What Does That Mean?

It is understandable that parents do not always understand the meaning of certain terms. As the blog progresses I will update the definitions of each term on this post. The terms are listed in alphabetical order. This will help you use the resource more effectively.

Each term below is linked to its source.

blends

A consonant blend is when two or more consonants are blended together, but each sound may be heard in the blend.  The most common beginning consonant blends include: bl, br, cl, cr, dr, fr, tr, fl, gl, gr, pl, pr, sl, sm, sp and st.  Blends can also occur at the end of words as in the word “last”.  There are also blends which contain three consonants.  Common three consonant blends include: str, spl, and spr.  When teaching blends, most teachers introduced them in groups.  For example, a teacher may choose to introduce the l-blends first (bl, cl, fl, gl, pl and sl) followed by the r-blends.  When introducing the concept of blends and digraphs, cue cards often help. 

CVC words

A CVC word is made up of a consonant, vowel, and consonant sound. When a vowel is followed by a consonant, it is a closed syllable and makes the vowel say its sound. Cat is an example of a CVC word. Each letter makes its sound and is therefore decodable and easy for a beginning reader to sound out. Dog, big, pot, sun, and bag are also examples of CVC words.

phonics

a method of teaching people to read, based on learning the sounds that letters represent

sight words

Sight words are common words that kids learn to recognize instantly without sounding them out. Words like the, it, and and appear so often that beginning readers reach the point where they no longer need to try to sound out these words. Recognizing words by sight helps kids become faster, more fluent readers. Many sight words are tricky to read and spell — they aren’t spelled the way they sound.