Common Phonics Rules and Sound Combinations

Phonics teaches kids to break words into small “chunks” so that even the biggest
words are easy to read! Here are some common chunks, sounds, and spelling patterns.

Frequently Used Coding Marks

Macron Breve Schwa

Used for open vowels or when Used for short vowels. Short Looks like an upside down e (​ə)
vowels say their name vowels are followed by a when a vowel other than u makes
ā, ē, ī,ō, ū consonant. the /u/ sound.
example: nō, gō, hī ă, ĕ, ĭ, ŏ, ŭ
Example: căt, mŏp, sĭt, pӗt, cŭp Example: banana

Sneaky “e” words/silent “e”​:​ ​The final “e” makes the vowel say it’s own name.
The final “e” is silent or sneaky (VCe).
Examples: cāke, concrēte, dīme, hōse, cūbe

The e, i, or y and Final /k/ Spelling Rules

Soft ġ says /j/ when
“K” comes before ​e, i
C says /s/ when it’s it’s before an​ e,i and y
or y​, anything else Spelling with final /k/ sound
before an ​e,i and y (anything else is
gets a “c”
spelled with letter j)

Examples of soft c: Examples of soft g: Examples of spelling ● Digraph ck​ - after a short vowel
● Çircle ● Ġiraffe with “k” or “c”: (e.g. back)
● çycle ● Ġesture ● sky ● Final k​ - after a consonant or
● Jar ● kit vowel digraph (e.g. look, mask)
● jump ● kettle ● Final ke​ - after a long vowel
● cat (e.g., bake)
● class ● Final c​ - multisyllabic word
(e.g., picnic, majestic)

Misc spelling rules:

Words don’t end in “v” they end in “ve” (e.g. have, love, give).
Words don’t end in “i” they end in “y” (e.g. sky, fly)
Words don’t end in “o” they end in “ow” (except in words such as no, go, etc.).

Digraphs​:​ ​ ​A digraph is t​ wo letters​ that come together to ​make one sound.

Consonant digraphs​: ck, th, sh, ng, ch …and many more!
Vowel digraphs​: ai, ea, ew, au, ea, ey, aw, ea, ie, ow, ay ei, ie, ue, ei, oa, oo, ee.
Ghost letter digraphs:​ kn, gn, wr ​(the first letter doesn’t make a sound)
Trigraphs​:​ ​ ​A trigraph is ​three letters​ that come together to ​make one sound​.
Trigraphs:​ dge, igh, tch
Trigraph tch​ comes after a​ short vowel​ ​(e.g. pa​tch​)​.​ ​Digraph ch​ comes after a ​consonant​ (e.g. pun​ch​)
Trigraph dge​:​ comes after a ​short vowel​ (e.g., brĭ​dge​) and ​ge​ comes after a ​long vowel or a
consonant​ (e.g. ca​ge​).

Final-Stable-Syllables​:
Final​…at the end of a word. ​Stable​…always the same. ​Syllable​… it’s own syllable.
Final stable syllables include: ble, fle, cle, kle, tle, zle, sle, ple, dle, gle, tion
​ le​: If a final-stable-syllable comes after an ​open syllable,​ the vowel will say the ​long vowel sound​.
Tā​ b
​ le​: If a final-stable-syllable comes after a ​closed syllable​, the vowel will say the ​short vowel sound.​
Săd​ d

Dropping rule:​ If a ​“sneaky e”​ comes in ​front of a vowel suffix​, you ​drop the “sneaky e”​. If a
“sneaky e” comes in front of a consonant suffix you leave it!
make + ing = making glue + ed = glued ice + y = icy

Doubling rule:​ I​f a root word ends in a ​vowel-consonant​ (VC) pattern and comes in front of a
vowel suffix, double the consonant​.
sit + ing = sitting shop + ed = shopped run + y = runny

Wild Colt rule:​ ​ ​A vowel could say its name when “i” or “o” is followed by two consonants.
cōld ōld fīnd chīld wīnd w​ĭ​nd

FLOSS rule:
A one syllable word, with a short vowel sound, and ends in “f”, “l”,“s”, double the “f”, “l”,“s”.
moss sniff kiss stuff bill cliff fill glass

Combinations​:​ ​ ​Two letters​ that come together to make an ​UNEXPECTED SOUND​.

ar, ir, qu, wh, er, or, ur

Diphthongs​:​ ​ ​Two letters that come together so fast they seem to make one sound…but they really
make two vowel sounds. Say the sound and pay attention to how your mouth moves with the two
vowel sounds.
oi, ou, ow, oy

Additional Phonics Resources

● On youtube search “Sarah Smith Phonics Helps”- Great resource!
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcNsR9LLKm0&list=PLArfXw3UUqSTOVcoJR19k2g9Ljwx3V2eW
this is the sight word section of Sarah Smith’s help!
● You’ll find lots of fun reading help for kids at the following web address:
http://www.carlscorner.us.com/
 Page 1

A scope and sequence

of teaching word patterns

The diagram below gives a general overview of how English spelling patterns can be taught and learned
efficiently. A scope and sequence is a guide for teaching the reading and spelling of words. The sequence
shown below is based on the work of Ehri and provides a general guideline for teaching. It is important
that the teaching and learning guided by the scope and sequence is also supported by the texts that
children will read to apply the knowledge and skills of that stage. It should be possible to use a variety of
published book series, even if the scope and sequence is slightly different.

The diagram below gives a general overview of how English spelling patterns can be taught and learned
efficiently. A scope and sequence is a guide for teaching the reading and spelling of words. The sequence
shown below is based on the work of Ehri and provides a general guideline for teaching. It is important
that the teaching and learning guided by the scope and sequence is also supported by the texts that
children will read to apply the knowledge and skills of that stage. It should be possible to use a variety of
published book series, even if the scope and sequence is slightly different.

Blended consonants Long vowel sounds

Letter names and sounds Other vowel teams
b-l; c-r; s-t; m-p open syllable
Short vowel sounds ow; ough; or; air
S-t-op; j-u-m-p c-v; h-e, m-e, sh-e
Sound and blend/ say and Blend with larger units:
Consonant digraphs Vowel teams
segment v-c, c-v-c words c-wc b-oat
th, sh, ch c-vv-c; cc-vv-c; c-v-ce
a.-m;· m-o-p Syllables
th-i-s; f-i-sh b-oa-t; f-1-oa-t; f-i-ve;
Closed syllable Morphemes
Closed syllable l-igh-t

Stage 1: Teaching begins with the dependable spelling form of the closed syllable v-c and c-v-c words,
such as pat, hen, sit, mop, but. A closed syllable is a combination of vowel followed by consonant so that
the vowel is closed in by the consonant and becomes the short vowel sound.

Stage 2: Teaching proceeds to consonant digraphs (two letters, one sound: th, ch, sh). Words are still
closed syllable/short vowel, such as this, chip, shop, with, fish.

This stage also includes teaching the specific skill of blending two consonants where each consonant
represents its own sound (for example, blend c + l to say cl; other examples include tr, fl, st). The words
are still closed syllable/short vowel, such as clap, trip, flan, stop.

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 A scope and sequence of teaching word patterns Page 2

Stage 3: This involves teaching that vowel sounds can also be long and sound like the name of the letter
(A E I O U). They are spelled as open syllable or vowel teams. Open syllable is a consonant-vowel word (c-
v, such as me). Vowel teams use graphemes for the long vowel sound, such as the digraphs in boat, hope,
and snow; trigraphs such as light; and later patterns such as four letters for one sound in though.

Stage 4: Teaching moves on to other vowel sounds such as -r control (ar, er, or) and diphthong (the /ow/
sound in cow and found; or the /oi/ sound in coin and toy). This stage builds on all previous learning to
spell multiple syllable words. Morphology is the key to the teaching and learning of spelling.

A note about learning to read the orthography of English

English has an opaque orthography where there is not always an exact match between the sounds of
a spoken word and its written counterpart. Spoken English has 44 phonemes but only 26 letters of the
alphabet. Each phoneme in English can be spelled using a grapheme. For example, the grapheme ‘b’ is
used for the sound /b/; the grapheme ‘th’ represents one sound /th/; and the grapheme ‘igh’ represents
long vowel sound /i/.

English spelling is tricky because different graphemes can be used to represent the same phoneme. In
particular, the same vowel sound can have different spellings in different words. For example, the long
vowel sound ē has different spellings in the words he, theme, see, sea, key, baby, and retreive. Teaching
these different sounds across a scope and sequence is important so learners have a chance to map each
pattern gradually and associated with word meaning.

Although English orthography is less transparent than in other written languages such as Māori,
Finnish, Spanish, and Italian, it still is largely predictable in spelling. Around 50% of words can be spelled
accurately by direct phoneme-grapheme correspondence. A further 36% can be spelled using known
patterns such as vowel teams. Another 10% are spelled accurately when word origin or meaning is
considered: for example, the word ‘said’ comes from the word ‘say’ and keeps to past tense rules such as
lay/ laid; the word ‘subtle’ uses the morpheme ‘sub’ to portray the meaning of the word. Fewer than 4% of
words are true spelling oddities (examples include island and sword).

Knowledge about orthography is important for teaching because we need to tell students that English
can be trusted once you know its patterns. It is important that we do not portray to students that English
is random in its spellings. Knowledge about speech to print patterns and rules is important for explicit
teaching, and for identifying and addressing any difficulties learners have.

A more detailed scope and sequence

This scope and sequence was created by Dr Christine Braid for Tātai Angitu, Literacy@Massey as at
April, 2022 and will be continually developed. This is a suggestesd sequence and associated titles. It is
important that the teacher uses their knowledge and expertise to determine the appropriate focus for any
given lesson.

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 A scope and sequence of teaching word patterns Page 3

PHASE 1

1i SCOPE AND SEQUENCE CONTENT

(approx. first term at school) KNOWLEDGE SKILLS APPLICATION

Closed syllable short vowel Letter-sound connections Letter formation of the first letters Using the taught GPCs and h/f words:
V-C & C-V-C words First sound/letters Using the taught GPCs: Read words automatically
of sequence Blend sounds to read VC and CVC words Spell words with fluency
GPC: Grapheme/phoneme correspondence Segment a VC or CVC word into sounds to spell it Read a sentence using taught patterns
(see/say)
Teach some irregular h/f words Write a dictated sentence using taught patterns
PGC: Phoneme/grapheme correspondence (hear/find)
Read a text using taught patterns
Check that reading matches meaning
Retell main parts of story

Resources Sunshine Phonics Set 1 Little Learners Stage 1 Phonics Plus Kākano i
Teacher made sentences
satpinmd satpimfc satpinmod

Assessments:
Alphabetic knowledge of 1i VC and CVC words to decode High frequency words for this set Read a text

1ii SCOPE AND SEQUENCE CONTENT

(approx 2nd term at school) KNOWLEDGE SKILLS APPLICATION

Closed syllable short vowel Letter-sound connections Letter formation of the next letters Using the taught GPCs and h/f words:
V-C & C-V-C words next sound/letters of sequence Using the taught GPCs: Read words automatically
Blend sounds to read VC and CVC words Spell words with fluency
Segment a VC or CVC word into sounds to spell it Read a sentence using taught patterns
Teach some irregular h/f words Write a dictated sentence using taught patterns
Read a text using taught patterns
Check meaning. Discuss story

Resources Sunshine Phonics set 2 Little Learners Stages 2, 3 Kākano ii

gobherful g o b h e r d l n v qu z bherflc

Assessments:
vc and cvc words using letters from Phase 1 and 2 High frequency words Phase 2 Read text at this level
Alphabetic knowledge of 1ii

1
Kākano ii titles: Tap, tap; Pop, pop in the pot; Tane and the bug; Nan in a net; Rat on the rug (and new titles to come)

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Created by Christine Braid for Tātai Angitu, Literacy@Massey as at April, 2022 and to be ongoing in development.
 A scope and sequence of teaching word patterns Page 4

1iii SCOPE AND SEQUENCE CONTENT

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS APPLICATION
(approx 3rd term at school)

Teach next sounds and letters Letter-sound connections Letter formation of all the letters Using the taught GPCs and h/f words:
Closed syllable short vowel all single letters (GPC and PGC) Using the taught GPCs: Read words automatically
doublets C-V-CC Letter formation of all alphabet Blend sounds to read VC and CVC words Spell words with fluency
ck, ss, ff, ll Add h/f words Segment a VC or CVC word into sounds to spell it Read a sentence using taught patterns
digraphs th, sh, ch, ng CC-V-C / C-V-CC Write a dictated sentence using taught patterns
Blend adjacent consonants (eg cl, br, st, -mp) Read a text using taught patterns
C-C-V-C and C-V-C-C
Teach some irregular h/f words

Resources Sunshine Set 3 c k ck j qu v w x y z Little Learners Stage 4 j u k x w; 4plus ss ff ll Kākano iii2 j k v w y z sh ch th ng

Sunshine Set 4 (books 1-4) Zz ff ll ss Stage 5-6 ck sh ch th ng Tupu i 3 ss ff ll

Assessments: Alphabetic knowledge of 1iii vc, cvc, ccvc, cvcc words using letters from 1iii High frequency words from Phase 1 Read text from this level

From Observation survey: stanines for Alphabet; HRSIW; Writing vocabulary; Burt

PHASE 2
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE SKILLS APPLICATION

Spelling patterns for long vowel sounds Open: eg me, go, hi Blend c-v and c-vv-c to read words (GPCs) Using the taught GPCs and h/f words:
Open syllable C-V (eg he, go) Vowel digraphs: ai/ay; ee/ea; igh/ie; oa/ow; ue/oo Segment those words to write (PGCs) Read and spell words automatically
Vowel digraphs GPC and PGC Write a dictated sentence
C-VV-C (eg rain, boat) Beginning to apply spelling patterns
Split digraph (a_e, i_e, o_e, u_e) Read texts in that scope

Resources Sunshine Set 4 (books 5-10) LLLL Stage 7.1 Tupu ii4
ai; ee; igh; oa; oo/oo ai/ay; ee/ae; igh/ie; oa oo; a-e; i-e; o-e; u-e;
Mahuri
-ed -ing ai ea oa, ow -ay -igh, -y ph
Colour wheel levels introduced as appropriate to learner Eg Blue to Turquoise as can be managed by learners

Assessments: Alphabetic principle of Phase 2 words using spelling patterns CVVC CVCe High frequency words from phase Read text from this level
From Observation survey: stanines for Alphabet; HRSIW; Writing vocabulary; Burt; Quick phonics screener
2
Kākano iii titles: Get to the vet; Weka gets wet; Chit chat; Zip and zap; Huhu in mud- (and new titles)
3
Tupu i titles: Dress up Hullaballoo; A batch of pancakes; a fun quiz; Swim day; Weka in a flap; Frog in a log; Weka helps out; (and new titles)
4
Tupu ii titles: Ride to the top; Vote for Fin; Hoot Hoot; Be Brave

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Created by Christine Braid for Tātai Angitu, Literacy@Massey as at April, 2022 and to be ongoing in development.
 A scope and sequence of teaching word patterns Page 5

PHASE 3
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE CONTENT KNOWLEDGE SKILLS APPLICATION

-R controlled vowels Use GPCs to decode words with these patterns Starting to apply to a broader range of text.
Other vowel sounds and teams Diphthongs (oi/ow) Select an appropriate PGC in spelling words Spelling - able to apply spelling pattern
Split vowel diagraph if not already introduced (a_e;
i_e; o_e; u_e)

Resources
Sunshine Sets 5-6 Little Learners stage 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, Mahuri 5 ar, er, ir, ur, or
Add Levelled texts (colour wheel) as appropriate

Assessments:
Burt reading Quick Phonics screener6 Oral Reading fluency7
Alphabetic principle of phase 3

PHASE 4
SCOPE AND SEQUENCE KNOWLEDGE SKILLS APPLICATION

Multi syllable Complex morphemes: prefixes suffixes bases root words Tie in with a spelling programme

Resources
Sunshine Sets 7 Little Learners stage 7.5 Rākau
Levelled texts Turquoise plus

Assessment:
Burt reading QPS ORF
Spelling assessment

5
Titles: Flax on the farm; Nat’s first game
6
https://www.sfdr-cisd.org/media/gaidhbg0/quick-phonics-screener.pdf
7
https://fivefromfive.com.au/assessing-fluency/

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Created by Christine Braid for Tātai Angitu, Literacy@Massey as at April, 2022 and to be ongoing in development.