A CVCC word is made from a consonant-vowel-consonant-consonant. Once children can blend and read CVCC words made from Phase 2 sounds we can introduce CVCC words made from Phase 3 sounds.
The words will still be made with 4 sounds but they could be made with more than 4 letters. Children need to identify where two letters making one sound (digraph) and where two letters make their own sounds (adjacent consonants).
I made a sound shelf from Duplo. I used 4 blocks to show that there needs to be 4 sound cards. I used a different coloured block to show where the vowel/vowel digraph needed to go.
Reading:
Arrange the following cards to make the words shelf. Using the digraph cards helps children to see which letters go together to make one sound e.g. and which letters make their own sounds.
Spelling:
Mix up four sound cards and place them in front of the Duplo shelf. Say the word ‘paint’ and ask your child to repeat it. Then they should sound it out and put the sounds on the shelf in the correct order.
Here are some other words you could use:
tenth (t-e-n-th)
chimp (ch-i-m-p)
bench (b-e-n-ch)
shift (sh-i-f-t)
joint (j-oi-n-t)
boost (b-oo-s-t)
roast (r-oa-st)
As they become more confident, you could add more cards so they really have to think about which sounds to use.
Writing:
Part of Phase 4 phonics involves giving children the opportunity to write sentences including at least one tricky word and some phase 4 words. Get your child to make the word burnt the ask them to write the following sentence which includes two tricky words that can’t be sounded out (my, the).
My mum burnt the toast.
When children become confident with blending CVCC words they start to read words containing more than one syllable. I will share some more activities and words lists over the next few weeks.
If you have a go at this activity and share any photos on social media I would love to see photos of it in action. Please tag @miniwritersclub and use #miniwritersclub and let me know how you get on.
Anna