Kindergarten · English Language Arts · Unit 9 of 12
Blend a Word
Push the sounds together
What your child practices
Listening for the sounds in a word, blending them to read it, and counting the sounds in words.
Alaska content standards learning standard: RF.K.2; RF.K.3 · blending sounds into simple words
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Each word is made of sounds.
- Say each sound, then push them together fast.
- d – o – g makes dog!
Example: Blend the sounds: b – e – d. Which word is it? Say b, e, d. Say them fast: bed. Answer: bed
Blend a Word in Alaska
In the Alaska content standards, this is unit 9 of 12 in Kindergarten English Language Arts, after Picture Clues and before Talk & Listen.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
- Kindergarten guide for Alaska parents
- Printable Kindergarten English Language Arts sheet
- Alaska report cards explained
Source: Alaska Department of Education and Early Development
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Blend the sounds: s – u – n. Which word is it?
- 🛏️bed
- ☀️sun
- 🐶dog
☀️ sun
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: sun.
Question 2
Blend the sounds: c – a – t. Which word is it?
- 🐱cat
- 🧹mop
- 🐶dog
🐱 cat
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: cat.
Question 3
How many sounds do you hear in “stop”?
- 2
- 3
- 4
4
Hint: Say the word slowly and tap once for each sound: stop.
Question 4
How many sounds do you hear in “up”?
- 4
- 2
- 3
2
Hint: Say the word slowly and tap once for each sound: up.
Question 5
Which word begins with “b”?
- 🐔hen
- 🧹mop
- 🛏️bed
🛏️ bed
Hint: Say each word out loud. Listen for the first sound: b.
Question 6
Blend the sounds: l – o – g. Which word is it?
- 🪵log
- 🐶dog
- 🎩hat
🪵 log
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: log.