> ## Knowledge Base Index
> Fetch the complete knowledge base index at: https://support.pld-literacy.org/sitemap.xml
> Use this file to discover available pages before exploring further.
> Pure-Markdown content can be obtained by appending a '.md' suffix to the content URLs listed in the sitemap (without the trailing slash).

# Why does PLD focus on onset & rime blending when blending three phonemes is the essential pre-requisite skill or CVC decoding?

**Blending is an essential pre-requisite skill for CVC decoding. Hence, to enter PLD's Stage 1 (CVC) students need to learn to blend so that they can start to read words such as ‘fig’, ‘tin’ and ‘mat’ is the skill of blending.**

PLD (and speech pathology) conceptualises this as a two-step process, commencing with blending 2 sounds using (i.e. onset & rime) before progressing into three sound units.

|  First, students must learn to blend at an onset and rime level. 
![E.g. Listen carefully and put these sounds together and guess this word: 'f' (one second pause) 'ig](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/67ae980d1c7d2000/screenshot-2022-12-07-120615-p_1fuhh44.png)
|| Second, students then learn to blend three phonemes or individual sounds.
![E.g. ‘Listen carefully and put these sounds together and guess this word; ‘m’ (one second pause) ‘a’ (one second pause) ‘t’? Answer: ‘mat’.](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/67ae980d1c7d2000/screenshot-2022-12-07-120227-p_g9dfrr.png)
||| **In the scheme of children's development, onset and rime blending is not directly important for decoding, but at PLD we view onset and rime as a stepping stone into three phoneme blending.**
* Many mainstream students who enter with strong language skills will not require the two-step blending process. BUT ... low socio-economics and low entry levels will mean that students definitely benefit from the teaching of blending in the two steps.