Phonics Unit 5 - Consonant Blends FREEBIE
PRIMARY PHONICS - UNIT 5
It is time to tackle consonant blends!
We have come so far this year with our phonics skills.
We started with segmenting and blending first/middle/final sounds in CVC words, then we studied word families and CVC words and now we are diving right into consonant blends.
This blog post is all about how I teach my students consonant blends and I’m sharing fun FREEBIES with you.
Let’s get started!
We have completed Units 1-4, so we know our letter names/sounds, and we can segment and blend the three sounds in CVC words.
We are ready to move on to learning beginning consonant blends.
This opens a whole new world of words my students will be able to read.
I love getting to this point in phonics instruction because I feel like the ground work has been laid, and now we just get to have fun reading and learning new words.
My students each get their own Consonant Blends Chart.
I like to warm up our phonics instruction by referring to these charts. You can quickly go through the whole chart with a chant like this:
“/sc/ SCOOTER /sk/ SKATEBOARD /sm/ SMILE /sn/ SNAKE /sp/ SPIDER”
The kids love doing this!
We do it in regular kid voices, or some days we switch it up and monster voices, frog voices, mouse voices, etc.
I made these charts in both color and black and white. I also made a set that doesn’t have the whole word on it (just the blend.)
How fun is this chart? Once my kiddos get the hang of blends, they get to make their own consonant blends chart!
You can have them draw a picture for each blend and color it. This also makes a great assessment tool for the end of the unit.
Consonant Blend Worksheets
These Blending Bubble worksheets are a great way for students to practice identifying consonant blends.
Each page targets three specific blends as shown in the bottom left corner. This helps you target your instruction.
After these pages, we move on to using Missing Beginning Blends.
I wait to use these until we have completed the Blending Bubbles pages because in terms of scaffolding, these Missing Beginning Blends pages requires the children to actually write the missing blends.
I want my students to be successful, so I have them practice first with the bubbles sheets that they simply have to color.
This gives them extra practice and builds their confidence.
There is a worksheet that targets “s blends”, “l blends” and “r blends”.
Next we move on to My Book About Blends.
These work well for a literacy center, in small groups or even whole group.
Each pages focuses on a different blend (please note, not all blends are included for the mini book.)
Students love to trace the sentences and color their pictures. We then read them as partners.
Then students can take their books home to share with their families!
These Matching Blends pages are an easy assessment tool or just extra phonemic awareness practice (as there are no letters/words.)
Students simply color the two pictures that have the same beginning blend.
They can cross off the picture that does not match. This is a super quick way to see which students can identify blends.
One of our favorite activities from this unit are these consonant blends sorting worksheets.
I love them because they practice so many skills!
I created a couple different formats, so you can use what works best for you.
Students cut and sort the pictures. I actually have the words written out above each box because most of my students can sound out the words (or at least get close.)
Then, to take my lesson to the next level, I have added word boxes beneath each picture sort.
Students can use a variety of skills to figure out which word goes in each place.
I teach them how to count how many letters are in each word, we look at the letter formation and size of the boxes, etc.
Or, if you prefer your kiddos work on their handwriting, I included a version that has dotted lines and they can simply write each word on their own.
You can scaffold how you need to with your own kiddos. This sorting activity practices SO many skills, and I love to see the progress my students make.
Literacy Centers
We have some fun literacy centers to practice our consonant blends!
These adorable cards can be used in so many ways. I like to use them first whole group to practice sorting blends.
After students are familiar with the pictures and all the blends, this can be moved to a literacy center for independent work.
Both consonant blends (letters) and picture cards are included.
I laminated them for durability, and students can complete several tasks in this one center.
They can just use the picture cards for phonemic awareness practice, or have them sort the pictures next to the correct blend.
For a challenge, have students sort by “s blends” “l blends” and “r blends”.
It is fun to switch it up!
Students always enjoy the clip card centers (we also do this center for last sounds, middle sounds, digraphs, etc.)
It is really important to me to hold students accountable for their work during center time. Because of this, I try to include a recording sheet in most of my centers.
I copy the recording sheet front to back and laminate the 20 colorful clip cards.
For some reason my kiddos love using the mini clothespins that you find in the baby shower aisle at craft stores, so that is what we use.
My kids love any center with the little plastic letters. These are actually the magnetic kind, but I don’t use them on cookie sheets.
Students use the letters to make the correct blends, and then they fill in their coordinating recording sheets.
Three different sets of these are included, so multiple kiddos can do them at once, or you can use this same center for a few different weeks/rotations.
Many of my phonics units come with this station (just practicing a different skill such as CVC words, digraphs, etc.) so I love the consistency it brings and I don’t have to explain directions every time.
These cut and paste quilts are also included in all of my phonics units, and they are terrific practice. The children always enjoy completing them, and I don’t need to even give directions anymore because they have done them in other phonics units.
Students cut out, color and glue them on to the correct blend. Each quilt focuses on three different blends, and then two review quilts are included (as shown above.)
Picture sorting is another fun center we enjoy.
These picture sorts make the perfect literacy center to practice consonant blends.
Each one focuses on two different blends, and they sort the pictures under the correct heading. They can then fill out the coordinating recording sheet.
You can have them sound out the words, or you can also write out each word on the back of the picture cards for self-checking and spelling assistance.
READY TO GET STARTED WITH CONSONANT BLENDS?
Everything you need to have your students confidently reading consonant blends!
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