In this post we are combining the last two lessons of the alphabet phonograms, for a total of six. I’m excited to be concluding the alphabet phonograms because that gets us to the multiple-letter phonograms where so much more learning will take place. The real power of the phonograms comes into play in the multiple-letter phonograms!
Phonogram u
Phonogram u has three distinct sounds:
- The sound of u as in run. Remember how I have gone on and on about not adding the uh sound with phonograms? Well, with this one I insist on it as it is the short sound of u.
- The sound of u as in unit. By now you are more than familiar with the fact that long sounds like this must have a rule in place.
- As always, the first and most common rule for the long sound is the silent e going back to make the phonogram long (mute, cute).
- The next rule is one you’ve seen three times before because it is a, e, o, u usually say their names at the end of a syllable (unit, fluid). I know fluid makes more of an /oo/ sound, but by engaging this rule it makes the long u sound and enables a reader to get the word through very close proximity.
- The sound of u as in put. Prior to using The Writing Road to Reading in first grade, this is another one of the sounds I’d never taught before. So, it was just an exception prior and put had to be taught a pure sight word. Shameful!
Phonogram v
Phonogram v has one distinct sound:
- The sound of v as in van. Back to no uh!
Phonogram w
Phonogram w has one distinct sound:
- The sound of w as in will. The w sound is a little more difficult to isolate than other sounds. Use that strategy where you only say the first part of the word like you did with l. You could even use word to isolate the w sound.
Phonogram x
Phonogram x has one distinct sound:
- The sound of x as in fix. The x sound is made up of two other sounds you have already learned, first sound of c and first sound of s. Now that I think about it, and I never realized this before, the x makes the two sounds of c, just quickly.
Phonogram y
Phonogram y has four distinct sounds:
- The sound of y as in yes.
- This is the only sound of y that is a consonant sound. We all remember the saying that y is sometimes a consonant and sometimes a vowel. This is the consonant sound.
- The sound of y as in myth.
- This the same sound as short i.
- The sound of y as in try.
- This is the same sound as long i.
- There are a few spelling rules related to this sound of y.
- y may make its long sound at the end of a syllable.
- When a one-syllable word ends in a single vowel y, it says its long sound.
- The sound of y as in berry.
- This is the same sound as long e.
- This spelling rules applies: y says its long sound only at the end of a multiple-syllable base word (marry, fairy, contrary)
- This is the same sound as long e.
Phonogram z
Phonogram z has one distinct sound:
- The sound of z as in zoo.
Wrapping Up
That’s it for the alphabet letter phonograms! Really looking forward to sharing the multiple-letter phonograms as that is where so much reading power resides. Lots of information I never knew until I started using The Writing Road to Reading.
