Cycle 3

This task introduces students to segmenting words that consist of three continuous phonemes.

This is also the first time that students will repeat the segmentation of six words in one task.

The /r/ sound in room and Ron, can be tricky to produce.  Make sure not to add a vowel sound after it like /rŭh/, and try not to make a sound in front of it like /ər/.  It should sound like if you said the word roar without the oar.

Make sure not to pause between any sounds, especially after the initial sounds in well, room, and soon.

Make sure to read the example sentences after each word.

At the end of the task, don’t forget to repeat any words that required correction.

This task introduces students to blending words that consist of three continuous phonemes.  Examples: fan, man, some, yes, and race.  (The word of is the only exception in this task.)

This is also the first time students will blend the phonemes of six words in one task.

Note that the script calls for you to say the first word, fan, in its blended form (the “fast way”) before you say it in it’s segmented form (the “slow way”).  But you should not do that for any of the remaining words in the task.  For those, you should begin by saying the word the “slow way.”

Make sure not to pause between any sounds, especially after the initial sounds in fan, some, and race.

Make sure to read the example sentences after each word.

At the end of the task, don’t forget to repeat any words that required correction.

This task introduces reading multiple sounds, one right after another, in the way that creates words.  It this case, they will read a word that consists of two continuous phonemes.  Instructors and students should read them slowly (holding each sound for two seconds) and should not pause between them.

In this cycle, the instructor will touch under the sounds and model them first.  In this task, remember to say each sound only when your finger is on the dot directly underneath it, and don’t pause between the sounds.

The first two sounds do not form a real word.  Make sure that you pronounce the vowel sound like /ă/ as in Matt, not /ŏ/ as in mom.  The following sounds make the word am.  Make sure to read the example sentence after it.

Print the How to Correct Students’ Reading flowchart and keep it by your side to read from word-for-word when correcting students’ mistakes in Word Reading tasks.  This is especially critical during the first few weeks of teaching, when those steps are unfamiliar to you.  Watch the video on the linked page to see what it should look like to follow the steps in the flowchart.

At the end of the task, have the student reread any words that required correction.

Writing tasks should not take more than one minute. Students’ strengths should determine how many times they trace, connect dots, and write on their own within the minute allotted for this task. Some students may be able to write a many times in that minute. Others may only be able to trace it a couple of times, but they still should not exceed a minute for the entire task.

As in all types of tasks in this curriculum, students must do the task correctly before moving to the next task. But, in Writing tasks, mastery means saying the correct sound, not writing a perfect symbol. Don’t worry if the student isn’t yet able to write smooth lines. It is still worth it for them to do this task. Applaud their effort, and move on.

Instructors should not say letters' names (or even the word letter) during these tasks but should instead emphasize the sound being associated with that symbol.