At the end of the task, don’t forget to have the student reread any sounds that required correction.
This task introduces students to segmenting words that consist of one continuous phoneme followed by a stop phoneme. Those words are it, ate, and odd (the first, third, and sixth words in this task).
In this task, remember to hold continuous sounds, like the /ĭĭĭ/ in it, for two seconds, as you have done in earlier tasks, and do not pause between sounds. Stop sounds, like the /t/ in it, should always be said fast. Make sure not to turn the final stop sounds into syllables by adding vowel sounds after them. For example, the word it should be /ĭĭĭt/, not /ĭĭĭtŭh/.
If the student struggles to produce the /th/ sound in then, say: “Put the tip of your tongue between your teeth, like this… Good. When I make this sound, it tickles my tongue. Watch: /ththth/. Now, let’s try it together: /ththth/.”
Make sure to read the example sentences after each word.
At the end of the task, don’t forget to repeat any words that required correction.
This task introduces students to blending words that consist of one continuous phoneme followed by a stop phoneme. Examples: at, eat, she, add, and up. (The word your is the only exception.)
Here’s a note on the final word in this task: your. Consider the words star, stir, and store. Think about the sounds that come after the st-. Linguists often refer to those sounds as r-controlled vowels. They are usually considered to be single phonemes that are composed of two phones. While our program teaches ar and er (and later ir and ur) as single units, we will teach or (as in the word store) as being composed of the sounds /ō/ and /r/. This is not strictly precise, but we find that it is a helpful shortcut that allows students to read useful words like for far earlier in our program. Saying the word your slowly as /yyyōōōrrr/ in this task lays the groundwork for students to be able to read words like for very soon. Watch the video linked above to hear how that should sound. (Some science-of-reading-based programs take a different approach, but we are not alone in taking this approach.)
Make sure to read the example sentences after each word.
At the end of the task, don’t forget to repeat any words that required correction.
This task requires students to touch under the sounds on the screen, instead of the instructor, while the sounds are being read.
Even when students are in the habit of tracking their finger under a word when they sound it out slowly, they often make the mistake of not touching under the word when they read it the fast way. This can lead to students looking at the instructor and guessing instead of keeping their attention on the symbols they are reading, especially when the words get more complex. Help students avoid this mistake by always touching the screen yourself every time you read from it (even when modeling reading fluently) and by always enforcing that they keep their finger on the screen when they read a word the fast way.
If the student says a wrong sound or pauses between the sounds, follow the flowchart to correct them.
At the end of the task, have the student reread any words that required correction.
