Reading: Basic Decoding & Word Recognition
Lesson 2: Basic Phonics - Common Consonant & Short Vowel Sounds
Before You Start
In Lesson 1, you learned the letters of the alphabet. Now, let's learn the sounds4 these letters make. This is called Phonics1. Learning phonics is the key to learning how to read words.
We will learn about two types of letters: Consonants2 and Vowels3.
Part 1: Common Consonant Sounds
Consonants are all the letters that are not vowels. Let's learn the sounds for some common consonants.
| Letter | Example Word |
|---|---|
| B b | ball |
| D d | dog |
| M m | man |
| P p | pen |
| S s | sun |
| T t | top |
Part 2: The Short Vowel Sounds
The vowels are A, E, I, O, U. They are special letters that are in every English word. Today we learn their "short" sounds.
| Letter | Example Word |
|---|---|
| A a | cat |
| E e | pen |
| I i | sit |
| O o | top |
| U u | sun |
Part 3: Let's Blend!
Now, let's blend5 the sounds together to read words. This is how reading works!
Practice Activities
Quiz 1: What's the Vowel Sound?
Listen to or read the word. Which short vowel (a, e, i, o, u) do you hear?
1. map -> Answer: a
2. hit -> Answer: i
3. leg -> Answer: e
4. cup -> Answer: u
Vocabulary Glossary
-
Phonics (noun)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: ការផ្សំសំឡេង
The method of learning to read by using letter sounds. ↩ back to text -
Consonant (noun)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: ព្យញ្ជនៈ
Any letter in the alphabet that is not a vowel. ↩ back to text -
Vowel (noun)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: ស្រៈ
The letters A, E, I, O, U. ↩ back to text -
Sound (noun)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: សំឡេង
What you hear when a letter is spoken. ↩ back to text -
Blend (verb)
ភាសាខ្មែរ: ផ្សំ
To mix sounds together to make a word. ↩ back to text
Homework Task
Practice reading these words aloud. First, say each letter sound. Then, blend the sounds to say the word.
- b - a - t → bat
- p - e - t → pet
- d - i - g → dig
- h - o - t → hot
- r - u - n → run