![\"easy](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/easy-beginning-blends-activities-1024x531.jpg\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nWhat are beginning consonant blends?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A consonant blend is a combination of 2 (or 3) consonants in which the sound of each letter can be heard. For example, in the word flag<\/em>, fl<\/em><\/strong> is the consonant blend. You can hear both the \/f\/<\/em> and the \/l\/<\/em> sounds in the blend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beginning consonant blends come at the start of a word. They can be categorized into groups based on the letters contained in the blend.<\/p>\n\n\n Beginning blends include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since each letter sound can be heard in consonant blends, we teach blends as separate sounds. Each letter within a consonant blend represents its own phoneme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The main difference between digraphs and blends is that digraphs are two letters that come together to make one new sound, while blends are letter combinations where you can still hear each individual sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you can see, there are a ton of consonant blends to teach. However, students don\u2019t need to remember every single one. Since blends maintain their phonemes, you won\u2019t need to teach any sounds. The main thing to focus on is teaching how to blend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As with any concept, start by explicitly explaining what consonant blends are and elaborate by providing examples. I use a teaching PowerPoint with graphics and colors to provide a visual for my students while I introduce and explain the skill.<\/p>\n\n\n Next, provide opportunities for whole group practice with reading, writing, and saying words with consonant blends. <\/p>\n\n\n\n I include multiple practice games in my interactive teaching PowerPoint to have my students practice in a variety of ways. We also reuse the practice slides during our centers as an additional independent practice option.<\/p>\n\n\n Provide a wide variety of activities and gamify your phonics lessons<\/strong><\/a> as much as possible to keep this topic fun and engaging for students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n One activity that my students always love is going on a consonant blend scavenger hunt. We look around the room, or outside if time and weather allow, for words with the target blend we are working on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some other activities to practice with beginning consonant blends:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Word building is a key component in building phonemic awareness. It is also a great way to make phonics more hands-on with the use of manipulatives. Work with students to build words, substitute sounds, and add and delete sounds using magnetic letters and letter tiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s super easy to make your own magnetic letter tiles<\/strong><\/a>, letter cubes, or letter cards without spending money, so that\u2019s an additional bonus!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Decodable phonics passages or readers encourage students to sound out words using decoding strategies instead of making guesses. Students are able to practice applying specific phonics skills in context while also building confidence in their reading skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Decodable passages are also an excellent resource to use during small group instruction and as an intervention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try this source for decodable passages that target beginning consonant blends<\/strong><\/a>. Students read the text, locate and highlight words in the pattern, then answer simple comprehension questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Word mapping is a research-backed phonics instructional strategy that helps students make connections between speech sounds (phonemes) and the letter or letter combinations that represent those sounds (graphemes). <\/p>\n\n\n\n The word mapping process helps students learn to read<\/strong><\/a> by promoting the process of orthographic mapping. It also gives students a physical way to link the sounds in a word to the letters that make those sounds, through the use of manipulatives and visuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Use pictures to help students make connections between different blends and the sounds they hear in words that contain those blends. One way to do this is with a sound sorting activity. Use a pocket chart and picture cards and have students sort them into categories for the various consonant blends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Play games and do activities that help students build auditory discrimination skills. Display multiple pictures, as well as a word with a consonant blend. Ask students to read the word, say the picture names, and listen to find which picture name has the same blend or blend type as the written word.<\/p>\n\n\n These Same Sound task cards are included in a complete Initial Blends phonics unit<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read alouds are an excellent way to introduce, review, or practice any phonics topic. When teachers read aloud in the classroom, they are able to model what fluent reading sounds like. Students build phonological awareness skills as they listen to stories read aloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Try one of these awesome read aloud stories in your classroom to teach beginning blends:<\/p>\n\n\n\r\n\t![\"beginning](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/beginning-consonant-blends-phonics-posters-791x1024.jpg\")
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Do you teach blends as one sound or two?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How do you teach beginning consonant blends?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"beginning](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/beginning-consonant-blends-powerpoint-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>![\"beginning](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/beginning-blends-phonics-games-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>What activities can you do to practice beginning consonant blends?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Beginning Consonant Blends Activities<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Word Building<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"beginning](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/beginning-consonant-blends-word-building-cards-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Decodable Passages<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"beginning](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/beginning-blends-decodable-passages-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Word Mapping Consonant Blends<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Consonant Blend Sound Sorts<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"beginning](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/beginning-blends-pocket-chart-sorts-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Identifying Same Sounds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"beginning](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/beginning-consonant-blends-task-cards-791x1024.jpg\")
<\/a>Consonant Blends Read Aloud Books<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Beginning Consonant Blends Read Alouds<\/h2>
![\"The](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/The-Very-Clumsy-Click-Beetle-300x222.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n The Very Clumsy Click Beetle<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/A-Frog-Thing-300x225.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n A Frog Thing<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
![\"Stop,](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Stop-Drop-and-Flop-in-the-Slop-225x300.jpg\")
<\/a>\r\n Stop, Drop, & Flop in the Slop<\/a><\/h3>\r\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/aroundthekampfire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/The-Frail-Snail-on-the-Trail-225x300.jpg\")
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