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This minimal pairs – cluster reduction, l and r blend pack is useful resource bank of colour pictures illustrating cluster reduction, l & r blends. Essential resource for working on phonological processes with children up to KS2.
A minimal pair is a pair of words, such as ‘tea’ and ‘key’, or ‘four’ and ‘door’, differing only by one sound in the same position in each word. Minimal pair therapies are an essential and common method used by speech and language therapists to correct error patterns in the speech development of children.
Minimal pairs can be used to develop games and activities to directly confront the child with the consequences of their error pattern in terms of meaning. For example, if a child says ‘That’s a funny nail’ (when looking at a picture of a snail), the adult may respond ‘A funny nail?? I can’t see a funny nail anywhere … but I can see a funny snail!’
Cluster Reduction, l & r blends – Minimal Pairs pack focuses on cluster reduction, l & r blends. Sound clusters are where two or three consonants combine at the front, middle or end of words. For example, ‘spoon’, ‘flower’, ‘string’, ‘basket’ and ‘last’. A child exhibiting cluster reduction will omit one or two consonants from the cluster.
Examples: ‘spider’ = ‘bider’; ‘blue’ = ‘boo’; ‘school’ = ‘kool’; ‘first’ = ‘firt’:
Cluster Reduction, l & r blends – Minimal Pairs contains a comprehensive bank of minimal pairs, which can be used to make games and activities. This second edition is fully revised with colour illustrations and instructions, and additional examples of word pairs and pairs in sentences.
Each pack in our Pairs in Pictures (PIP) minimal pairs series focuses on a particular phonological process and provides minimal pairs of that particular process in initial, medial and final position:
PIP 1: Fronting/Backing, Gliding PIP 2: Stopping PIP 3: Consonant Deletion PIP 4: Cluster Reduction /s/ PIP 5: Cluster Reduction /l/ and /r/ PIP 6: Voicing/devoicing
The cluster reduction pack includes a range of fun activities including:
Additional minimal pairs, and sentences which contain minimal pairs, are included in this pack. Some children who have severe difficulties with phonological processing and speech production will require a greater number of activities before outcomes are achieved. For this reason, speech and language therapists may find it helpful to have access to a more extensive bank of minimal pairs, particularly when working with older pupils (6 years+). Similarly, sentences containing minimal pairs can be used to highlight the importance of word production in relation to the meaning of a sentence
Caroline Bowen offers excellent information on her website (speech-language-therapy.com) on minimal pair therapies which clearly describes the varying approaches that can be used by therapists, and again, the picture resources provided in our Pairs in Pictures series can be utilised to support these approaches.
Aim: Use to develop sound awareness skills; help children identify process contrasts, minimal pairs therapy.
Age Levels: Foundation Stage – KS 1+, 4years – 7years+.
Format: PDF file containing 4 pages of instructions, 1 page of extra pairs and sentences, 19 pages of colour pictures and 19 pages of duplicate black and white pictures. Available as a download.
Snippets: Upgrade your account to send specially selected extracts of this resource, via our website, to parents and carers for homework exercises. The snippets for this resource include colour illustrations and the following:
3 to 5 years, 5 to 7 years