Ild, ind, old, olt and ost words

How do you teach ild, ind, old, olt and ost words?

Students expect a short vowel in a closed syllable, so this needs a direct lesson. "These five endings make the vowel say its name: ild, ind, old, olt, ost." Read mild, wild, find, kind, cold, gold, bolt, most, post. Contrast with short words: mist and most, wind (air) and wind (a clock).

What mistake do students make with ild, ind, old, olt and ost words?

Students read find as /fĭnd/. That follows the closed syllable rule, so praise it and show the exception chunk. Wind and wind is a good teaching pair.

Where do ild, ind, old, olt and ost words come in the sequence?

These long vowel chunks are often taught after tch and dge, before y as a vowel. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 72.

Exceptions worth knowing

Wind (moving air) and lost, cost, frost keep short vowels. Gild and build are rare forms.

Decodable sentences

Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 72 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.

• The child can find the gold.
• It is cold in the wild.
• Most of the bolts are on the post.