Welded sounds: ang, ing, ong, ung, ank, ink, onk, unk

How do you teach welded sound words?

Teach each chunk as a unit with its own card and keyword. "Ing, like a king's ring. Say it together, don't split it." Build words by adding an onset: ing gives sing, ring, king, thing. Then swap the chunk: sing, sang, song, sung. Students who sound out /s/ /ĭ/ /n/ /g/ get a distorted vowel; the chunk keeps it natural.

What mistake do students make with welded sound words?

Students separate the vowel from the nasal and say /ĭ/ then /ng/, so the word sounds off. Or they spell think as thik. Practice the chunks orally first, then on cards, then in words. For ink and ank, have the student feel the /k/ at the end.

Where do welded sound words come in the sequence?

Welded sounds are usually taught at the end of the digraph unit, right after ng and nk. In the sequence we use, the pattern is taught in Lesson 52.

Exceptions worth knowing

In two-syllable words like finger and anger, many speakers add a /g/ after /ng/. Our list keeps one-syllable words, where the chunk is clean.

Decodable sentences

Every word in these sentences can be read at Lesson 52 or earlier, or is a heart word taught by then.

• The king sang a song.
• Think of the pink ink.
• The skunk sat on the trunk.