Beginning Phonics & Word Recognition
Aligned to RF.K.3 — Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

What this lesson teaches
Every letter makes a sound, and when you put the sounds together you can read a word. Some little words like 'the' and 'to' pop up a lot, so we just learn to know them by sight.
Worked examples
Example 1
Look at the word 'sat.' Say each sound slowly: /s/ /a/ /t/. Now blend them fast and you get 'sat'! The word 'the' is a sight word, so we just remember it.
Example 2
Look at 'map.' Say it slowly: /m/ /a/ /p/. Blend it fast and you have 'map.'
Example 3
Sight words do not always follow the sounds. 'Said' looks like it should be /s/ /a/ /i/ /d/, so we just learn it by heart.
Practice questions
- Sound out and blend: m-a-p.
- Read these sight words: the, to, of.
- What sound does the letter b make? Name a word that starts with it.
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 lessonEn español
Fonética inicial y reconocimiento de palabras
Cada letra tiene un sonido, y cuando juntas los sonidos puedes leer una palabra. Algunas palabras pequeñas como 'the' y 'to' aparecen mucho, así que simplemente aprendemos a reconocerlas de vista.
Ejemplo 1: Mira la palabra 'sat.' Di cada sonido despacio: /s/ /a/ /t/. ¡Ahora únelos rápido y obtienes 'sat'! La palabra 'the' es una palabra de vista, así que simplemente la recordamos.
Ejemplo 2: Mira 'sol.' Dilo despacio: /s/ /o/ /l/. Únelo rápido y tienes 'sol.'
Ejemplo 3: Algunas palabras no siguen los sonidos como esperas. 'Hola' empieza con una h que no suena, así que la aprendemos de memoria.
More Reading: Foundational Skills lessons
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