Chapter 3 of 6

Blending, Digraphs, and Early Word Reading

Pushing sounds together to make a whole word is the moment reading clicks. This chapter is where that happens.

Teaching video

Watch with your child

Chapter 3 video is coming soon

Ms. Ashley is recording this chapter. It will appear here when it is ready.

How to use these cards

Building the blending habit

Tap each letter tile

Child touches each letter and says its sound before trying to blend.

Slide the sounds together

Once all sounds are said, run them together without pausing. The word emerges.

Watch for digraphs

When sh, ch, th, or wh appears, remind your child: two letters, one sound.

Self-correction is progress

If they read a word wrong and notice, celebrate it. That awareness is the skill growing.

Why tapping matters. Physically touching each letter slows the brain down and prevents guessing. The tap builds the habit of working left to right through every word.

Practice tool for this chapter

Word Decoder

Decode words sound by sound. Practice blending closed syllable words, digraphs, and early CVC patterns.

Open Word Decoder

End of chapter checklist

Is your child ready for Chapter 4?

Tap each one your child can do. When all four are checked, you are ready to move on.

Pushes sounds together to make a whole word rather than saying them in isolation

Recognizes digraphs like sh, ch, th, and wh as one sound, not two separate letters

Reads simple CVC words without guessing

Starts to self-correct when a word does not sound right

0 of 4

Ready for Chapter 4.

Ms. Ashley says

Some words look closed but behave differently. Words like "find," "old," and "most" have a long vowel even though a consonant closes the syllable. When your child meets these words, name what is happening: this one is an exception.