r run

This is the consonant sound /r/

/r/ is a loooong sound. Like the sounds of m, s, l, f, n, v, z, you can hold “rrr” for a long time. See how loooong your little learner can say “rrr”. It’s not “ar” it’s just “rrrrr”.

(There’s a practice sheet for reference for correct letter formation).

c can

This is the consonant sound /k/

c is the most common /k/ sound, so we’ll learn it first. 

/k/ is a quick sound, also known as a stop, because you say it quickly and stop (unlike the long sounds you can hold continuously, like “rrr”)

c can be in the start, middle or end of a word or syllable : cat, picnic, music

For spelling, if you hear a, o, or u after the /k/ sound it’s a c: cat, cop, cub, for example.

c sometimes makes a different soft sound /s/, like in “ice”, but we’ll learn that much later in part 3, lesson 17.

(There’s a practice sheet for reference for correct letter formation).

k kick

This is the consonant k

c and k make the same quick sound /k/.

k can be in the start, middle or end of a word or syllable: kite, baking, bank

For spelling, if a /k/ sound is followed by an i or an e it is spelled with a k, like in kitten or kite or keg

ck also says the /k/ sound, but we’ll learn that a little later, in part 3, lesson 15.

(There’s a practice sheet for reference for correct letter formation).

ck rock

ck two letters, one sound: /k/

Surprise, we’ve put this video here for reference, but for your little learners, don’t teach this ck until much later (in part 3 of the lessons).

These two letters together make only one sound.

At the end of a word or syllable (rock).
After a vowel says its short sound (back, duck, pick, deck, lock).

(There’s a practice sheet for reference for correct letter formation).

c cat

The /k/ sound is most most commonly spelled with c.
It can be found at the start (cat), end (music) or middle (picnic) of a word, and before a, o, u (cat, cot, cut) and any consonant (clip).

k kitten

k can be found at the end of a word or syllable (milk),
before i, e, (kit, kettle) or y (k is usually at the end before y, eg. risky), after a consonant (bank) or vowel team (beak),
and after a long vowel sound with silent e (make, take).

ck duck

ck can be found at the end of a word or syllable (rock),
and after a vowel says its short sound (back, duck, pick, deck, lock).