The Blending Drill is a cornerstone of every Orton-Gillingham lesson. In this activity, students practice blending individual sounds to form nonsense words, encouraging true decoding rather than memorization. By mastering this drill, learners strengthen their phonemic awareness and build the rapid decoding skills necessary for fluent reading.
This structured exercise also lays the groundwork for teaching closed syllables and reinforces automatic word recognition—especially for struggling readers who need consistent, multisensory practice. Whether you refer to it as the OG Blending Drill or another variation, this technique remains one of the most powerful tools in structured literacy instruction.
How to Do an Orton-Gillingham Blending Drill?
An Orton-Gillingham blending drill follows a clear, step-by-step routine that teaches students how to combine individual sounds into words. The drill moves in a deliberate sequence, using multisensory practice to help students blend sounds accurately, decode words with confidence, and build reading fluency. The process below outlines the key steps used in an Orton-Gillingham blending drill to guide students from sound review to accurate word reading and writing.
- Review sound cards
Begin by reviewing previously taught sound cards. Students say the sound for each card aloud, reinforcing accurate sound-symbol associations before blending begins. - Practice oral blending
Present a sequence of sounds orally, such as /s/ /a/ /t/. Students blend the sounds together and say the word as a whole. This step builds phonemic awareness without relying on print. - Read blended words
Next, display the written word. Students blend the sounds again while reading, connecting oral blending to printed text. This helps transfer decoding skills to real reading. - Write for reinforcement
Have students write the word while saying each sound aloud. Writing reinforces memory, supports spelling development, and strengthens the connection between sounds and letters.
This systematic process is the foundation of effective blending drills in Orton-Gillingham instruction and supports accurate, confident reading over time.
How the Blending Drill Works & Why It Matters?
For those new to the method, the Blending Drill is a core component of Orton-Gillingham instruction. In each lesson, the instructor organizes the student’s Sound Cards—also called phonogram or drill cards—into three piles, with vowels in the middle. These systematically arranged cards allow for endless word-building combinations. Students then point to each card from left to right, blending the sounds to form nonsense words, while the instructor flips cards to create new combinations for continued practice.
The drill is highly adaptable to the skill being taught. For example:
* When introducing the “magic e” rule, a fourth column is added.
* For the Floss Rule (<i>-ss, -ll, -ff, -zz</i>), the appropriate Sound Cards are placed in the final pile.
* To teach blends like “sl,” the blend goes in the first pile.
For open syllables, the instructor can cover the final pile to create words like “ro,” “bi,” or “gla.”
Students often enjoy the blending drill because it turns decoding into a fun, interactive activity, letting them experiment with sounds and laugh at the quirky nonsense words they create.
Blending Drill Cards Used in Orton-Gillingham Lessons
Blending drill cards are instructional tools used in Orton-Gillingham lessons to represent individual sounds or sound patterns. Each card typically shows a letter or phonogram that students have already been taught, allowing them to focus on accurate sound production during blending drills.
During an Orton-Gillingham blending drill, teachers arrange the cards in sequence so students can blend sounds smoothly from left to right. By manipulating the cards, students visually track how individual sounds combine, which supports accurate blending and improves reading fluency over time.
Blending Drill Video Demonstration
Thank you so much for reading my post today. You might also enjoy reading my previous posts:
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Please don’t leave without checking out the PRIDE Reading Program. The PRIDE Reading Program is an Orton-Gillingham curriculum that is used by teachers, tutors, and homeschooling parents worldwide with great success.
Karina Richland, M.A., is the author of the PRIDE Reading Program, a multisensory Orton-Gillingham reading, writing and comprehension curriculum that is available worldwide for parents, tutors, teachers and homeschoolers of struggling readers. Karina has an extensive background in working with students of all ages and various learning modalities. She has spent many years researching learning differences and differentiated teaching practices. You can reach her by email at info@pridereadingprogram or visit the website here.