It’s time to dive into the second set of four phonograms! This post will be a bit lengthy again, so let’s jump right in. The phonograms we’ll cover today are:
- g
- o
- s
- qu
Phonogram g
Phonogram g has two distinct sounds:
- First Sound: The first sound is the hard sound, as in good. Be sure to pronounce it short and quick, without adding an “uh” at the end.
- Second Sound: The second sound is the soft sound, as in gentle. Just like with c, there’s a rule that influences when g will use its soft sound.
Rule: g may make its second sound (soft g) when it’s followed by e, i, or y. For example, in gentle, the g is followed by e, making it soft.
Also, notice the silent final e and two syllables in gentle. If you recall, this is an example of the fourth rule of silent final e: “Every syllable must have a written vowel.” Let’s code the word gentle as a reminder:
- The 2 indicates the g is making its second sound.
- The e is double underlined because it’s a silent final e, fulfilling the fourth rule.
Phonogram o
Phonogram o has three distinct sounds:
- First Sound: The first sound is short, as in dog. I’ll refer to this as the “short o” or the “first sound.” Notice that many of the first words we learned (like cat and dog) use the short sounds of a and o—no wonder they were our first words! When you’re unsure which sound to use, always try the first sound of o first.
- Second Sound: The second sound is long, as in lone. I’ll refer to this as the “long o” or the “second sound.” Remember, vowels don’t make their long sound unless there’s a specific reason. Here are the three spelling rules that apply:
- The silent final e makes the o long, as in lone and cone. This is the first rule of silent final e, and it’s the most commonly taught one.
- When o appears at the end of a syllable, it’s usually long, as in local and bonus.
- o may say its long sound when followed by two consonants, as in cold and host.
- Third Sound: The third sound of o is the sound in to. There’s no specific rule for this sound, so readers need to use context and try each sound until it makes sense.
Here’s how to code the different o rules. Notice that when coding for the first rule of silent final e, no number is added. If there’s no number, it’s understood to be the first rule.
Phonogram s
Phonogram s also has two distinct sounds:
- First Sound: The first sound is s, as in sit. This is the default sound of s, so try it first if you’re unsure.
- Second Sound: The second sound is z, as in as. There’s no specific rule to determine when s will make its second sound, so logical reasoning is required.
A word of caution here: when introducing as, some kids may default to the first sound of s, which can lead to an awkward moment. It’s helpful to be proactive and show them the word coded properly, with the 2 indicating the second sound of s. They’ll remember this when they see the word in their reading!
Phonogram qu
Phonogram qu has only one distinct sound, as in quit. This is the first of many multiple-letter phonograms, and it’s the only one that does this in the 26 alphabet letters.
Interestingly, while u is normally a vowel, when used with q it functions differently. Here’s the rule that applies:
- q always needs a u, and in this case, u is not a vowel.
That’s it for this post! We’ve covered a lot of ground with the second group of phonograms. Stay tuned as we continue this journey of introducing the phonograms!
