TR/DR Blends: the sound, the words, the books

Tree, train, drum, dragon — TR and DR blends. Five decodable stories and twenty flashcards, each child’s copy starring that child. This guide maps the pack onto the components of systematic, explicit early-literacy instruction (the ones Wisconsin’s 2023 Act 20 names: phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding, letter–sound knowledge, vocabulary, fluency and comprehension).

1. The sound

Target: TR/DR Blends. Spellings tinted in the books: tr, dr. Say the sound in isolation, then in the twenty words, then find it in the captions.

2. The words

Sight words used in the captions: a, the, has, in, on, and, to, is.

3. Phonemic awareness (5 minutes)

• Blend: say the sounds of a pack word slowly; children say the word.
• Segment: say a word; children tap out its sounds.
• Swap: change one sound (cat → hat → hot) with the flashcards face down.

4. Decoding with the flashcards (5 minutes)

• Picture side up: name it, find the tinted sound, say the word.
• Word side up: sound out, blend, check with the picture.
• Speed round: the child reads the word side of ten cards as fast as accuracy allows.

5. The stories (10 minutes each)

1. “the child’s name and the Trash Truck” — It is trash day and [NAME] insists on dragging the big bag out to the street. The bag drips, [NAME] trips on the step and trash goes everywhere just as the trash truck turns into the road. [NAME] and Dad scoop it all up in time, scrub up with a drink on a tray, and [NAME] draws the truck for Dad. (10 pages; uses truck, drip, drink, trip, trash, dry, tray, draw, drop; with Dad)
2. “the child’s name's Train Trip” — [NAME] and Mom take the train to see Gran. Trees zip past, a bump tips the drink all over the tray, and the long ride sends [NAME] to sleep: in the dream a dragon drives the train and drums on the roof. Then the train stops, and there is Gran on the platform. (10 pages; uses drum, dragon, tree, drip, train, dream, drink, trip, dry, tray; with Mom and Gran)
3. “the child’s name's Drum” — [NAME] has a new drum and bangs it so hard that the cat runs and Baby cries, so Dad puts it up on the shelf. But everything is a drum: a pot, a tray, the trash bin, even the bath. Then Dad shows [NAME] a trick, tap tap tap, soft, and Baby claps. The whole family marches with the drum. (10 pages; uses drum, drip, trick, trash, dry, tray, drop, march; with Dad and Baby)
4. “the child’s name's Dragon Trap” — After a dream about a dragon in the garden tree, [NAME] builds a trap: a box, a stick, a snack and a drink. Snap! It catches the dog (drool), then the cat (hiss), then [NAME]. At last a tiny dragonfly lands on [NAME]'s nose. [NAME] lets the little dragon fly, and draws it instead. (10 pages; uses dragon, tree, dream, trap, drink, drool, draw, drop)
5. “A Trophy for the child’s name” — It is the day of the big run at the park and a shiny trophy waits on a tray. [NAME] and the dog set off past the tree, then the rain drips down, the path turns to mud and [NAME] trips. Splat! The dog licks [NAME] up, and they march through the mud to the end together: a trophy for [NAME], and a big lick of it for the dog. (10 pages; uses tree, drip, drink, trip, drool, dry, tray, trophy, drop, march)

First read: the child decodes every word; wait, do not rush in. Second read: fluency, with expression. Then talk about the pictures in any language the child has.

6. Checking progress

• Accuracy: words read correctly on the first pass of a story (aim for 95%+ before the next pack).
• Letter–sound knowledge: the tinted spellings named in isolation.
• Comprehension: retell the story in three sentences; the pictures are the prompt.
• Engagement: how many re-reads the child asks for. Personalised books are re-read more; count it.

7. Families

Send the flashcards home; the word side is a two-minute routine.

Story Petal books are generated by an image model from instructions we write, checked by a person, and never used to train anything beyond a child’s own order. What our art must get right.