Advanced Language Activities

Advanced Language Activities

Jan 19, '22

Digraphs and Blends

Digraphs and blends are important parts of language that lead to fluent reading skills. They also help children feel more confident when dissecting new words they come across when decoding new text.

Montessori educators can begin teaching blends through the use of the green sandpaper letters. These are a lot like the sandpaper numerals and letters elsewhere in the classroom, but instead of one letter, they have the two letter blends on each wooden tablet. Children can practice learning common digraphs like “sh, ch, and fl”. The wonderful part about this work is the opportunity for children to feel thorough sandpaper letters with sensitized fingers, giving them a true didactic experience.

Once the child has practiced learning the two letter sounds, they can begin to match the sounds they hear to objects with those blends. Including this bag full of blends & digraph objects is a great way to help children practice this skill. This kit includes objects and tiles that match the following blend sounds: br, ch, cl, cr, fl.

Children will love matching the sounds and objects together. This is also a lesson that can be taught to multiple children at the same level. The children can then be left to work on their own to continue their blending sounds practice. If the pair works well together, they could also become reading buddies for continued reading practice. 

Words with Multiple Syllables

Along with digraphs, multisyllabic words are also a tough hurdle for children to cross when first beginning to read. Give children lots of practice identifying the number of syllables in a word through group exercises during circle time. The teacher can demonstrate clapping out each syllable and invite the children to join in.

Adding a bag of objects with a multitude of syllable variety will offer children lots of practice. This bag of syllable objects includes thirty-two objects that vary between 1, 2, 3, and 4 syllable words. When using this work, children can take turns choosing an object from the bag and clapping out the number of syllables within the word.

This week’s worksheet provides a digraph matching lesson that will provide extra practice for the readers in the classroom.

Leave a comment