CurriculumGrade 1English Language Arts

Sound It Out

Aligned to RF.1.2 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches

Words are made of little sounds. We can blend sounds together to make a word, or break a word into its sounds.

Worked example

Blend /c/ + /a/ + /t/ to say "cat." Now break it back apart: cat = /c/ /a/ /t/. Three sounds!

Practice questions

  1. Blend these sounds: /m/ /a/ /p/. What word is it?
  2. Break the word "sun" into its sounds.
  3. Clap once for each sound in "dog."

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

▶ Watch this lesson

En español

Suena los Sonidos

Las palabras se hacen de sonidos pequeños y de sílabas. Podemos unir sonidos para formar una palabra o separarla en sus sílabas.

Ejemplo: Une las sílabas ma + no para decir "mano." Ahora sepárala: mano = ma-no. ¡Dos sílabas! Aplaudimos una vez por cada sílaba.

More Reading: Foundational Skills lessons

Phonics and DecodingRF.1.3Reading FluencyRF.1.4What Makes a Sentence?RF.1.1

Teach this lesson today

An AI tutor that guides with questions instead of just giving answers — all K–12 core subjects, every child in the family.

Start free — no card required