PL/PR Blends: the sound, the words, the books

Plate, plant, prize, prince — PL and PR 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: PL/PR Blends. Spellings tinted in the books: pl, pr. 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's Plant” — Gran gives [NAME] a plum, and [NAME] plants the stone in a pot and promises to protect it. That means seeing off a pecking hen and a cat that plops down right on top, then propping the tiny plant up with a stick when the wind bends it. Day by day it grows, and Gran and [NAME] are both very proud. (10 pages; uses plum, plant, press, plop, proud, prop, promise, protect; with Gran)
2. “Prints in the Snow” — Snow! [NAME] runs out to play and the wind whips [NAME]'s hat away. Then there are big prints in the snow, and [NAME] follows them: past the plow, up a plank, under a tree that plops snow on [NAME]'s head, all the way to the dog, who has found the hat and is very proud of its prize. (10 pages; uses prize, press, print, plop, proud, plow, plank, play)
3. “the child’s name Plays the Prince” — It is play time and [NAME] is the prince, with a plate to block the dragon, the cat for a queen and Sis as the dragon. The prince promises to protect the queen, but the plank over the moat tips and the prince lands in it with a plop. Then the queen leaps onto the dragon, the dragon runs off, and everyone claps for a very proud prince. (10 pages; uses plate, prince, plop, proud, plank, prop, play, promise, protect; with Sis)
4. “the child’s name's Print” — [NAME] has paint on a plate and a big sheet of paper, and prints a hand, a foot and even a nose. Then the pup plops into the paint and prints all over the sheet. [NAME] is cross, until a second look shows that the mess is a plant covered in plums. [NAME] and the pup print more plums, and the pup gets a prize: a hug. (10 pages; uses plate, plum, prize, plant, press, print, plop, proud)
5. “the child’s name at the Clinic” — [NAME] and Mom take the bus to the clinic for a check-up. There are blocks to play with and a big plant, then the blocks plop over and it is [NAME]'s go. Gulp. Mom promises to hold [NAME]'s hand: a press on the chest, a quick jab to protect [NAME], and a star for a prize. Everyone is proud. (10 pages; uses prize, plant, press, plop, proud, play, promise, protect; with Mom)

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.