I tried phonetic flip chart with my middle child and it helps his reading a lot, He managed to sound out the words brilliantly. Although the combination of the sound will sometimes be nonsense, but I think to a young second language learners, all English words are nonsense. 

My son's phonetic flip chart on the top left, together with the CVC picture puzzles

It is evidence in the children which I grouped together for an action research. They are remedial pupils, grouped together based on their performance in the literacy screening. These children can connect alphabet and its sound, but they can't do blending. 

Initially I thought they have some concept on blending, because their scores indicate they have some ideas on it unfortunately things got a little haywire. 

I find that they have difficulties in understanding the concept of blending. They didn't understand that blending is to integrate the sounds and to understand which comes first and which one later. My lesson plans didn't prepare me for this. 

The lesson plans I prepared have 3 core elements to be done

• Letter name, sound and gestures
• Sounding onset/rimes
• Blending

In understanding the concept of blending

• Introduce the CVC picture puzzle. This is to let them understand that letters must be integrated to make meaning (hopefully they don't ask about I and a!).  I took the pictures from the internet and made simple puzzles. They don't have the dotted lines for cutting but I cut it out freely in between the letters. 

• Let the children clap to the onset and rimes. Understanding how many sounds involved will make the children alert on how many sounds to produce. An alternative to this activity is to give the children some blocks or small manipulative, they will listen to the onset and rimes and show how many sounds they hear by placing the blocks accordingly (an obvious one ya, but hey bear in mind that they are second language learners, so they need this practice).

To reinforce learning

• Supplementary activities such as chanting to the words, singing songs would be part of the lesson. I believe they need to hear the words repeatedly in order to understand blending.