Troy — After a few easy prompts to get them started, Michele Malesyzk warns her daughter: This next one's going to be tough.

"ANG," says Maleszyk, emphasizing the three sounds in the one blended sound found in words like "pang" or "angry."

Sitting atop a barstool at their kitchen countertop, 8-year-old Grace Zinczuk sticks her left index finger into a tray of sand in front of her and traces out the letters that make the sound. "A-N-G," she writes.

See Full Page