6. Student Practice Activities for Blends

Students need lots of opportunities to practice reading and spelling blends so that they can build accuracy and automaticity on the way to fluent reading. We've included free printable student practice activities below. Please download and share them with your colleagues!  

Before your students begin the activities, make sure that they understand how to complete them. You can model the activities in a whole group setting or in a small group. 

Keep an eye out for students who may need you to step in and scaffold.

Roll & Read Practice Activities

Roll & Reads are a fun, game-like way to practice reading and spelling words in isolation. After you've modeled how to do Roll & Reads, students can do them with partners or in centers on their own. Use this student activity to build accuracy and fluency in reading and spelling words with blends. Students can play with partners or in small groups.

Roll & Read with Beginning Blends

Roll & Read with Ending Blends

Roll & Read with Beginning and Ending Blends

Student Read Sheets

Use these read sheets to practice the new phonics pattern you've taught. You'll want to first introduce these sheets in whole or small groups. After students have read them with guidance from the teacher, they can use them to practice reading independently at school or home.

Beginning Blends: Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences

Ending Blends: Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences

Tricky Blends 'dr' and 'tr': Student Read Sheet with Words, Phrases, and Sentences

Decodable Texts for Building Fluency

Students should practice reading in context each day to build fluency. These decodable texts focus on the blends students are learning. Be sure to read How to Use Decodable Texts before implementing them with students.

Decodable — The Band

Decodable – The Bent Tent

More Decodable Texts: 

Decodable –  Lunch at the Shack (opens in new window)
Decodable – The Lost Raft (opens in new window)
Decodable – Clams at the Pond (opens in new window)

Other Activities

Elkonin Boxes for Blends

Elkonin boxes, also known as sound boxes, are used to help students build phonological awareness.