Springfield Center for Dyslexia and Learning

From Slow to Smooth

Once students can blend sounds accurately, the next goal is automaticity.

Start slowly...
mmmmmaaaaat

Then gradually increase the pace until the word is read naturally:

mat

Reading isn't about rushing—it's about helping the brain recognize words more efficiently through repeated successful practice.

As Dr. Judith Birsh taught, fluency grows from accuracy, not speed.

💙 Honoring the legacy of Dr. Judith Birsh.

Say It Slowly 🧠

One of the first steps to successful blending is learning to stretch the sounds together instead of saying each sound separately.

Instead of:
/m/ ... /a/ ... /t/

Try:
"mmmmmaaaaat"... mat

Continuous sounds help students hear how individual phonemes connect to form a word.

This simple strategy, emphasized throughout Dr. Judith Birsh's structured literacy work, helps build the foundation for fluent decoding.

Every confident reader starts by connecting sounds—one word at a time.

💙 Inspired by the instructional principles of Dr. Judith Birsh.