation (opens in new window); and three anonymous donors.