OpenReading™ Sound Movements
Sound + Movement = Reading Success
These physical motions are a learning strategy for beginning readers to remember letter sounds, letter shapes, and the correct formation of the mouth when saying letter sounds. They are also a physical way to aid kids in blending together sounds when sounding out and spelling words.
Sound Motions are most effective when introduced in the order they appear on this page. However, if you need to know a specific Sound Motion, click the Alphabetical List tab to quickly find the one you’re looking for.
Warning! Sound Motions are most effective when introduced in the order they appear on this page or as directed in the free program. However, if you need to quickly find a specific Sound Motion, you can use the following alphabetical lists to jump right to it:
Solo Letter Sounds: a (short vowel) | b | c | d | e (short vowel) | f | g | h | i (short vowel) | j | k | l | m | n | o (short vowel) | p | qu | r | s | t | u (short vowel) | v | w | x | y | z
Alternate Sounds: a (long vowel) | e (long vowel) | i (long vowel) | o (long vowel) | u (long vowel) | u (grunt)
Partner Sounds: ai, ay | ar | au, aw | ch | ce | ci | cy | ea, ee, ei | er, ir, ur | ew, ue, ui | ge | gi | gy | ie | kn | oa | oi, oy | oo | or | ou, ow | ph | sh | th | wr
Team Sounds: ang | ank | augh | cial | ciate | cien | cious | eng | eigh | igh | ing | ink | ong | onk | ook | ough | ous | sion | sive | sure | tion | tive | ture | ung | unk
These OpenReading Sound Movements have been used by some of the best teachers, reading specialists and learn-to-read products. In order to create a future where students and educators can build on the same foundation throughout their years mastering reading the OpenReading Sound Movements (formerly known as Reading Revolution Sound Movements) are freely available to use in your classroom, product or service so long as you provide attribution to OpenReading, you don’t modify any individual sound movement, and the movement is referred to by its accurately pronounced sound, not letter name. License details below.
OpenReading™ Sound Movements © 1990 by OpenReading™ is licensed under Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International 
Solo Letter Sounds
Snap Sounds
Tricky Sounds
Solo Letter Sounds are the sounds the individual letters of the alphabet make most of the time. This is in contrast to any alternate sounds a letter may make and does not include sounds made by pairs of letters or groups of letters. Solo Letter Sounds are not the same as letter names.
There are three types of Solo letter Sounds which we introduce in the following order: Stretchy Sounds, Snap Sounds, and Tricky Sounds.
Stretchy Sounds
o (short vowel) | s | n | i (short vowel) | f | u (short vowel) | r | m | a (s vowel) | l | z | e (short vowel)
These Solo Letter Sounds can be held a long time without distorting the sound. Hold your mouth in the same position from the start to the end of the sound to pronounce them accurately.
o (short vowel)
O
s
S
n
N
i (short vowel)
I
f
F
u (short vowel)
U
r
R
m
M
a (short vowel)
Alligator, apple, ask
l
L
z
Z
v
V
e (short vowel)
End, empty, exercise
Snap Sounds
t | b | p | g | c | k | ck | d
These Solo Letter Sounds should be said quickly to avoid adding extra sounds like “uh” to the end of the sound. When saying these sounds, hold your mouth as still as possible or close your mouth as soon as you finish the sound. Technically speaking, “ck” isn’t a Solo Letter Sound, but it’s best to teach this Sound Motion right after teaching the “c” and “k” Sound Motions.
t
T
b
Bug
p
P
g
G
c
Cat
k
K
ck
Duck, sick, peck
d
Dig
Tricky Sounds
h | y | w | qu | j | x
These Solo Letter Sounds are challenging to pronounce and are often taught incorrectly. The letter “q” is almost always followed by a silent “u”, so we teach /qu/ as it’s Solo Letter Sound.
h
H
y
Y
w
W
qu
Qu
j
J
x
X
Alternate Sounds
(long vowel sounds)
Alternate Sounds are also known as the long vowel sounds. Use the same Sound Motions as you do with the short vowels, but shake your hand and arm as you move them. These sounds are typically the same as the letter’s name, so you can remember to shake the movement by thinking, “When you tell someone your name, you shake hands to say hello.” The letter “u” is unique in that it’s long vowel sound isn’t the same as its letter name and it also has another, commonly used alternate sound – the u (grunt) sound.
long vowels: a | e | i | o | u
a (long vowel)
Ate, bake, late
e (long vowel)
E
i (long vowel)
Ice
o (long vowel)
Open
u (long vowel)
Tube
u (grunt)
Pull
Partner Sounds
Easy Partners
“r” Partners
First-Name Vowel Partners
Tricky Vowel Partners
Laughing Partners
Partner Sounds are made by two letters pairing up. There are five types of Partner Sounds which are introduce in the following order: Easy Partners, “r” Partners, First-Name Vowel Partners, Tricky Vowel Partners, and Laughing Partners.
Easy Partners
th | sh | ch | ph | wh | kn | wr
These Partners Sounds are made by two consonants pairing up to make a single sound.
th
Teeth
sh
Ship
ch
Cheek
ph
Phone
wh
When
kn
Knee
wr
Wrist
"r" Partners
er, ir, ur | ar | or
These Partner Sounds are made by a vowel pairing up with an “r.”
er, ir, ur
Bitter, bird, burn
ar
Car
or
Cord
First-Name Vowel Partners
ai, ay | ea, ee, ei | ie | oa, ow | ue, ui
These Partner Sounds are made by two vowels pairing up to make the long-vowel sound of the first letter.
ai, ay
Bait, bay
ea, ee, ei
Eat, feet, either
ie
Pie, tie
oa, ow
Toad, snow
ue, ui
glue, suit
Tricky Vowel Partners
au, aw | ew, oo | ou, ow | oi, oy
These Partner Sounds are made by two vowels pairing up to make a new sound.
au, aw
pause, yawn
ew, oo
new, hoot
ou, ow
ouch, how
oi, oy
oil, boy
Laughing Partners
ci | gi | ce | ge | cy | gy
These Partner Sounds are only made when “c” and “g” pair up with /i/, /e/, and /y/.
ci
city
gi
magic
ce
center
ge
gentle
cy
juicy
gy
energy
Team Sounds
Easy Teams
“gh” teams
“sh” Teams
The three types of Team Sounds are introduced in the following order: Easy Teams, “gh” Teams, and “sh” Teams.
Easy Teams
ing | ang | eng | ong | ung | ank | ink | onk | unk | sure (v1) | sure (v2) | ture | tive | sive | ous
These Team Sounds are relatively easy to learn and see in words.
ing
sing
ang
bang
eng
length
ong
song
ung
hung
ank
tank
ink
blink
onk
honk
unk
junk
sure
measure, treasure
tive
active
ture
venture
ous
dangerous
sive
massive
"gh" Teams
igh | eigh | augh | ough
These Team Sounds are the 3-letter /ī/, the four letter /ai/, the four letter /o/ and the 4-letter /oa/. They all end with a silent /gh/.
igh
sigh
eigh
weigh
augh
caught
ough
though
"sh" Teams
cious, tious, xious | sion, tion | cian, cien, tien | cial, tial | ciate, tiate
These Team Sounds all start with a /sh/ sound.
cious, tious, xious
delicious, cautious, anxious
sion, tion
mission, fiction
cian, cien, tien
pediatrician, efficient, patient
cial, tial
special, initial
ciate, tiate
appreciate, initiate