Scott Foresman Reading Street

Silent Consonants When a
word begins with kn, the k is
silent; with wr, the w is silent;
with gn, the g is silent. When st
appears in the middle of a word,
the t is sometimes silent. When
a word ends with gn, the g is
silent; with mb, the b is silent.

Associate the silent consonant patterns wr, kn, st, mb, and gn with the sounds that they spell.
Review the suffixes -ly,
-ful, -ness, and -less.
Blend and read words that contain silent consonants.
Apply decoding strategies: blend longer words.

Support Phonics In some languages, each letter is pronounced, so some students may pronounce each letter of these words. Have students say words with silent letters until they begin to feel comfortable saying them as one sound; then give them as many opportunities as possible to practice saying them after that. Other students may be familiar with the idea of silent letters. You might discuss students’ awareness of silent letters in their home language before introducing these sounds.

See the Phonics Transition lessons in
the ELL and Transition Handbook.

Practice Book 3.1 p. 149

with | without Answers

Suffixes Prefixes, suffixes, and
some inflected endings usually form
separate syllables from the base
word.

You may wish to explain the
meanings of these words.

awkwardly	clumsily; without skill
readiness	the state of being ready
rightful	proper; according to law

Silent Consonants

TEACH

Write the words write and gnaw.

Say write slowly, breaking it into its individual phonemes. Point to each
segment of the word as you say it. What sound do you hear in the first
part? (/r/)
What letters stand for the sound? (wr)
The letters wr written together stand for one sound, /r/.
Model identifying the silent consonants in the word gnaw.

MODEL When I see the word gnaw, I try to break it into its parts:
/g/ /n/ /

/. But that doesn’t sound right. Then I remember that
sometimes two consonants together stand for one sound. I try the
word using the first sound, /g

/. That doesn’t sound like a word I know.
Then I try the word using the second sound, /n

/. That sounds right! Gnaw.
The letters gn together stand for the sound /n/.

Model blending write, /r/ /

/ /t/. Then have students blend the word with you.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

DECODE LONGER WORDS Write these words. Have students read them and

then underline the letters that represent the silent consonants.

listen	knee	gnarled	thumbtack
whistle	gnat	wrestle	known

READ WORDS IN CONTEXT Write these sentences. Have individuals read

them, point out the words with the silent consonants, and name the sound
and the letters that stand for the sound. Words with silent consonants are
underlined.

My little brother sucks his thumb. (mb/m/)

I broke my neighbor’s garden gnome by mistake. (gn/n/)

Thistles can be sharp. (st/s/)

I will knock on the door. (kn/n/)

To assess, have students read each sentence aloud. Listen for correct
pronunciation of the underlined words.

Review Word Parts

SUFFIXES -ly, -ful, -less, -ness

CONNECT Write this word: sadly.

We studied the suffixes -ly, -ful, -less, and -ness. Review the meaning of
each suffix.
Read the word. Underline the suffix and tell what the word means. (-ly,
not happily)

Continue the activity with the words emptiness, wasteful, and colorless.

PRACTICE AND ASSESS

DECODE LONGER WORDS Have individuals read the following words. Provide

help chunking and blending the words as needed.

healthful	kindness	awkwardly	lifeless
ageless	rudely	colorful	excitedly
restful	dreamless	readiness	rightful

READ WORDS IN CONTEXT Have students read these sentences. Then, to

check meaning, have them give their own sentence for the underlined word.

We had to return the kitten to its rightful owner.

The small puppy ran awkwardly across the floor.

The room was warm and colorful.

She is well-liked for her kindness and cheer.

To assess, check that underlined words are used correctly in
students’ sentences.