A consonant blend is simply two or more consonants that blend together when spoken, where each still retains its original sound. In the English language, consonant blends are bl, br, cl, cr, dr, fl, fr, gl, gr, pl, pr, sc, sk, sl, sm, sn, sp, squ, st, str, sw, and tr.Do not confuse a consonant blend with a consonant digraph. Digraphs are two or more consonants that work together to form an
. entirely different sound, like ch or th. Consonant blends, also called consonant clusters, are combinations of the sounds that the letters usually make.Generally speaking, consonant blends are mastered in the early reading years. Most children are fluent at reading and spelling consonant blends by the end of 2nd grade. Because so many words in English start or end with these clusters, it is important to be able to recognize them and read them without having to "sound out" each letter.There are a variety of websites that offer free worksheets to reinforce reading, spelling and pronouncing consonant blends, both at the beginning of words and at the end. First School Years (http://www.firstschoolyears.com/literacy/word/phonics/clusters/clusters.htm) has printable worksheets and word lists. Worksheet Library (http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/subjects/languagearts/reading/phonics/constantblends/) also has a wide variety of worksheets to practice these skills.There are also websites which allow the user to enter the particular skills or words being practiced and create a worksheet using them. School Express (http://www.schoolexpress.com/create.php) has the ability to create a variety of different kinds of worksheets according to the teacher's or parent's needs. Tools for Educators (http://www.toolsforeducators.com/) has links to worksheet generators as well as tools to create games and puzzles using information the user provides.Of course, it is always possible to make worksheets on consonant clusters or any other topic using just pen and paper. Sheets can be designed online or at home to be simple or complicated, depending upon what one hopes the learner's experience will be. More reference links: http://www.firstschoolyears.com/literacy/word/phonics/clusters/clusters.htm http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/subjects/languagearts/reading/phonics/constantblends/
