Step 4 Processing groups of letters as one unit
The step of imprinting two-letter combinations as a single sound is the most important step towards fluent, independent reading and writing. Launch Literacy’s Program provides clinically-proven resources to ensure young learners are able to reach this vital milestone.
Sounding out single letters and words.
During the very early stages of reading, young learners will in time be able to match each letter to its sound, provided they have embedded Steps 2 & 3 of the Launch Literacy Program.
Take the word jug. A child might:
- see the individual letters j – u – g
- sound them out singly
- hold these sounds in their auditory memory
- slowly merge the sounds into a formed word – jug
Some children achieve this step, but don’t progress from here. They become reliant on this sounding out approach as their primary reading strategy. This becomes exhausting as words increase in length. The child can quickly become a discouraged, reluctant reader if sounding out is their only reading strategy.
Sounding out two letters as one unit.
Neurologically and developmentally speaking – following on from sounding out single letters – the next step required in the reading process is for young learners to see two letters as one. For example, at becomes one sound, not a + t.
The aim is to cement two-letter sounds such as at as a unit that will forever be perceived as that single sound. This is often referred to as the rime of the word. The words cat, fat, sat, mat, hat and bat all share the rime at.*
To progress to this step, a young learner requires significant exposure to rhyming word families, to imprint the rime in the child’s memory. Browse through the Readers below to see how the Launch Literacy Program provides exposure to all the necessary rhyming word families within a meaningful, fun and accessible context.
Set 1 “an”
Set 2 “an”
Set 3 “an”
Once two-letter patterns have been imprinted, the child can add consonants to form and sound out three-letter and later four-letter words such as flat, spat and brat.
*Launch Literacy’s Word Tracing and Word Writing Books integrate with our selection of 66 Decodable Readers, enabling young learners to practise the reading and writing of these patterns to develop essential foundation literacy skills.
At Launch Literacy we are committed to getting young learners reading and writing fast. Why wait any longer? Let’s begin!