Hi Erin, thank you for the wealth of knowledge! I was wondering, are there any rules for when the “th” digraph makes the voiced vs unvoiced sound? Or is this essentially just memorized?
This was a great question! I didn't know the answer, but this is what I found: TH is voiced: 1) at the beginning of function words (the, this, that) 2) in the middle of two vowels (mother, brother, weather) 3) at the end of a word when followed by a silent e (bathe, soothe) TH is unvoiced: 1) at the beginning of content words (think, third, theory, thunder) 2) in the middle of a word before a consonant (bathtub, birthday) 3) at the end of a word (myth, mouth) And I'm sure there are exceptions to these generalization, so not sure if that is helpful or more confusing 😂 But now we know!
They can be very tricky! I had a few tutoring students this summer who struggled to pronounce the /sh/ sound and /ch/ sound correctly, which showed up in their writing.
That's a great idea! I don't have one yet, but in the meantime, here is a great video done by the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wBuA589kfMg.html
At the school where I'm a substitute, the teachers use Fundations as their phonics program (www.wilsonlanguage.com/programs/fundations/). When I tutor older students, I use the program UFLI from the University of Florida (ufli.education.ufl.edu/foundations/toolbox/). This is a great option because the manual is inexpensive, and everything else you need to implement the curriculum is FREE on their website! It's amazing! When I'm teaching preschool, pre-k, & kindergarten, I use my own phonics program (which I call "P.L.A.Y. for Reading Success"). My program focuses on letters & sounds, digraphs, and blends. We don't get into more advanced concepts like magic e, vowel teams, or diphthongs, which is why it's perfect for the younger grades.
