(br, pl, fl, sl, cr, gl, gr, bl, cl, fr, pr, st, tr, str, sp, sw, tw, sk.)

gr ow dr aw pl ay s ky sm all sl ay fl ower cr ow st ay st and cl ean fr ay gl ass pr ay tr ay br own sp in str ay bl ue sw ing sl ow st ore sl ack bl ow tr ack dw arf gl ow

The teacher must pronounce the syllables that the children have, as yet, no power to master, e.g., with the word “grow”, (1) the children will blend g and r, gr; (2) teacher pronounces “ow”; (3) children blend “gr” and “ow” until they recognise “grow.”

Teach also the digraphs sh, ch, th, wh, as they are met in the common words in use:  when, they, chick, etc.

sh eep ch ick wh at th at sh ell ch ild wh en th is sh y ch air wh y th ese sh ore ch ill wh ere th ose sh ine ch erry wh ich th ere sh ow ch ildren th en th eir sh e ch urch th ey th ey sh all ch ase sh ould ch est

III. Teach the Short Vowels.

Since more than 60 per cent of the vowels are short, and since short vowels outnumber long vowels by about four to one, they are taught first.  Teach one vowel at a time by combining with the known consonants.  And what fun it is, when short “a” is introduced, to blend it with the consonants and listen to discover “word sounds.”  Henceforth the children will take delight in “unlocking” new words, without the teacher’s help.  She will see to it, of course, that the words are simple and purely phonetic at first; as: 

c-a-n, can h-a-d, had c-a-p, cap m-a-t, mat c-a-t, cat m-a-n, man r-a-t, rat f-a-n, fan h-a-t, hat s-a-t, sat

Whole “families” are discovered by placing the vowel with the initial or the final consonants, thus: 

ca n r at f an ca p h at an d ca t c at s an d ca b b at st an d ma t f at l an d ma n s at b an d

The children will enjoy forming all the families possible with the known sounds.

Short “a” Families or Phonograms.

       at an ap ad ack ag and r ang b ank
     b at c an c ap h ad b ack b ag b and s ang r ank
     c at m an g ap l ad h ack f ag h and b ang s ank
     f at p an l ap m ad J ack j ag l and h ang t ank
     m at t an m ap g ad l ack l ag s and f ang bl ank
     p at r an n ap b ad p ack n ag st and cl ang cr ank
     N at f an r ap c ad r ack r ag gr and spr ang dr ank
     s at b an s ap f ad s ack s ag br and Fr ank