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Classroom Strategies
Blending and Segmenting Games
Children who can segment and blend sounds easily are able to use this knowledge when reading and spelling. Segmenting and blending individual sounds can be difficult at the beginning. Our recommendation is to begin with segmenting and blending syllables. Once familiar with that, students will be prepared for instruction and practice with individual sounds.
When beginning readers sound out words, they slowly say each sound in a word (c-a-t), and then say the sounds quickly together to "read" the word (cat). In reading, teachers call this blending because sounds are being blended together. Blending (combining sounds) and segmenting (separating sounds) are skills that are necessary for learning to read.
Developing a child's phonological awareness is an important part of developing a reader. Many research studies indicate that kids who have weak phonological awareness also have weak reading skills.
The figure below shows how the teaching of segmenting and blending should progress, starting at the sentence level, moving to syllable, and finally to individual phonemes. Be sure to provide lots of practice at the easier level before moving on.
Why teach blending and segmenting?
- Teaching the skills of segmentation in isolation or in combination with blending instruction helps with successful reading development
| When to use: | Before reading | During reading | After reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| How to use: | Individually | With small groups | Whole class setting |
Blending
Guess-the-word game
This activity, from our article Phonological Awareness: Instructional and Assessment Guidelines, is an example of how to teach students to blend and identify a word that is stretched out into its basic sound elements.
Objective: Students will be able to blend and identify a word that is stretched out into its component sounds.
Materials needed: Picture cards of objects that students are likely to recognize such as: sun, bell, fan, flag, snake, tree, book, cup, clock, plane
Activity: Place a small number of picture cards in front of children. Tell them you are going to say a word using "Snail Talk" a slow way of saying words (e.g., /fffffllllaaaag/). They have to look at the pictures and guess the word you are saying. It is important to have the children guess the answer in their head so that everyone gets an opportunity to try it. Alternate between having one child identify the word and having all children say the word aloud in chorus to keep children engaged.
Robot talk
Talking in "Robot Talk," students hear segmented sounds and put them together (blend them) into words.
See example > (80K PDF)*
Note: To see all Blending/Segmenting Activities from this site, visit here.
Blending slide
The "Reading Genie" offers teachers a simple way to teach students about blends. Teachers can use a picture or small replica of a playground slide and have the sounds "slide" together to form a word.
See example >
Oral blending activity
The information here describes the importance of teaching blending skills to young children. This link provides suggestions for oral sound blending activities to help students practice and develop smooth blending skills.
See example >
Sound blending using songs
This website describes how songs can also be used for blending activities. The following activity (see Yopp, M., 1992) is to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands."
If you think you know this word, shout it out!
If you think you know this word, shout it out!
If you think you know this word,
Then tell me what you've heard,
If you think you know this word, shout it out!
After singing, the teacher says a segmented word such as /k/ /a/ /t/ and students provide the blended word "cat."
Segmenting
This activity, from our article Phonological Awareness: Instructional and Assessment Guidelines is an example of how to teach students to segment, first with sentences, then words, and finally sounds.
- Early in phonological awareness instruction, teach children to segment sentences into individual words. Identify familiar short poems such as "I scream you scream we all scream for ice cream!" Have children clap their hands with each word.
- As children advance in their ability to manipulate oral language, teach them to segment words into syllables or onsets and rimes. For example, have children segment their names into syllables: e.g., Ra-chel, Al-ex-an-der, and Rod-ney.
- When children have learned to remove the first phoneme (sound) of a word, teach them to segment short words into individual phonemes: e.g., s-u-n, p-a-t, s-t-o-p.
Segmenting cheer activity
This link provides teachers with information on how to conduct the following segmentation cheer activity.
See example > (32K PDF)*
Write the "Segmentation Cheer" on chart paper, and teach it to children. Each time you say the cheer, change the words in the third line. Have children segment the word sound by sound. Begin with words that have three phonemes, such as ten, rat, cat, dog, soap, read, and fish.
Segmentation Cheer
Listen to my cheer.
Then shout the sounds you hear.
Sun! Sun! Sun!
Let's take apart the word sun.
Give me the beginning sound. (Children respond with /s/.)
Give me the middle sound. (Children respond with /u/.)
Give me the ending sound. (Children respond with /n/.)
That's right!
/s/ /u/ /n/-Sun! Sun! Sun!
Segmenting with puppets
Teachers can use the activity found on this website to help teach students about segmenting sounds. The activity includes the use of a puppet and downloadable picture cards.
See example >
Children's books to use with this strategy
A Huge Hog is a Big Pig
Concept book
This rhyming words game is illustrated with crisp photographs and is sure to tickle the imagination as another rhyming description is sought. Eight Ate: A Feast of Homonym Riddles by Marvin Terban (Sandpiper) is just what the title indicates and may be considered for use with more experienced readers (grade 2-3). This, too, is supported by line drawings.
I'm Number One
Picture book
When the humans are away, a toy soldier named A-One becomes demanding, calling the other toys names. When they begin playing with the sounds and letters of the words, insults become silly to make everyone smile and reform. In addition to playing with the sound of words, this humorously illustrated book just may start a discussion of bullying and behavior.
Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook
Poetry
An entire collection of poems that play on Spoonerisms (mixed up first letters of 2 words); harder to read aloud than one would imagine but sure fun to play with!
Snow Music
Picture book
Snow and the creatures out on this snow-filled day make musical sounds. Some of the sounds are simply that, sounds, suggesting that words and sounds are musical.
Differentiated instruction
for second language learners, students of varying reading skill, and for younger learners
- Use oral activities to help support students of lower level reading skills.
- Use activities that include pictures to support ESL students and younger students.
- Ask students to write the words that they form in the blending/segmenting activities.
See the research that supports this strategy
Chard, D., & Dickson, S. (1999). Phonological Awareness: Instructional and Assessment Guidelines.
Fox, B., & Routh, D. K. (1976). Phonemic analysis and synthesis as word-attack skills. Journal of Educational Psychology, 68, 70-74.
Sensenbaugh. (1996). ABCs of Phonemic Awareness.
Smith, S.B., Simmons, D.C., & Kameenui, E.J. (February, 1995). Synthesis of research on phonological awareness: Principles and implications for reading acquisition. (Technical Report no. 21, National Center to Improve the Tools of Education). Eugene: University of Oregon.
Yopp, H. K. (1992). Developing phonemic awareness in young children. The Reading Teacher, 45 , 696-703.
