Developing Phonics Knowledge: Blends, Digraphs, and Diphthongs

Recommendations

1. As with the initial consonant sounds, if a student does not know a number of consonant blends, use a phonogram list. You are likely to find that the student learns most of these in a relatively short time. You can then retest the student and teach those that are still not mastered.
2. For teaching vowel digraphs and diphthongs, use the phonogram lists to find words with the digraphs or diphthongs not mastered. Use the tape recorder to provide practice with those combinations. For example, give students who do not know the /ai/ (long a) sound words such as aid, braid, laid, maid, and paid, as well as ail, hail, nail, pail, quail.
3. Construct flash cards in which the blend, digraph, or diphthong is shown along with a picture that illustrates a word using that letter combination. On the opposite side of the card, print only the blend, digraph, or diphthong to be used as the student progresses in ability. When using this method with a large group of students, you can substitute 2 × 2 slides or transparencies for the overhead projector instead of flash cards.
4. Record the letter combinations with their sounds and let students hear these as many times as necessary to learn them. They should, however, have a chart they can follow to see the letter combinations as they hear the sounds. Ask each student to point to the letters as he hears them on the tape.
5. Put diphthongs, digraphs, and blends on 3 × 3 cards. Divide these cards into groups of 10 each. Lay out separate groups of diphthongs, digraphs, and blends and allow the student to see all 10 at once. As you call the sounds of these various letter combinations, or as they are played from a tape recording, have the student pick up the correct card to match the sound of the letter combinations.
6. Use the same system described in item 5, only tape-record words and have the student pick up the letter combinations he hears in these words.
7. Use charts that are commercially available for teaching various letter combinations. Recordings to accompany these sounds are also available.
8. Use commercially prepared games or computer software designed for teaching blends, digraphs, and diphthongs. Often students can use such materials either individually or in small groups.
9. Immediately after using any of these procedures to teach the symbol- sound correspondences (phonics) for blends, digraphs, or diphthongs, it is extremely important that students be provided with sentences, passages, or stories that enable them to apply the newly learned phonics skills in the act of reading contextual materials. Many commercially prepared materials are available for this purpose. Also, the teacher, or the teacher and student, may create sentences or stories, including silly ones, that emphasize the blends, digraphs, or diphthongs just taught.