Did your student just learn letter sounds? If so, it’s time to start decoding short a words. Short a says a_ as in apple. Some sample short a words include: hat, rat, bat, Dan, Tam… etc. How many words should your beginner read? These students that are at the very beginning of blending words, should read about 6 words per lesson.
As your student moves through short vowel content, gradually increase the number of words to 20. In addition, early readers should be doing phonemic awareness activities, spelling, sound cards and sight word activities. To get your student started with blending short a words, here’s a free short a activity. Kids can read the words sound-by-sound, and then color the donuts:

If your student can read these short a words, she’s ready to start reading decodable books. Check out our phonics stories in our online library. Each set walks kids through the code systematically.
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