Junior Infants . Group 4 (Sounds and Blending Activities) Ideas for Parents: 1. Encourage your child to say the relevant sound on the slide three times. Click on the speaker symbol to hear the sound. 2. Begin to encourage your child to find the sound in either the beginning, middle or end of each word e.g. /bin/...where is the /i/? (in the middle) where is the/n/? (at the end). 3. Encourage your child to sing the song to accompany the letter. 4. Revise all sounds regularly. Can you make this sound? l Action: Pretend to lick a lollipop, and say /l,l,l/ Song: (Tune: The Farmer in the Dell) We lick our Lollipops. We lick our lollipops. /l/-/l/-/l/-/l/! We lick our lollipops. Can you make this sound? f Action: Let your hands come together gently, as if an inflatable fish is deflating, and say ffffff Song: (Tune: Old MacDonald) My Friends and I went to the beach with my floating fish. It got a hole......the air came out /ffff/! Can you make this sound? b Action: Pretend to hit a ball with a bat and say b,b,b,b. Song: (Tune: Camptown Races) Bring your bat and bring your ball. /b/! /b/! Bring your bat and bring your ball... to the park to play! Can you make this sound? ai Action: Cup your hand over your ear, as if you are hard of hearing and say ai, ai, ai? Song: (Tune: Camptown Races) My ear hurt I was in pain. /ai/? /ai/? My ear hurt I was in pain. What did you try to say? Can you make this sound? j Action: Pretend to wobble on a plate, and say j,j,j,j. Song: (Tune: Jingle Bells) Jelly and jam, jelly and jam, Jiggling on the plate. Oh, what will I eat with it? /j/-/j/-/j/-/j/-j/. Vowel Revision.  We have learned all five vowels. Please practice them regularly with your child. u a o i e Blending. Ideas for Parents. 1. With blending, the first sound needs to be said louder than the other sounds. 2. Parents should make the sounds in the word on the slide first e.g. /r/ /a/ /t/ and then say the complete word. 3. Encourage your child to repeat what you have just done. 4. Children will need plenty of practice before they have fully mastered the skill of blending. Can you sound out the word? mug Can you sound out the word? not Can you sound out the word? bump Can you sound out the word? from Can you sound out the word? belt Can you sound out the word? grab Can you sound out this word? tug Please encourage your child to make these words using their sound cards. Encourage them to sound out the words they have made. flap step drop ben lit let stick lost mud Reading Sentences. The children will need lots of help and encouragement at this stage. You can help your child by sounding out the words in the sentence and then reading the full sentence aloud. Please use your finger to point at the individual words in the sentence. I have included some words from the children’s reading books in the sentences. These words can be read without sounding them out. Can you read these sentences? I am a cat. Can you read these sentences? Look at the milk. Can you read these sentences? This is Jen. Can you read these sentences? It is Conor. Can you read these sentences? Look at the sun.