Presentation

  1. 1

    Lay out the alphabet box and one envelope of picture cards.

  2. 2

    Take out one picture and name it together.

  3. 3

    Place the picture on the left of the mat and build the word to its right, saying each sound.

  4. 4

    Run your finger under the word and say it.

  5. 5

    Invite the child to choose the next picture and build.

  6. 6

    When the mat is full, let the child ask an adult to look at the work before putting it away.

Extensions, easiest to hardest

  1. Pictures with consonant blends (frog, tent, stamp)
  2. Pictures with digraphs where the child writes a phonetic attempt (fish might be built "fis")
  3. Copying the built words onto paper

Control of error

The adult, who looks at the child's words without correcting phonetic spelling.

Ready to move on when the child…

  • Builds words for a full envelope of pictures independently
  • Includes both sounds of a blend (fl, st, nd)

Try “pink tower”, “tummy”, “diaper”, “grace and courtesy”, or “October”.