Phonological Awareness:
Auditory Blending

Introduction:

This strategy for Auditory Blending presents students with blending tasks that increase in
difficulty. Blending words with short vowels is the final auditory task taught. In giving the
individual consonant sounds, be sure that you say only the consonant sounds (for example:
/b/ . . . /a/ . . . /t/). Do not say the letter names (for example: b, a, t) or add “uh” to the
sounds (for example: “buh” or “tuh”).
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 Strategy: Blending

Materials Needed:
TTS-PA-AudB-Blend.pdf

Say:    Listen to a word you know. This word is lunchbox. What’s the word?

After the student says “lunchbox,”

Say:    Lunchbox has two parts: lunch and box. When I put the two parts together, I have
          the word lunchbox. I blended the parts of the word together to make one word.

          Listen as I say two more words you know: snow and ball. If I put snow and ball
          together, what word will I make? (snowball)

 On the Student Record Form, record the student’s response.

Say:   I can blend sounds together and make words also. Listen to another word you know. 
          This word is it. What’s the word?

After the student says “it,”

Say:    If I put together /b/ and it, I can make the word bit.
          Say /b/. (Allow the student to respond.) Now say it. (Allow the student to respond.)

          Now listen as I blend /b/ and it together: /b/ . . . it . . . bit. What word did you hear?    
          What word did /b/ and it make together?

 On the Student Record Form, record the student’s response.

Say:    If I blend /m/ and at I can make the word mat.
          Say /m/. (Allow the student to respond.) Now say at. (Allow the student to respond.)

          Now say them together with me as we blend them: mat. What word did /m/ and
          at make?

 On the Student Record Form, record the student’s response.

If the student has difficulty,

Say:    Listen to the sounds in this word: /c/ . . . . . . . . . at.
          Now I’ll say them a little faster /c / . . . . . . at.
          And even faster: /c/. . . at.
          What’s the word?

Say:    Now listen as I say some other words in two parts. See if you can blend the parts
          together and tell me the words.

          /m/ . . . . . . an             /m/ . . . an
          When you put them together, what word did you hear? (man)

          /p/ . . . . . . an               /p/ . . . an
          What word did you hear? (pan)

          /f/ . . . . . . an                /f/ . . . an
          What word did you hear? (fan)

 On the Student Record Form, record the student’s response.

Say:    Listen carefully now as I say another word in three parts: /r/ . . . /a/ . . . /t/. When I
          blend them together, I have the word rat. What word did I make with /r/, /a/, /t/?
          (rat)
    I will say some more words in parts. You blend the parts together and tell me what
    the word is. Listen carefully and tell me this word:
Say the sounds below slowly, allowing a pause of a second or two between each sound.
    /p/ . . . . . /a/ . . . . . /t/ . . . . . What word did you hear? (pat)

    /s/ . . . . . /i/ . . . . . /t/ . . . . . What word did you hear? (sit)

    /h/ . . . . . /e/ . . . . . /n/ . . . . . What word did you hear? (hen)

    /d/ . . . . . /o/ . . . . . /t/ . . . . . What word did you hear? (dot)

    /e/ . . . . . /n/ . . . . . /d/ . . . . . What word did you hear? (end)
On the Student Record Form, record the student’s response.

If the student has difficulty recognizing any word, have the student blend the sounds heard with
you, slowly at first, and then more quickly until he or she can tell you the word.

Interpreting and Using TTS Results:
If a student continues to have difficulty with blending, begin by helping the student blend
syllables together before blending phonemes. Start with the two words that make up a compound
word (such as cowboy). Then have the student blend two-syllable words (such as poster) and
then three-syllable words (such as computer). Blend initial consonants (such as /r/) with word
families (such as -ing) into ring. Then work on blending individual phonemes found in three-
letter words with short vowels in the middle (such as /p/ . . . /a/ . . . /t/ . . . into pat). Once short
vowel words have been mastered, move on to words with long vowels (such as dime, same).
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