A B C
What are continuous sounds? Why are they important?
Continuous sounds are sounds we can hold. “M” is a continuous sound, because we
can elongate this phoneme: “Mmmmmmmm.” Continuous sounds contrast with stop
sounds. Stop sounds are phonemes we can’t hold. “C” is an example of a stop
sound. We can’t hold “C.”
When you’re working with beginning readers, continuous
sounds are extremely valuable. They allow students to hold the sound until they
figure out the next sound, thereby creating a blend. A student can say, “mmmmmaaaaaannnnnnn” for “man.”
But for a word like “dog,” they are forced to stop the first and last sound: “doooooog.”
“D” and “G” are stop sounds. Sometimes students (and teachers) forget to clip
stop sounds. Instead of “d,” they say “du.” Instead of “g,” they say “gu.” This
can cause confusion. A student may say “duogu” for dog. After the student reads
“duogu” they, unsurprisingly, can’t figure out that the word is actually “dog.”
To allow a smooth transition from phoneme to phoneme, allow
beginning readers to start with continuous sounds. This will make early reading
a friendlier, easier process. I suggest starting with the following sounds: “m,
n, s, a.” All of these are continuous sounds. Thus, “m, n, s, a” allow readers
to blend easily.
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