2. Junior Infants. Group 5 (Sounds and Blending Activities)

3. Ideas for Parents: 1. Encourage your child to say the relevant sound on the slide three times. Click on the speaker symbol to hear the sound. 2. Begin to encourage your child to find the sound in either the beginning, middle or end of each word e.g. /bin/...where is the /i/? (in the middle) where is the/n/? (at the end). 3. Encourage your child to sing the song to accompany the letter. 4. Revise all sounds regularly.

4. Can you make this sound? oa Action: Bring a hand over your mouth, as if something has gone wrong, and say oh! Song: (Tune: The Muffin Man) Oh, did you see the billy goat? /oa/-/oa/-/oa/-/oa/- /oa/-/oa/. Oh, did you see the billy goat under the old oak tree?

5. Can you make this sound? ie Action: Stand to attention and salute saying /ie/-/ie/. Song: (Tune: The Farmer in the Dell) The captain said, “/ie/-/ie/ !” “Stand up straight! Don’t be late!” The captain said, “/ie/-/ie/ !”

6. Can you make this sound? ee or Action: Put your hands on your head and flap them up and down like the ears of a donkey, saying eeyore, eeyore. Song: (Tune: Twinkle Twinkle) See the donkey in its stall. “Eeyore! /ee/-/or/!” Is its call.

7. Can you make this sound? z Action: Put your arms out at your sides and flap them like a bee, saying /zzzzzzz/ Song: (Tune: Did you ever see a Lassie?) Did you ever hear a bee buzz, a bee buzz, a bee buzz? Did you ever hear a bee buzz “/zzz/!”, like this?

8. Can you make this sound? w Action: Blow onto your open hand, as if you are the wind, and say wh, wh, wh. Song: (Tune: He’s got the whole world in his hands) I see the clouds moving, /w/-/w/-/w/. I see the kites flying, /w/-/w/-/w/. I see the trees bending, /w/-/w/-/w/. The wind is blowing strong!

9. Vowel Diagraphs. We have learned these diagraphs. Please practice them regularly with your child. ieeeor aioa

10. Blending. Ideas for Parents. 1. With blending, the first sound needs to be said louder than the other sounds. 2. Parents should make the sounds in the word on the slide first e.g. /r/ /a/ /t/ and then say the complete word. 3. Encourage your child to repeat what you have just done. 4. Begin to encourage the children to blend silently.

11. Can you sound out the word? jam

12. Can you sound out the word? swim

13. Can you sound out the word? west

14. Can you sound out the word? goat

15. Can you sound out the word? swam

16. Can you sound out the word? for

17. Can you sound out this word? feed

18. Please encourage your child to make these words using their sound cards. Encourage them to sound out the words they have made. zapwentbee windjugmoat webbraindrum

19. Reading Sentences. The children will need lots of help and encouragement at this stage. You can help your child by sounding out the words in the sentence and then reading the full sentence aloud. Please use your finger to point at the individual words in the sentence. I have included some words from the children’s reading books in the sentences. These words can be read without sounding them out.

20. Can you read these sentences? The bee can buzz.

21. Can you read these sentences? I can paint.

22. Can you read these sentences? Zap the zebra.

23. Can you read these sentences? It is a wigwam.

24. Can you read these sentences? I like to swim.