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the art of sounding out words

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What is decoding? Decoding is the process of translating print into speech by rapidly matching a letter or combination of letters (graphemes) to their sounds (phonemes) and recognizing the patterns that make syllables and words.

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an example of starting to decode with simple word

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attack that word with different strategies

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Attack that Word: Reviewing Decoding Strategies

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9 activities to get your kids decoding

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When little ones start learning to read, one of the important skills they'll need to develop is decoding. But what is decoding, and how do you teach it? Read on to learn all about decoding strategies and get lots of teaching activities.

What is decoding?

Put simply, decoding is the ability to sound out letters and understand the words they make up. A new reader needs to recognize each letter, determine the sound it makes, then put all those sounds together smoothly to say and recognize the word. The process goes slowly at first, but as kids build their skills, decoding becomes automatic, leading to reading fluency.

The theory of the science of reading puts it like this: Decoding (D) x Language Comprehension (LC) = Reading Comprehension (RC). When you learn about decoding, you'll hear some common phrases like phonics, phonemic awareness, phonemes, segmenting, and blending. You may also encounter concepts like symbol imagery and concept imagery, since connecting mental images with letters and words helps students retain information.

All of these skills work together to create confident readers, and kids can practice them using these decoding strategies and activities. ( Learn about finding good decodable texts for reading practice here.)

1. Have fun with phonics

Phonics is a key part of decoding, and there are so many fun activities kids can do to learn diagraphs, phonemes, and other letter sounds and blends. Check out our full list here for lots of phonics fun!

2. Hang a decoding poster

Our free printable poster has a variety of decoding strategies all in one place. Hang it in your classroom, or pass out copies to students to take home as reminders when they're reading with their families.

Get it: Decoding Strategies Poster

3. Play hide-and-seek with words

For younger kids, place a letter manipulative into a covered box, and ask them to reach in and feel the letter. Based on what they feel, what letter do they think it is? For older kids, lay out an entire word in the box, and see if students can reach in and "feel" out the word.

4. Draw your words

People remember pictures. When you're introducing new words to students, ask them to draw an image that has meaning to them that goes with the word they're learning. Even creating an image in their head has benefit, but asking them to draw an image around a word on paper can be more fun-and more valuable.

5. Twist pool noodle letters

These pool noodle letter beads are so much fun, and they're so easy to make! Slide them onto a tube of construction paper, then twist and turn them to form new words. Have students name each letter and sound it out with the beads spaced apart, then push them together and say the entire word.

Learn more: Use Pool Noodles To Teach Phonics

6. Slide beads to practice segmenting

Bead slides are popular decoding strategies because they're easy to make and simple to use. As a student says a word out loud, they slide a bead along for each syllable. This helps them segment words, breaking them down into more manageable parts.

Learn more: Marvelous Multiagers

7. Write in shaving cream

Here's another classic decoding activity: shaving cream writing! Spread the shaving cream on desks (they'll be squeaky clean afterward!), trays, or even windows. Then have kids write letters and words, sounding them out as they go.

Learn more: Gift of Curiosity

8. Take a mind picture

Show students a letter card and have them say it out loud, along with the sound it makes. Then, have them trace the letter with their finger. Finally, ask them to "take a picture of it" in their minds, and take the card away. Now ask them to write the letter themselves, either on paper or in the air (see below).

Get it: Printable Alphabet Cards at Prekinders

9. Write in the air

Writing letters in the air helps kids learn to "image," or see, the letter in their heads. The experts at Lindamood-Bell recommend doing air-writing in lowercase letters, since that's what we see most often when we read. Their research indicates that developing symbol imagery by writing in the air is more productive than writing on a piece of paper.

Learn more: First Grade Smiles

10. Blend with musical plates

Write word endings on paper plates and lay them out in a circle. Then, give each kid a card with a word-starting blend written on it. Start up the music, and let kids dance around the circle until it stops. When it does, they match up their card with the plate in front of them, and sound it out to see if they've made a real word. If not, they're out, and the game continues until you have one winner. (Unlike musical chairs, don't remove plates after each round.)

Learn more: Cara Carroll

11. Read left to right

Use classic stoplight colors to help students remember to read letters from left to right. It seems like a simple concept to experienced readers, but it's harder for some students to master than others.

Learn more: The Literacy Nest

12. Flip the vowels

One of the trickier parts of decoding is understanding that vowels can make different sounds, depending on the word. Practice the concept by "flipping" the vowel sounds from long to short and then seeing how the word changes. Then when kids are reading new words, they can try both vowel sounds and see which makes more sense.

Learn more: Finally in First

13. Meet the Chunky Monkey

"Chunking" words breaks them into parts kids already know or find easier to sound out. This cute song to the tune of Yankee Doodle can remind students of this strategy.

Learn more: Tejada's Tots

14. Put together word puzzles

Breaking words into smaller chunks is the first step. After that, kids have to be able to put them back together to form the whole word. Simple puzzles like these help them visualize both parts of the process.

Learn more: I Heart Teaching Elementary

15. Make word-building folders

This clever little kit means kids can practice their decoding strategies just about anywhere. They build words using letters and blends, then write them out. Finally, they draw an illustration of the word, helping them use imagery to remember.

Learn more: Lucky Little Learners

What are your favorite decoding strategies to use with emerging readers? Come share your ideas and ask for advice in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.

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15 Effective Decoding Strategies and Activities for Emerging Readers

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Decoding is one of the key parts of the science of reading. Learn more and get effective decoding strategies to use with emerging readers.

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this app is the first in a step-by-step system for teaching reading. Consistent with reading research findings, Oz Phonics concentrates on building a student's listening and sound identification / manipulation skills before introducing letters.

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pulling those sounds together

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"Two blending procedures that have the greatest reading payoff are final [sound-by-sound] blending and successive [whole-word] blending." (Resnick and Beck, 1976)

Blending Sounds: Phonics blending (also known as visual blending) is the ability to string together the sounds that each letter stands for in a word. (Blevins, 1998) When children perform phonics blending activities, they work with printed words. When they perform oral or auditory blending activities, they work with spoken words. Oral blending activities work well as warm-ups at the beginning of a phonics lesson.

Two Key Blending Strategies: There are two methods for teaching children to blend sound-spellings to make words: (1) sound-by-sound (or final) blending, and (2) whole-word (or successive) blending. Both blending procedures are best introduced using simple CVC words.

Sound-by-Sound (or Final) Blending: You identify and pronounce each sound one at a time through the vowel and then blend those sounds. Do not blend the whole word until you have identified and pronounced each sound first. For example:

1. Write m. Point to the letter and say /m/.

2. Write a. Point to the letter and say /a/.

3. Slide your finger under the letters ma and blend them together to say /ma/.

4. Write n. Point to the letter and say /n/.

5. Slide your finger under the letters man and blend them together to say man.

6. Circle the word with your finger and say: The word is man.

Variation: Repeat consonant sounds when blending. For example, after you say /m/, repeat the sound: /m/, /m/, /m/.
Whole-Word (or Successive) Blending: You sound out what each letter stands for one at a time without pausing between sounds. For example:

1. Write man.

2. Slide your finger under each letter as you slowly say and extend the sound that the letter stands for, /m/ /a/ /n/ (mmmaaannn). Don't pause between sounds.

3. Slowly compress the extended word, mmmaaannn, mmaann, man.

4. Circle the word with your finger and say: The word is man.

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"Two blending procedures that have the greatest reading payoff are final [sound-by-sound] blending and successive [whole-word] blending." (Resnick and Beck, 1976) Blending Sounds: Phonics blending (also known as visual blending) is the ability to string together the sounds that each letter stands for in a word.

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down to each sound

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Read Write Inc. Phonics: Ruth Miskin on how to teach blending to children

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start your blending strategies off right

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10 activities that will make your students think and blend

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These games can be played at most phases if the words are carefully selected.

1. Use word cards

Play class 'Bingo'. Use six pictures stuck on the board as a giant Bingo card. Pick out a word card. The child picking out the card must blend the word, read it (with help from the class if necessary) and match it to the correct picture. When all the pictures have a word attached- you all shout 'Bingo!'

2. Use large letter cards

Three children are each given a large letter card and asked to stand together to make a word. The rest of the class say the sounds and read the word. Choose another trio of children to make a word if practising CVC, or more children if you are practicing CCVC or CVCC words.

3. Change the word

As above but change one letter each time to make a different word. Sometimes it's possible to end with the same word you started with. This is known as Full Circle, eg. cat, cap, tap, tip, dip, pip, pit, pat, cat- Full circle! This is great for both blending and segmenting.

4. Beat the clock

Show a pre-selected list of words for children. Try to read as many words as possible in a set time. Once the timer is set, invite the children one at a time to sound-talk and then read a word. A selection of free online timers can be found here.

5. What's in the bag?

Have a bag of objects to match the words you wish to practise reading. Show a word, ask a child to sound it out, read it, then find the matching object in the bag.

6. Human dominoes

Hand out a large set of dominoes that feature words and (not matching) pictures. Choose a child to start. The child who has the picture to match the word on the first domino must stand up. The child who has the picture to match the next word then stands up. Continue until all the dominoes have been used.

7. Change it

Write a caption, phrase or sentence that is decodable for the children. Ask the children to blend it and read it. Then remove or erase one word and write a new one. Invite the children to again blend and read the new word. Continue for as long as you can, changing just one word each time.

8. Use sound buttons

Teach blending of VC or CVC words, eg. if, map. Instead of just pointing to the letters as you say the sounds- put a button, dot or blob under each letter or group of letters that represents a sound, as shown on the examples below (in the case of VC or CVC words each letter will represent one sound but, at later phases, more than one letter may represent a single sound, eg. b/r/igh/t. In this case, igh would only need a single line underneath it). This is sound-talk but with a visual clue. Write up simple VC or CVC words and invite children to add the blob.

9. Yes or no

When children can read simple sentences, prepare some silly questions for example, 'Are cows blue?'. In pairs or groups, children must read the questions and decide whether to hold up their 'Yes' or 'No' card. Ensure the children blend the sentence for the class as well as justifying their response.

10. Draw it

Prepare some simple sentences. In pairs ask the children to respond in drawing, eg. a pig on a log, a bus on top of a hut, etc. Invite the children with the best drawing to demonstrate the blending of the sentence for the others.

Tags

English, English and Literacy, English and Writing, English for the More Able, phonics, Reading, Reading and Ebooks

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Get phonics ideas and help with these easy blending activities to help children master phonics. Contains practical ideas and guidance that will improve your teaching practice and help children learn to read. Find out more and get free teaching ideas.

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specifically designed to help students recognize and distinguish words by sounds

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rules we must follow

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bossy E

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when 2 vowels go awalkin the first one does the talkin

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When 2 Vowels Go Walking | Phonics Song for Kids | Jack Hartmann

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consonant digraph

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Digraphs | Phonics Song for Children | Phonemic Awareness | Jack Hartmann