What Do I Do When....a student can say the sounds but cannot blend?

One of the best parts of my job is problem solving. Literacy is so complex and we have to troubleshoot to find what works best for our students. Daily, I have conversations with teachers about "what to do when". There is never one "right" answer or one approach that works for everyone. Instead, I present a series of options because I know that each situation is slightly different.

Welcome to the "What Do I Do When..." series! I'll be posing common questions or problems that teachers bring to me regularly and how we approach them together.

Our first question "What do I do when a student can say the sounds but cannot blend?"...

Again, there is no silver bullet. As teachers, we have to be prepared with a number of possible solutions. The best advice is to start at the simplest possible solution, monitor, and respond. For example with this particular question I would first want to know how explicitly the teacher is modeling blending in the classroom. That could be a very effective, but simple change if it is not already in place. If it is something already taking place in the classroom, then we move down the list.

In addition to trying one instructional practice at a time (or some in conjunction), it's just as important to give it a period of time to affect growth. We can't try something once or twice and say it's not working. We have to give it a least two to three weeks and monitor the behavior closely for growth. If the growth isn't rigorous enough then we should adjust the approach and collect more related data.

Here are some suggested Tier Two Interventions to help address a lack of blending sounds into words....I would start at the top and work my way down.

Visit my TPT store Simply Primary for some excellent resources that encourage blending in a meaningful way.

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