You have probably asked this question if your reader is struggling with blending (putting sounds together). In order to be fluent readers, we need to blend the sounds of a word together without stopping between sounds. We call this continuous blending. While this comes naturally to many readers, those struggling with it often need explicit instruction.
What is continuous blending?
If your child is still in the early stages of learning to read, then it is fairly normal to sound out words letter by letter, such as c-a-t. Segmenting the sounds (pulling the sounds apart) like this is an important step for early readers, but you don’t want them to get stuck there. A good next step is to teach continuous blending.
If you are teaching how to read a CVC word like cat, you can have your readers put one finger under the c and blend only the ca. Hold the sound as you add the final sound t. The readers can say each sound as they move their fingers under the letters to model continuous blending.
Watch a demonstration by Emily Ladlow here.
Alternately, If students are tapping the word cat on their fingers, then they can take their thumbs and rub them under each finger repeating the sounds without stopping. This is a great way to model blending in a kinesthetic way.
What causes the struggle with continuous blending?
Some students get stuck in the segmenting stage for too long. Here are a few possible reasons why this might happen.
Weak alphabetic knowledge- One possible reason for struggles with blending is that the student is not automatic with their sounds yet. If this is the case, it is important to go back and teach the sounds thoroughly. When teaching students, make sure to teach both decoding (reading) and encoding (spelling). Practice until the student is able to read each sound by sight, without hesitation. For example, students can say a-/ă/. They should also be able to do the reverse, spelling the sound when they hear the phoneme spoken, such as /ă/-a.
Habit- Sometimes the reader has been taught to segment the sounds in a word and read letter by letter every time they read without seeing continuous blending modeled. The instructor may just need to transition to blending practice. Segmenting and blending should be taught together.
Working memory- Some students have short-term memory weakness. They struggle to hold the speech sounds in their memory when decoding. They often forget what they have sounded out by the time they reach the end of the word. Continuous blending is very helpful for these students.
Auditory or phonological processing weakness- This isn’t an issue with hearing the sounds, but with processing them correctly in the brain. It is a condition that affects about 5% of students. This condition is often coupled with speech delays. A speech therapist can help with this issue.
How can I teach continuous blending?
Strategy 1: Sing while using blending ladders
When introducing blending to students, begin by blending a consonant and a vowel. For example, la, le, li, lo, lu or ma, me, mi, mo, mu. You can create blending ladders and sing through the blends up and down the ladder.
Strategy 2: Begin blending with continuous sounds.
Some letters make continuous sounds such as: m, s, f, l, r, n, v, z. These sounds are easier to blend because students can hold the sounds as long as they want. Then you can have the student add the next sound without taking a breath in between.
However, other letters make stop sounds such as: b, c, d, g, p, t, k, j. Teach these later because they are more difficult to blend. When you pronounce a stop sound, you will feel a puff of air but you won’t be able to hold the sound. These sounds are more easily blended when taught with a vowel. For example, ba, ca, da, ga. That’s because vowels are continuous sounds.
Strategy 3: Practice reading silently first.
Allow students to read the word in their heads before reading it out loud. Tell students that they can sound out the word in their heads first and then read it out aloud smoothly. This can increase fluency. Later, you can apply this strategy to sentences as well.
Strategy 4: Use word chains.
Practice reading word chains where you only change one letter at a time. For example, you can have students read dog, dig, dip, lip, lap, lad, bad, bed.
Strategy 5: Try pyramid blending.
Practice reading words in stages using pyramids. If you are practicing CVC words, start by saying the first sound, then blend the first and second sounds, then add the last sound. Make sure that you begin with continuous sounds like /m/ or /n/. For example, you can sound out /m/ /a/ and then bring in the /p/.
Strategy 6: Choral reading
Provide a copy of the words for both the teacher and the student. Tell the student that you will read the words at the same time. You will both put your fingers under the first sound and then move your fingers steadily under each sound, saying the sounds together without stopping in between. You will need to do a lot of demonstrating at first. Remind them to keep their fingers moving. Remind them not to stop their finger and not to stop their sounds.
Strategy 7: Secret Letter
Write a cvc word on an index card, but fold the index card, so that the last letter is hidden. Students should blend the first two sounds together and then hold the blend as they unfold the index card and reveal the hidden letter. Then they should add the final sound to complete the word.
Strategy 8: Give tons and tons of practice.
Remember that a struggling reader needs much more explicit instruction and fluency practice than a stronger reader. Don’t give up when your student requires extra time to master this skill. It will come eventually through consistent practice.
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