Phonics pattern
Ending blends
An ending blend is two consonants at the end of a word, each keeping its own sound: best, hand, camp. Students often drop one of the two sounds, especially in spelling.
How to teach it
- Practice orally first: say a word with an ending blend and have the student say each sound, tapping a finger for each one, including both final consonants.
- Build the word with tiles, one tile per sound, then read lists where the blend changes (best, bend, bent).
- Dictate words and check that both final consonants are written, then read a sentence or two.
Practice words
Read them across, then down. Point under each word as it is read.
- band
- land
- mend
- fond
- tent
- dent
- mint
- camp
- pump
- lump
- dust
- rust
Decodable sentences
- The tent is in the sand.
- Max can jump in the pond.
- Hand the milk to Mom.
Spoken warm-ups
No print. Say the prompt; the student answers aloud. Sounds are written between slashes.
| You say | The student says |
|---|---|
| Listen: /l/ /a/ /n/ /d/. What word? | land |
| Say ‘mint’. Say each sound. | /m/ /i/ /n/ /t/ |
| Say ‘band’. Say it without /d/. | ban |
Common errors
- Dropping the first sound of the blend, often n or m (camp spelled cap). Tap the sounds before writing; four sounds, four letters.
- Adding a vowel between the consonants (best read as besuh-t). Model a clean, clipped ending.
- Reading the blend correctly in lists and dropping it in sentences. Point to the end of the word when it happens, without saying more.
Which lessons teach this
No lesson in the UFLI Foundations sequence is named for this pattern. Practice it alongside the short vowel and digraph lessons around it, and see the whole sequence.
Literacy Trail is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the University of Florida Literacy Institute. It contains no UFLI lesson content, only lesson names and order.
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