Wyatt was sick today so I taught Rhett for an hour. I began with a review of the sound deck with auditory and blending drills. I revisited the concept of compound words and Rhett successfully syllabicated and decoded a list of compound words. The new concept for today was S blends (sc, sk, sm, sn, sp, st, sw.). I introduced the sounds and example words, and then dictated a list of words for Rhett to write on the dry erase board (Stan, fast, last, must, snack, small, stack, spin, spill, step, speck.) To reinforce the new concept, Rhett read aloud a decodable text, "Jen's Best Gift Ever." S blend words in the book included best, just, and last. I dictated sentences for Rhett to write and edit using the COPS acronym. To conclude, we played a game of Phonics Dice with closed, open, and silent E syllable types.

I began the session with a review of the sound deck with visual and blending drills. To strengthen phonemic awareness, we segmented words using Elkonin boxes. We revisited yesterday's concept, compound words.

I continued to build a list of irregular and high-frequency words. Today we tackled the, is, his, as, has, and you, practicing both reading and spelling.

The connected text was a book from Flyleaf Publishing entitled Scamp Gets a Bath. This decodable text included the irregular and high-frequency words above, as well as opportunities to practice reading CVC, CCCVC, compound words, digraphs, and blends. I dictated a sentence from the book and helped edit using the COPS acronym.

Rhett was in good spirits today. I reviewed the sound deck with visual and blending drills. To reinforce phonemic awareness, we played a sorting game to count and classify words. I taught the compound words (sunfish, sunset, catfish) and dictated example words for Rhett to write. Next, he read a decodable book called The Sunset Pond. I dictated sentences to write and edit (Bud is a big dog. The pond is the best spot at sunset.)

I reviewed the sound deck with auditory and blending drills. The graphemes included initial L blends. I introduced a new concept, initial R blends such as br, dr, fr, gr, pr, tr. I dictated words for Rhett to write on the dry-erase board (frog, trap, brag, crib, drip.) Rhett read a decodable book reinforcing the concepts (Ted Can Do Tricks by FlyLeaf publishing.) I dictated a sentence from the book for Rhett to write; we edited using the COPS acronym (capitalization, order, punctuation, and spelling.)

I reviewed the sound deck with visual and blending drills. I reviewed the irregular words the, you and too. Rhett demonstrated that he can read and spell the words. I presented the -ng and -nk word endings with example words. I dictated words for Rhett to write. He read two decodable books (FlyLeaf Publishing) to reinforce graphemes learned to date.

I reviewed the sound deck with visual and blending drills. Rhett demonstrated his understanding of closed and open syllables with an interactive exercise using PowerPoint slides (opening and closing a syllable and reading the different sounds.) He read a decodable reader (Dot Likes to Dig) and an oral reading fluency passage at a first grade level. We played one round of Phonics Dice with CVC words.

I began with a review of the sound deck with visual and blending drills. I included the "L blend" graphemes taught yesterday in the sound deck. We discussed the definition of a syllable, and Rhett sorted 2, 3, and 4 syllable words. He "pounded and sounded" to count the syllables. I taught the irregular words the, you and to. We discussed what part of the words is irregular, or unexpected and not able to be sounded out. Rhett wrote each word three times on the dry erase board and three times using "air writing." He read a decodable text "Dot and Dan" which provided CVC decoding practice and the irregular words taught today. I dictated a sentence from the book, "Dot likes the pack!" After Rhett wrote the sentence on the dry erase board, we edited it using the COPS strategy (checking for capitalization, organization, punctuation, and spelling.) Rhett wanted to read a passage without pictures, so I pulled an oral reading fluency passage at a first grade level for him to read. To conclude, we played a game of Phonics Dice to review CVC decoding.

I reviewed the sound deck with visual and blending drills. For concept review, Rhett read examples of closed and open syllables (hi, hid, she, shed). I introduced the "l" blend as a new concept. I dictated example words to write on the dry erase board (blot, clap, flop, glop.) Rhett read a decodable book, "We Can't Stop!" For sentence writing practice, I dictated a sentence for him to write ("Mag can stop at the top."), and we edited it together for capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. To conclude, we played one round of Phonics Dice with CVC words.

Rhett did very well with the sound deck review, including visual, auditory, and blending drills. He voiced the short and long sounds for the vowels when prompted. I reviewed the closed and open syllable lesson from last week. To practice phonemic awareness, I asked Rhett to decipher the letters sounds in four-phoneme words. He read the Flyleaf decodable reader, "Pam Likes to Nap," and then asked to read "a harder book with no pictures." I presented an oral reading fluency passage on a first-grade level, and he did very well. Great work, Rhett.

Rhett showed up to our session, ready to work. I reviewed the sound deck with visual and blending drills. Next, he read the book "C or K" with excellent prosody. I revisited yesterday's new concept, the closed and open syllable. I manipulated a set of PowerPoint slides, turning an open syllable into a closed syllable (hi to him, she to shed, etc.) as a visual demonstration of the concept. I dictated a sentence for Rhett to write on the dry erase board; we corrected it for capitalization, letter formation, and punctuation. To conclude, we played a game of Phonics Dice.