UFLI Foundations is a wonderful program. We used it for reading intervention and ESL. For the younger students, we folded the page in half and glued the decodables into the notebooks so they could read, re-read, and interact with the page.
This gave us extra space to write on and adapted a few techniques for the students that needed extra support and practice.
1. Comprehension = Who & What
The goal of reading intervention is for the student to learn to read. However, the testing was showing the students had little or no comprehension and could not advance to the next level. So, we adapted a few things. Before the student could illustrate the story, they needed to list the who and the what topics in the story.
For this story, the who was Dad, Kip, and the pup. The what was the disk, mud, and the tub. After the student has read the story, they need to write the keyword on the line. Then they can draw what was in the story.
We needed to make these changes because some students wanted to draw rainbows and princesses for every story. Labeling first gave us a chance to write the words that were in the story and reflect on who and what the story was about.
2. Print Awareness Drop Down Letters
Some students struggle with tall, small, and fall letters.
Some of the students struggle to see the visual difference between d, b, & p. This print awareness skill is more than just randomly circling the letter p like a Savonjour hunt. This technique teaches the student to start at the beginning of the sentence and trace under the letters to find the letter that drops below the line. Then loop around to circle them without lifting the pencil. This is called eye-tracking. The student is visually scanning the text line the same way they would read it. This builds the left-to-right habit that is needed for decoding and encoding.
The continuous line mimics how the finger would follow under the words as the student reads and how eye tracking should follow the letters and not jump around on the page.
For this lesson #22, letter K was our focus letter, but not the letter used for the print awareness drill. Lowercase letter /p/ was the letter that the students needed to practice based on the struggles they had with reading and decoding. Teaching is flexible practice. Small adjustments can be made tailored to the students’ needs in the moment.
Fold the Page & Glue Only Half Down
Notebooks start to get full quickly. The printed decodable stories are great for reading and more. Folding the page before it is added to the notebook helps save space for more writing.
Folding creates space on the page and on the back of the folded area as well.
This routine of folding the page saved us a lot of space in our notebooks. Instead of using two pages for every lesson, we were able to use only one page per lesson.
Under this flap can be spelling words, sentences, irregular words or handwriting practice.
Get the UFLI decodable for the Toolbox. From the Resources Menu
Or the Printable Resources – for compiled lessons & Supplemental Decodable Passages
Phonics blending activities help struggling readers master blending CVC words, overcome letter name interference, and build confidence. Using hands-on phoneme sound switching cards, children can transform reading frustration into success.
Why Some Children Know the Alphabet… But Still Can’t Read (And What Actually Helps)
If you’ve ever worked with an early reader who can confidently recite the alphabet but freezes when asked to read a simple word, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong.
This is one of the most common and frustrating challenges for parents, tutors, and educators.
A child knows their letters… They recognize them on sight… But when it’s time to read, everything seems to fall apart.
So what’s going on?
The Hidden Problem: Letter Name Interference
Many early readers rely on letter names instead of sounds when they try to decode words.
For example, when they see the word fox, instead of hearing: /f/ /o/ /x/
They might think: “ef–oh–ex”
And that simply doesn’t blend into a recognizable word.
This is especially tricky for letters like:
h, w, y, x (where the name doesn’t match the sound)
c and g (which can have multiple sounds)
For these learners, traditional blending strategies—like sounding out each phoneme—can feel confusing, slow, and discouraging.
Why Blending Feels So Hard for Some Students
We often teach reading as:
“Sound it out and blend it together.”
And while that works for many students, others struggle with:
Holding multiple sounds in working memory
Sequencing sounds smoothly
Ignoring letter names and focusing only on sounds
So even simple CVC words can feel overwhelming.
A Simpler Way: Change Just One Sound
What if instead of asking students to build a word from scratch…
We let them transform a word they already know?
This is where phoneme switching becomes incredibly powerful.
For example:
Start with box
Remove b
Replace it with /f/
Now you have fox
Only one sound changes.
That’s it.
This small shift reduces cognitive load (mental effort) and helps students:
Focus on one sound at a time
See how sounds map to words
Build confidence through success
Why This Approach Works So Well
When students use phoneme switching:
They don’t have to juggle multiple sounds at once
They can visually and physically manipulate words
They immediately see and hear the result of a sound change
Even better…
They can check their own work instantly.
Built-In Confidence: The Power of Self-Checking
Each card includes:
A simple CVC word
A visual image on the back
So when a student transforms: box into fox, they flip the card and immediately see a picture of a fox.
No guessing. No waiting for correction. No uncertainty.
Just instant confirmation with a visual image:
“I got it right.”
That feeling of success is everything for struggling readers.
Who This Is Perfect For
This approach is especially effective for:
Early emergent readers
Students who are struggling with blending
Learners experiencing letter name interference (sound/name mix-up)
Children who need visual and hands-on support
Of course, some students can blend sounds easily—and that’s great!
But for those who can’t, this method provides a missing bridge.
A Must-Have Tool for Your Reading Toolkit
If you’ve been trying to figure out why a child “knows their letters” but still can’t read…
This is likely the piece that’s been missing.
Your phoneme sound switching card game turns reading into:
A clear process
A hands-on experience
A confidence-building success loop
And most importantly—it works.
Ready to Help Your Students Finally “Get It”?
If you’re a parent, tutor, or educator looking for a practical, effective way to support struggling readers, this resource can make an immediate difference.
👉 Get your phoneme sound switching card game today on Teachers Pay Teachers and start turning confusion into confidence—one sound at a time.
Additional this game-style learning also includes a bit of vocabulary introduced. Some students may not know the difference between a fox and a cat. They may not know what a cub is. Often, students second-guess their reading because the completely decodable word is new to them, and they do not trust the sounds.
For more flip-chute cards and homophones, go to my store on TPT.
Unlocking the Magic of Vowels: A Creative Way for Kids to See Spelling Patterns
As educators and parents, we know that learning to read and spell can be challenging for young students. Traditional drills and rote memorization often leave children frustrated or disengaged. But what if we could make spelling visual, playful, and memorable—so that kids can see the patterns as well as read them?
That’s the idea behind my new series of books, Pure Joy Phonics. Designed specifically to help students connect visual storytelling with vowel spelling patterns. Each book brings letters to life in a world where they have personalities, feelings, and relationships—making the abstract rules of spelling something kids can actually see and understand.
Take the letter “u”, for example. In these books, “u” is a curious little letter who doesn’t like to be alone at the end of words. When it finds itself lonely, the silent “e” swoops in like a superhero, giving “u” a partner and forming the magic of words like blue and glue. With clever illustrations and playful narratives, children can visualize why letters behave the way they do—and the patterns stick.
This approach does more than teach spelling; it encourages children to think about words as a system, noticing the relationships between letters, sounds, and meaning. It also empowers educators and parents with a fun, ready-to-use tool that makes reading instruction engaging and effective.
Whether your students are struggling spellers or eager word explorers, these books offer a fresh way to build confidence and curiosity. With each page, children are not just memorizing rules—they’re discovering the personalities of letters and the stories behind the words they read every day.
If you’re looking for a new method to help students connect visually to spelling patterns, this series brings both magic and learning into every lesson. Invite your students into a world where letters have lives of their own, and watch as the rules of spelling become something they can see, remember, and enjoy.
The first two books are in print, and more books are on the way. Look for them on Amazon.
This question is one that I see asked often on Facebook and hear from educators, parents, and homeschoolers. “The student can read, but struggles so hard to spell.”
This ongoing struggle is hard for the student and the educator. Leaving both of them deflated and questioning what to do next. I was that kid. I was that educator. Through those experiences, I found some solutions that have really made a difference for my own spelling and how I work with the students in front of me.
I will lay out the top key points that helped me bridge the reading to spelling mastery for myself and my students. I am not a perfect speller, but I do have a better grasp of why some words are spelled the way they are.
For educators, parents, tutors…
Knowledge
Read the book: Uncovering The Logic of English, by Denise Eide. Or watch some of her videos. Truly, the best spelling rule/pattern advice out there. That I have read. As the educator, you need to understand why some words break the rules. You can explain it to the students and make it easier for them to master spelling.
Make sure the sounds are made correctly. Many educators and parents are shocked by the realization that the sound they have been teaching for the letter symbol is making it harder to blend. This video will help 44 phonemes by Rollins Center. Her tip is clip the extra schwa sound at the end of the letter sound. Make sure it is a clear /b/ sound, not “buh.” Occasionally, letter name confusion is an issue.
Vowel Sounds are Important
Every English word must have at least one vowel in it, or a letter that is acting as a vowel, such as tricky Y. Without the vowels, they are just letters and not words. Letters I and A, are words on their own. Vowels have long and short sounds; the consonants do not. So, mastery starts with the knowledge that these five letters, a, e, i, o, u can do special things. Letter Y, is tricky. As the first letter, Y will say its sound. After that, it may act as a vowel, and the sound may depend on the syllable placement.
The origins of words are important to remember; our favorite word, pizza, is not English in its origins. That is why the vowels make different sounds.
Closed and Open Syllables
Open and closed syllables are one of the very first syllables that emergent readers will come across in their reading. Many educators skip over the explanation and just call them High Frequency Words HFW. However, there is an opportunity to teach the students why I say its name “I.” The letter I is an open syllable. When the letter t or n, is next to the letter I, it is now closed.
Spelling makes more sense when you can see the patterns. Some people shy away from spelling rules to emergent readers, or only teach the magic E rule. I was in my 40’s before I learned why the words: give, have, love, and done are not affected by the magic E rule. Which is surprising because there is always one student who struggles with this, or reminds me of the rule breaker words. One of the most logical guides or rules is this: English words usually do not end with the letters v, i, j, or u. With that one bit of knowledge, we now have the explanation for why the silent E is at the end of so many words. Think of the letter E as a helper letter.
Silent helper e by Pure Joy Teaching
The V, is pointy. He would fall over without E to hold him up. Nessy Video.
The letters I and U, need a silent E at the end of words: pie, blue.
The letter J, is replaced by the soft G and magic E, in words like page and stage. In addition, after short vowel sounds, DGE does the job of making the “j” sound. hedge, bridge, fudge.
Letter O Schwa Pattern
Schwa sounds with silent E words are often called Heart Words. Come, some, from, done, love, mother. I like to teach them as a pattern of words that have the letter O making the “uh” sound. Nessy has a good video. I add the m. The letter O may make the schwa sound after these letters: v, n, m, th. This is a fun Uno-style-Schwa game for the schwa sound. After we play the game, a spelling test can follow to see if the student has applied the skills. Writing is important for mastery.
Vowel Teams and Spelling Patterns
It is easy to say, “When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.” However, that catchy rhyme will not help me choose a spelling pattern.
AI or AY
If we have already learned the rule above about which letters do not like to be at the end of words, we should be closer to figuring out which spelling to use.
Letter I, does not like to be at the end of words. AI would be used at the beginning or in the middle.
Aid, aim,
AY usually will be at the end of a word. Not counting the suffix endings.
say, play,
For other long A spellings like a-e, or ai, that is has a lot to do with homophones like
sail – sale, wail – whale
or words that need a silent E to soften letters C, or G sounds.
race not (rais), and rays is total different word.
page not (paij) because English words do not end with the letter /j/. Silent E is needed to soften the letter G.
How We Correct Matters
No one likes to hear that the spelling is wrong. However, with spelling, you can say, “You have two of those sounds correct.” Now, let’s think about how we can fix this one sound.
In the examples above, the word page was spelled incorrectly. However, the sounds were correct-ish. That is something to point out. AI does say “A,” and it is in the center, which would be good if the target word were pail. The sound is in the correct place, however the letter /j/ can not be at the end of the word. So what are the options? /ge/ or /dge/? We need /ge/ to be magic E and change the vowel A to the long sound.
This may seem like a long explanation, but some students will thrive with an explanation that informs them for future spelling words. Many students are trying to memorize the whole word without applying any spelling tactics.
These mnemonic vowel teams are a tactic that we use in reading intervention. The images are colorful picture-embedded letters, and on the back of the cards have spelling tips and examples of where they can be used in words. Beginning, Middle, End.
Some students like the option of word scrambles. This allows them to see the letter options and put them in the correct order.
Students often need practice with reading and spelling. They can benefit from an opportunity to choose the correct spelling. These self-checking Flip-Chute cards. Let them read and guess which is the correct long A spelling.
a-e, ai, ay, ei, eigh
This is also a great vocabulary builder. The students are choosing the correct spelling pattern, and they are introduced to homophones such as:
tale, tail,
plane, plain,
mane, main
male, mail,
sale, sail,
ate, eight
There are nine card sets in the bundle, and more are on the way.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my collection of reading and spelling tactics. If you have made it this far, I would like to share one more freebie for spelling the schwa sound and a silent E helper. Please follow me on Facebook, YouTube, and TPT.
Phoneme Substitution: A Fun Way to Build Blending Skills
Phoneme substitution or letter-sound switching builds cognitive flexibility and helps young learners practice blending.
Many educators and parents ask: What can I use to help students with decoding? They know the letter sounds—so why can’t they blend them? There are many answers. However, by using these cards or a game like this, emergent readers can practice blending without being overwhelmed by multiple letter sounds.
Phoneme substitution is a crucial skill for several reasons.
The idea is they start with a whole word, such as log, and change or switch the /l/ sound to the /d/ sound. This is a game that you could play in the car or while you’re standing a line waiting. Phoneme switch has been called ‘the game you can play in the dark,” because it is just a game of switch sounds. That is what makes it a great cognitive game.
The bonus of the cards is that there is an image on the card, and the student is only changing one part of the word, beginning, middle, or end. Additionally, the image helps with vocabulary. Some words are tricky and often confused, such as pen/pin, peg/pig.
Self-checking cards have the answers on the back. The arrow at the top of the card tells the student while direction to insert the card into the chute. The chute flips the card to reveal the answer on the back. Some kids think it is magic. This set includes CVC, CCVC, & CVCC words.
You can get them from the Pure Joy Teaching TPT shop, along with other Flip Chute games. All Flip Chute cards come with the template and instructions to DIY your own Flip Chute box.
You may also be interested in encoding practice. For students who are overwhelmed by trying to put sounds and letter symbols out of the air or struggle to sort through all 26 letters of the alphabet. Scrabbled words may be your way to engage them in a can-do task.
Building Cognitive Flexibility and Supporting Reading Intervention with Uno-Style & Crazy 8 Spelling Games
These colorful, engaging card games are more than just fun—they’re powerful tools for building cognitive flexibility and reinforcing essential spelling and decoding skills. Designed in the style of popular games like Uno and Crazy 8, these four targeted spelling games support reading intervention while keeping learners motivated and engaged.
Each game focuses on a foundational spelling pattern:
CVC – Simple consonant-vowel-consonant words, perfect for early readers. Carefully selected to avoid confusing endings like “r” or “z.”
CVCC – Emphasizes ending blends and introduces nine essential spelling rules (like ck, wa, qu, double consonants, and soft c/g). Blends such as nd, mp, nk, and others are practiced with separate flashcards.
CVCe – Also known as the “Magic e” pattern, this game incorporates six spelling rules, including when o says /ŭ/ and when s sounds like /z/.
R-Controlled – Covers patterns like ar, or, ur, er, and more complex sounds like air and oar, along with homophones and tricky combinations (w+ar, w+or).
How These Games Build Cognitive Flexibility:
Cognitive flexibility involves shifting attention, adapting to new rules, and recognizing patterns—skills that are constantly exercised as players sort, match, and interpret cards based on multiple spelling rules and phonics cues. The color-coded format strengthens visual memory and reinforces sound-symbol correspondence.
Ideal for:
Reading intervention groups
Small group instruction
Independent centers
Home practice with families
Students can use these as traditional flashcards or jump into fast-paced gameplay, practicing decoding, blending, and rule application in a low-stress, highly engaging format. Wild cards representing spelling rules further deepen understanding and allow teachers to differentiate instruction with ease.
In short, these games blend play and pedagogy, making foundational literacy practice fun, effective, and flexible.
