Four Rules of Reading Decoding

Enrichment Therapies

January 31, 2025

mother lays on bed with daughter, reading book

Unlock your child’s reading potential with these simple and effective strategies! Many words follow predictable patterns, and once your child learns to recognize them, they’ll read faster, more accurately, and with greater confidence. Here are four rules to help set the foundation for lifelong reading success!

Final “e” Rule 

An “e” at the end of a word changes a short vowel+consonant sound (e.g., ap) into a long vowel sound (e.g., ape). The “e” jumps backwards over the consonant, making the vowel say its name!

hop v. hope: the “e” jumps back and makes the “o” say it’s name.

tap v. tape: the “e” jumps back and makes the “a” say it’s name.

cut v. cute: the “e” jumps back and makes the “u” say it’s name.

sit v. site: the “e” jumps back and makes the “i” say it’s name.

pet v. Pete: the “e” jumps back and makes the “e” say it’s name.

Walking Vowels Rule

When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking and says it’s name. These are also known as long vowels.

ai–> straight

ay–> pay

ee–> feet

ea–> seat

oa–> boat

ie–> tie

C-Rule

When a “c” is followed by an “a, o, u” sound the “c” makes a hard /k/ sound. But, when a “c” is followed by an “e, i,y” sound the “c” makes a soft /s/ sound.

“c” makes a hard /k/ when followed by “a, o, u”: cat, cost, cup

“c” makes soft /s/ when followed by “e, i, y”: cent, city, cycle

G-Rule

When a “g” is followed by an “a, o, u” sound the “g” makes a hard /g/ sound. But, when a “g” is followed by an “e, i, y” sound the “g” makes a soft “j” sound.

“g” makes a hard /g/ when followed by “a, o, u”: game, got, gum

“g” makes soft “j” when followed by “e, i, y”: gentle, giant, gym

Individualized Reading Support With Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center Across Des Moines & North Liberty

We know helping your child learn how to read can be overwhelming. That’s why at Enrichment Therapy & Learning Center we provide an individualized approach to help students reach their reading goals. We help children with their reading skills in central and eastern Iowa- from the Des Moines metro to North Liberty, Cedar Rapids, and Iowa City. Together, we can help your child thrive in the classroom. Contact us today!

info@enrichmenttherapies.com

740 Community Drive, Unit A

North Liberty, IA 52317

319-626-2553

 infodm@enrichmenttherapies.com

5530 West Pkwy, Suite 300

Johnston, IA 50131

515-419-4270

Related Posts

Comments

0 Comments