A unit of the course: the story, then chapter by chapter — sections, numbered lessons, a source or the numbers to read, three checks each — a review per chapter, and the wrap-up at the end.
Drawn scene: alphabet blocks stacked on a rug beside a child reading a picture book, with sound waves rising as arcs under a warm lamp
1Unit
Sounds and Letters
Foundations
Say your name out loud. Say it slowly. Can you hear the pieces? Every word you say is made of small sounds. Your ears can find them. Your mouth can say them one at a time. That is where reading starts.
Letters are a code for those sounds. The letter m stands for /m/. Put letters in a row and they spell a word. Learn the code and the letters tell you what to say. Cat. Ship. Cape. Words you can read all by yourself.
In this unit you will hear the first sound, the last sound and the middle sound. You will rhyme and clap. You will blend sounds into words and take words apart. Then you will learn the letters, the vowels, the letter teams and the silent e. By the end, you will crack the code.
The steps
Day 1
Say a word slowly and hear the sounds inside it
Day 2
Find the first sound: /b/ for ball, /d/ for dog
Day 3
Find the last sound and the middle sound
Day 4
Rhyme: cat, hat, bat. The ends match
Day 5
Clap the beats: ap-ple, ba-na-na
Day 6
Blend /s/ /u/ /n/ into sun, then take it apart
Day 7
Change one sound: pin, pan, man
Day 8
Learn that each letter has a name and a sound
Day 9
Meet the five vowels and their short sounds
Day 10
Read the letter teams sh, ch and th
Day 11
Add a silent e: cap becomes cape
Day 12
Read a whole line, left to right, all by yourself
1
Chapter
Sounds in Words
Phonological Awareness
Big questionWhat do you hear inside a word?
The story
I Spy With My Ears
The clue is not a color. The clue is a sound.
It is rug time in Ms. Ortiz's class. She says, "Let's play I Spy. But today the clue is a sound." The kids lean in. Ms. Ortiz says, "I spy something that starts with /b/." She says the sound, not the letter. Just /b/, like a bubble popping.
Hands go up. "Ball!" says Devon. Ms. Ortiz shakes her head. "Good try. Ball does start with /b/. But I do not see a ball." Kids look around the room. There is a clock. There is a door. There is a book.
Priya says the word slowly. "Buh... book. Book starts with /b/!" Ms. Ortiz smiles. "Yes! The first sound in book is /b/." Now it is Priya's turn. She looks around. She says, "I spy something that starts with /d/."
Devon says, "Door!" He is right. Every word in the room has a first sound. Clock. Rug. Window. Once you hear the first sound, you can play this game anywhere.
Talk about itLook around your room. Pick one thing. What sound does its name start with?
Section 1
Hearing Sounds
1.1
Words Are Made of Sounds
Main ideaEvery word is made of small sounds put together.
Say the word cat. Now say it very slowly. Stretch it out. Do you hear it? C... a... t. Cat is not one sound. Cat is three sounds. They are stuck together.
Every word is like this. A is a set of said in a row. Say sun slowly. S... u... n. Three sounds. Say go slowly. G... o. Two sounds.
Your ears can pull a word apart. Your mouth can say each piece. This is a big skill. When you hear the sounds, you are ready to read them.
Words to know
word
a set of sounds said together that means something
sound
one small piece of a word that you hear
Check yourself
1. How many sounds are in the word cat?
Why: Say it slowly: c... a... t. That is three sounds stuck together.
2. What is a word made of?
Why: A word is a set of sounds said together. Cat has three of them.
3. How can you hear the sounds in a word?
Why: When you say a word slowly, you can hear each piece.
1.2
The First Sound
Main ideaThe first sound is the sound you hear at the start of a word.
Say mom. What sound comes out first? /m/. Your lips press together. That is the . Now say dog. The first sound is /d/. Your tongue taps the top of your mouth.
The first sound is the start of the word. It is the sound you hear before all the others. Say sun. /s/ comes first. Say fish. /f/ comes first.
Play a game. Say your name slowly. What sound comes first? Now say a friend’s name. Do they start the same? Maria and Max both start with /m/.
Words to know
first sound
the sound at the very start of a word
Check yourself
1. What is the first sound in dog?
Why: Say dog slowly. The sound at the very start is /d/.
2. Which word starts with /s/?
Why: Sock starts with /s/. Bear starts with /b/. Fish starts with /f/.
3. Where do you hear the first sound?
Why: The first sound is the very start. In mom, it is /m/.
1.3
Last Sound, Middle Sound
Main ideaWords have a last sound and a middle sound too.
Say bus. Say it slowly. B... u... s. The is /s/. It is the sound at the end. Say cup. The last sound is /p/. Your lips pop.
Now find the . Say cat slowly. C... a... t. The middle sound is /a/. It sits between /c/ and /t/. Say pig. The middle sound is /i/.
The middle sound is the hard one. It is short. It goes by fast. So stretch the word out. Say it like a slow song. Caaaat. Now you can hear the /a/.
Words to know
last sound
the sound at the very end of a word
middle sound
the sound between the first sound and the last sound
Check yourself
1. What is the last sound in bus?
Why: Say bus slowly. The sound at the end is /s/.
2. What is the middle sound in cat?
Why: C... a... t. The /a/ sits in the middle.
3. Why is the middle sound hard to hear?
Why: The middle sound is short. Stretching the word helps you hear it.
Section 2
Rhymes and Beats
1.4
Words That Rhyme
Main ideaWords rhyme when their ends sound the same.
Say cat. Say hat. Listen to the ends. C-at. H-at. Both end with -at. Cat and hat . Two words rhyme when their ends sound the same.
Try more. Dog and log. Sun and fun. Bed and red. The first sound is different. The rest of the word matches. That is why they sound like a pair.
Rhymes are all over songs and poems. Twinkle, twinkle, little star. How I wonder what you are. Star and are rhyme. Your ears already know this game.
Words to know
rhyme
when two words end with the same sound, like cat and hat
Check yourself
1. Which word rhymes with cat?
Why: Cat and hat both end with -at. Their ends sound the same.
2. When do two words rhyme?
Why: Rhymes match at the end. Sun and fun both end with -un.
3. Sun and fun rhyme. Which part is different?
Why: Sun starts with /s/. Fun starts with /f/. The rest is the same.
1.5
Clap the Parts
Main ideaYou can clap the beats in a word to count its parts.
Say apple. Clap as you say it. Ap-ple. Two claps. Now say cat. One clap. Say banana. Ba-na-na. Three claps. Each clap is one . A syllable is one beat of a word.
Try your name. Say it and clap. Sam gets one clap. Ma-ri-a gets three claps. Long names get more claps. Short names get one.
Put your hand under your chin. Say elephant. El-e-phant. Your chin drops three times. That is three syllables. Your chin can count for you.
Words to know
syllable
one beat in a word; apple has two
Check yourself
1. How many claps does apple get?
Why: Ap-ple. Two beats, so two claps.
2. What is a syllable?
Why: A syllable is one beat. Banana has three beats.
3. Your chin drops three times when you say a word. How many syllables is that?
Why: Your chin drops once for each beat. Three drops means three syllables.
Section 3
Building Words
1.6
Blend the Sounds
Main ideaPut sounds together in a row and they make a word.
Listen. /m/... /a/... /p/. Three sounds, one at a time. Now say them fast. Push them together. Map! You just made a word. This is called .
Blending is like gluing beads on a string. Each sound is a bead. Say them close together. /s/ /u/ /n/. Sun. /d/ /o/ /g/. Dog.
Go slow at first. Say the first sound. Hold it. Slide into the next one. Sssuuunnn. Then say it fast. Sun. Readers do this all day long.
2. Blend these sounds: /s/ /u/ /n/. What word is it?
Why: Say the sounds fast and close. They make the word sun.
3. What should you do when blending is hard?
Why: Slow blending works. Hold the first sound and slide to the next.
1.7
Take a Word Apart
Main ideaYou can break a word into its sounds, one at a time.
Blending puts sounds together. Now go the other way. Say the word hop. Pull it apart. /h/... /o/... /p/. You broke hop into three sounds. That is .
Use your fingers. Say sit. Hold up one finger for each sound. /s/ is one. /i/ is two. /t/ is three. Three fingers. Three sounds.
This helps you spell. To write a word, you need its sounds. Say the word. Take it apart. Then write one letter for each sound you hear.
Words to know
taking apart
saying each sound in a word one at a time
Check yourself
1. Take apart the word hop. What are the sounds?
Why: Hop has three sounds in this order: /h/, /o/, /p/.
2. How many fingers do you hold up for sit?
Why: Sit has three sounds: /s/, /i/, /t/. One finger for each.
3. How does taking a word apart help you?
Why: When you hear each sound, you can write a letter for each one.
1.8
Change One Sound
Main ideaChange one sound in a word and you get a new word.
Say cat. Now take off the /c/. Put /h/ in its place. Hat! Take off the /h/. Put on /b/. Bat! You changed one sound. You made a new word each time.
You can change the end too. Say cat. Take off the /t/. Put on /p/. Cap! You can change the middle. Cat. Cot. Cut. One small change makes a whole new word.
This is a you can play anywhere. Start with pin. Change one sound. Pan. Change one more. Man. Keep going. How far can you get?
Words to know
word game
a game where you play with the sounds in words
Check yourself
1. Change the /c/ in cat to /h/. What word do you get?
Why: Take off /c/ and put on /h/. C-at becomes h-at, hat.
2. Cat becomes cap. Which sound changed?
Why: The /t/ at the end became /p/. The first and middle sounds stayed.
3. What happens when you change one sound in a word?
Why: One sound change makes a new word. Pin becomes pan.
Chapter review
Sounds in Words
0 / 6
1. What is a word made of?
Why: Every word is a set of sounds put together. Cat has three.
2. What is the first sound in sun?
Why: Say sun slowly. The sound at the very start is /s/.
3. Which word rhymes with dog?
Why: Dog and log both end with -og. Their ends sound the same.
4. How many claps does banana get?
Why: Ba-na-na. Three beats, so three claps.
5. Blend /d/ /o/ /g/. What word is it?
Why: Say the sounds fast and close together. They make dog.
6. Change the /p/ in pin to /f/. What word do you get?
Why: Take off /p/ and put on /f/. P-in becomes f-in.
Send it to your teacher
2
Chapter
Letters and the Code
Phonics
Big questionHow do letters turn sounds into words you can read?
The story
Cracking the Code on Ship
Four letters. Three sounds. One class that would not give up.
Mr. Bell writes a word on the board. S-h-i-p. "Who can read this?" he asks. Nobody says a thing. The class knows /s/. They know /h/. But together the letters make a strange word. Suh-hip? That is not a word.
Then Ava says, "Wait. What if s and h are a team?" Mr. Bell nods. He puts his finger to his lips. "Shhh." The class laughs. That is the sound! Two letters, one sound. /sh/.
Now they try again. Ava points to each letter, left to right. /sh/... /i/... /p/. She says it faster. Ship! The whole class says it. Ship! A boat on the lake. They just cracked the code.
Mr. Bell writes more words. Shop. Fish. Dish. Now the class can read them all. Once you know the code, the letters tell you what to say.
Talk about itWhat made ship hard to read at first? What made it easy at the end?
Section 1
What a Letter Is
2.1
A Name and a Sound
Main ideaEvery letter has a name and a sound, and the sound is what you read.
Look at the letter m. Its is em. But when you read, you do not say em. You say its : /m/. Say it. Your lips press together. Mmm. That is the sound of m.
Every letter has both. The letter s is called ess. Its sound is /s/, like a snake. The letter t is called tee. Its sound is /t/, a quick tap.
The name helps you talk about the letter. The sound helps you read the word. Map is not em-ay-pee. Map is /m/ /a/ /p/. Sounds make words.
Words to know
name
what a letter is called, like em for the letter m
sound
what a letter says in a word, like /m/ for the letter m
Check yourself
1. What is the sound of the letter m?
Why: The name is em. The sound is /m/, with your lips pressed together.
2. Which one helps you read a word?
Why: You read with sounds. Map is /m/ /a/ /p/, not em-ay-pee.
3. What is the letter s called?
Why: The name of the letter s is ess. Its sound is /s/.
2.2
Big Letters, Small Letters
Main ideaEach letter comes in a capital and a small form, and both say the same sound.
Look at B and b. They look different. One is big. One is small. But they are the same letter. Both are bee. Both say /b/. The big one is a letter. The small one is a letter.
Capitals do a special job. A name starts with a capital. Maria. Chicago. The first word in a sentence starts with a capital too. The dog ran.
Most letters in a book are small. Capitals show up at the start of things. Look at your name. The first letter is a capital. The rest are small.
Words to know
capital
the big form of a letter, like B
lowercase
the small form of a letter, like b
Check yourself
1. What is the big form of a letter called?
Why: The big form is the capital. B is a capital. b is lowercase.
2. Do B and b say the same sound?
Why: B and b are the same letter in two forms. Both say /b/.
3. Where do you see a capital letter?
Why: Names start with a capital. So does the first word of a sentence.
2.3
Vowels and Consonants
Main ideaFive letters are vowels, and every word needs at least one.
Say /a/. Your mouth is open. Air comes out with nothing in the way. Now say /t/. Your tongue taps. Something blocks the air. Open sounds are . Blocked sounds are .
The vowel letters are a, e, i, o and u. Just five. All the other letters are consonants. B, c, d, f, g and more.
Every word needs a vowel. Look at cat. The vowel is a. Look at dog. The vowel is o. Try to say a word with no vowel. Bkt? It is not a word. The vowel holds the word together.
Words to know
vowel
one of the letters a, e, i, o, u; its sound comes out with an open mouth
consonant
any letter that is not a vowel, like b, s or t
Check yourself
1. Which letters are vowels?
Why: The five vowels are a, e, i, o and u. The rest are consonants.
2. What is the vowel in dog?
Why: The letter o is a vowel. D and g are consonants.
3. How is a vowel sound made?
Why: A vowel sound comes out with nothing in the way. Say /a/ and feel it.
Section 2
Reading Short Words
2.4
Short Vowels
Main ideaIn a short word like cat, the vowel says its short sound.
Look at the word cat. The vowel is a. Here it says /a/, like the start of apple. This is the of a. Say cat, hat, bat, map. Every one has short a.
Each vowel has a short sound. E says /e/ in bed. I says /i/ in pig. O says /o/ in hot. U says /u/ in cup. Learn these five and you can read hundreds of words.
Here is the rule. A word with one vowel in the middle usually says the short sound. Cat. Bed. Pig. Hot. Cup. Consonant, vowel, consonant. Say the sounds and blend.
Words to know
short sound
the sound a vowel makes in a short word, like /a/ in cat
Check yourself
1. What sound does a make in cat?
Why: In a short word like cat, the vowel a says its short sound, /a/.
2. Which word has short i?
Why: Pig has the vowel i in the middle. It says /i/.
3. A word has one vowel in the middle, like hot. What sound does the vowel say?
Why: Consonant, vowel, consonant words usually use the short vowel sound.
2.5
Two Letters, One Sound
Main ideaSome letter pairs, like sh, ch and th, make one new sound together.
Look at ship. Four letters. But only three sounds. The letters s and h work as a . Together they say /sh/. Put your finger to your lips. Shhh. That is the sound.
Other teams do this too. C and h say /ch/, like in chip. Say it. Your tongue clicks. T and h say /th/, like in thin. Your tongue pokes out a little.
When you see sh, ch or th, do not say each letter. Say the team sound. Fish. Chop. Bath. Look for the teams, and the words get easier.
Words to know
team
two letters that make one sound together, like sh
Check yourself
1. What sound do s and h make together?
Why: S and h are a team. Together they say /sh/, like in ship.
2. Which word has the /ch/ sound?
Why: Chip starts with the team c and h. They say /ch/.
3. Ship has four letters. How many sounds does it have?
Why: Sh is one sound. Then /i/ and /p/. That makes three.
2.6
The Silent e
Main ideaAn e at the end of a word makes the vowel say its name.
Look at cap. Short a. /cap/. Now add an e to the end. Cape. The a changed! Now it says its name, ay. And the e says nothing at all. It is a .
The silent e is a helper. It sits at the end. It makes no sound. But it tells the vowel to say its name. Kit becomes kite. Hop becomes hope. Cub becomes cube.
Watch for the e at the end. Cover it with your finger. Read the short word. Then let the e back in. Say the vowel’s name. Pin. Pine. You can hear the change.
Words to know
silent e
an e at the end of a word that makes no sound but changes the vowel
Check yourself
1. What does a silent e do?
Why: The e is silent. It tells the vowel before it to say its name.
2. Add a silent e to cap. What word do you get?
Why: Cap plus e is cape. Now the a says its name, ay.
3. What sound does the e make in kite?
Why: The e at the end is silent. It makes no sound of its own.
Section 3
Using the Code
2.7
Read Left to Right
Main ideaRead the letters in order from left to right, and you get the right word.
Look at the word pat. Point to the p. That is the side. Now slide your finger to the right. P... a... t. Pat. You read the letters in order.
Order matters. The letters t, a and p can spell tap. Or pat. Or apt. Same letters, different words. Start on the left. Go to the right. Then you get the right word.
Lines work the same way. Read a line from left to right. When you reach the end, jump down. Start again on the left. Your finger can lead the way.
Words to know
left
the side where you start reading
Check yourself
1. Which side do you start reading on?
Why: Reading starts on the left and moves to the right.
2. Read these letters in order: p, a, t. What word is it?
Why: Left to right, the sounds are /p/ /a/ /t/. That is pat.
3. What happens when you reach the end of a line?
Why: Each new line starts on the left again. Your finger can lead the way.
2.8
Write the Letters in Order
Main ideaThe alphabet has 26 letters in a set order, and you can write each one.
Start at the top. Pull down. Lift. Cross. That is a t. Every letter has a way to be made. Start at the top for most letters. Sit the letter on the line. Make small letters small.
All the letters together are the . There are 26. They go in an order. A, b, c, d, e, f, g. The order never changes. The song you know puts them in a row.
The order is useful. Names on a list go in alphabet order. Books on a shelf go that way too. Write a, b and c on a paper. Then keep going. Can you get all the way to z?
Words to know
alphabet
all 26 letters in their set order, from a to z
Check yourself
1. How many letters are in the alphabet?
Why: The alphabet has 26 letters, from a to z.
2. Which letter comes right after b?
Why: The order is a, b, c. So c comes right after b.
3. Where do you start when you write most letters?
Why: Start at the top and pull down. That is how most letters are made.
Chapter review
Letters and the Code
0 / 6
1. What is the sound of the letter s?
Why: Ess is the name. /s/ is the sound you use to read.
2. Which letter is a vowel?
Why: The vowels are a, e, i, o and u. B and t are consonants.
3. What sound do s and h make together?
Why: S and h are a team. Together they say /sh/, like in ship.
4. Add a silent e to hop. What word do you get?
Why: Hop plus e is hope. The o now says its name.
5. Which word has a short a sound?
Why: Cat has one vowel in the middle. The a says /a/.
6. Which way do you read a word?
Why: Start on the left and move to the right. That gives the right word.
Send it to your teacher
★
Unit wrap-up
Sounds and Letters
Twelve words, twelve meanings
0 / 8
Tap a word, then tap its meaning. A right pair locks in green.
Words
Meanings
Unit test
Fifteen questions across the unit
0 / 10
1. How many sounds are in the word sun?
Why: Say it slowly: s... u... n. That is three sounds.
2. What is the first sound in fish?
Why: The sound at the very start of fish is /f/.
3. Which word rhymes with bed?
Why: Bed and red both end with -ed. Their ends sound the same.
4. How many claps does elephant get?
Why: El-e-phant. Three beats, so three claps.
5. Blend /m/ /a/ /p/. What word is it?
Why: Say the sounds fast and close together. They make map.
6. Change the /c/ in cat to /b/. What word do you get?
Why: Take off /c/ and put on /b/. C-at becomes b-at.
7. When you read a word, what do you use?
Why: You read with sounds. Map is /m/ /a/ /p/, not em-ay-pee.
8. Which word has a vowel in the middle that says its short sound?
Why: Pig is consonant, vowel, consonant. The i says /i/.
9. What sound do c and h make together in chip?
Why: C and h are a team. Together they say /ch/.
10. What does the silent e do in cape?
Why: The e is silent. It tells the a to say its name, ay.
Send it to your teacher
Write it
Pick one word you can read now, like ship or cape. Tell how you read it. Say what sounds you hear, what letters you see, and how you put them together.
Start with your word. Write it big.
Say the sounds you hear, first to last.
Tell about any letter team or silent e.
Say how you blended the sounds into the word.
Draw a picture of your word.
0 wordsSaved on this device as you type.
Practice rooms
Rooms already on the site that belong to this unit — cards, quizzes, a lab.
Every lesson keeps its own three checks; a lesson is ticked when all three are right. Chapter reviews, the unit test and its spiral review (five questions from earlier units in this band) score on the page. When the site is connected to your sheet, or the link carries ?dest=, each one also has a Send box: the first-try score, the standards, the supports used, the attempt number and the minutes go to your sheet as an IEP data point.
Print this page for a paper copy of the readings, the sources, the words and the questions; the answers print as dashed boxes under each question.
Fact-check notes for this course live in the handoff: quotes marked (paraphrased) were set that way on purpose.