First Grade · Reading · week 4

Beginning Blends: St, Sl, Sp

Blend two consonants at the start of a word (st, sl, sp), hearing both sounds rather than one new sound.

A blend is different from a team like sh. In a blend, you hear BOTH letter sounds, just said fast together. St is s and t blended, like in "stop."

Try sl in "slide" and sp in "spin." Say each letter sound slowly first, then squeeze them closer together until they blend into one smooth start.

📋 For the teacher
Teach it (10–15 min):
  • Explain the difference from digraphs plainly: in sh you hear ONE new sound, but in st you still hear both the s and the t.
  • Have your child say s...t slowly, then say it faster and faster until the two sounds glue together.
  • Watch for a child dropping the first letter (saying "top" for "stop") and gently point back to the s.
  • Keep a finger under each letter as you blend so the eyes and the sounds move together.
Talk about it:
  • How is a blend like st different from a team like sh?
  • Can you say the two sounds in st slowly, then fast?
  • What word starts the same as spin?

Mastery looks like: They blend st, sl, and sp smoothly at the start of a word without dropping either sound.

Common stumbles: Dropping the first consonant of the blend and reading only the second sound, like "top" for "stop."

See it visually

Interactive, spoken-aloud tools that show this idea in motion.

Blending & SegmentingSlide sounds together to read a word — /s/ /u/ /n/ → “sun”.try →
Homework for this lessonType it, write it with a stylus, or print it for pencil & paper.open →
Records attendance + 15 min of Reading for this learner.
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