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January Checkup

Welcome back to Read Not Guess.


As we get back into the swing of things after a long holiday break, let’s give your kids a check-up for the new year.


How are their reading skills progressing?


Can they recognize letters and the sounds they make?


Can they blend those sounds into words, without pictures or any other context clues?


Let’s get started.

Rhyming Test


This is a speaking test. Say each word pair. Ask your child if the words end with the same sound (do they rhyme?).

cat/ hat


ship/ dip


mix/ lip


cow/ shoe


net/ met

Now let's make it harder. Say each of the word pairs below. See if your child can come up with a new word that ends with the same sound (it rhymes):


hop/ stop


oat/ moat


sill/ mill


stay/ bay


like/ bike

Made-up words are ok at this point, but gently correct them if they say something that is not a rhyme. Say the word pair again, slowly and clearly, so they can hear the difference.


If your child struggled with any of the words, go back and have them do it again. Repeated practice is good for kids.


For a harder challenge, swap roles. Have your child give you a word pair to come up with a new rhyming word.


Note that this is an exercise you can practice anywhere. Try it at the dinner table, in the car, or anytime you’re waiting around.


Letter Blend Quiz


How is your child doing with their letter blends? Ask them to say the correct sounds as they point to the letters:

tr


bl


sh


pr


gl


st

Word Practice


Now we’re going to work on “blending” letter sounds into words. Your child can start slowly by saying each sound individually, but each time, they should try to say it just a bit faster.


Ask your child to say the correct sounds as they point to the letters:

h u sh

h ush

hush


And:


cr a sh

cr ash

crash

By the end, make sure your child is reading the word "crash" without any extra sounds at the end.


Let’s do a few more:


e l f

e l f

elf

And:


sh e l f

sh elf

shelf

And:

st a sh

st ash

stash

And a harder one:


s pl a sh

spl ash

splash

Short Vowel Words


Does your child know their short vowel sounds well? Here are some more for them to practice. Can they get through these quickly and cleanly?


ship shop


bag bug big


got get gut


let lot lit


mat met mutt


hit hat hut hot


That’s it for today. How did your child do? Are there verbal skills or letter sounds they need more practice on? Feel free to go back to review earlier lessons. Otherwise, we'll see you again on next time.

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