How To: Word or Syllable Only?

• Lesson Objective: Build automaticity and accuracy in sound-symbol relationships

• Grouping:  Small-group.

• Methodology: Students blend sounds to form words and/or syllables using grapheme cards. This activity can be done collaboratively or independently.

• Duration: 5-10 minutes (warm-up)

  
  

Throw-back to my kindergarten teaching days!

One of my favorite foundational activities when I taught kindergarten was using grapheme cards for blending practice. Back then, the activity looked a little different — we didn’t yet differentiate between “nonsense words” and “syllables.” Instead, the focus was simply on helping students blend sounds smoothly to decode words.

This activity is a fantastic way to check if students are truly decoding as they blend. A common challenge, though, is that some students don’t always recognize real words during the drill. However, this is usually a minor issue because I made it a point to circulate around the room while students worked independently. When done collaboratively, this is a non-issue as I'm leading instruction.

It’s a simple but powerful exercise that builds confidence and fluency. It reinforces previously taught phoneme-to-grapheme relationships.  We revisit letter-sound relationships at least four times per unit through activities like Marker/Sand Spelling and Identify the Grapheme.

🖍 How the Routine Works

Collaborative:

My grapheme blending binder.

When working with small groups, I use a binder containing three grapheme cards to guide the blending practice. For the first few blends, we participate chorally to build confidence and model fluent blending together. For each round, we'll decide if it's a real word for simply a syllable.

If students struggle with a particular grapheme, I keep that card in place while flipping the other cards to give them additional practice with that challenging sound.

Once students gain confidence, I call on them individually to blend the cards.

As they progress, I often introduce a silent <e> or <y> at the end to expand the blending possibilities. Be sure to add other grapheme cards to your set as they are taught.

Independent:

Sample of independent Word or Syllable Only?

We’ll continue meeting in small groups, but this time each student will receive a baggie of grapheme cards to work with at their own pace. Students will use the cards to create words and syllables independently. While I don’t require recording during collaborative practice, I do ask students to record their work during independent sessions to promote accountability. As always, I circulate around the room to provide feedback and support.

One of the challenges with independent practice is managing all the baggies of grapheme cards. This past year, I was lucky to have a student aide who helped prep the sets for me. The good news is that you don’t need a full class set for every student—just enough for each period, since students reuse them. In a pinch, you can even have your first-period group add newly introduced graphemes to the bags as the unit progresses. It’s a simple way to keep materials up to date without creating extra work.

Get the template here! Check out the Interactive Unit Guides to see how this lesson fits within each unit.