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Kindergarten · English Language Arts · Unit 2 of 12

First Sounds

What sound does it start with?

What your child practices

Hearing the first sound in a word (b in bus) and linking it to its letter. Say the words out loud together and stretch out the first sound.

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards benchmark: 0.1.1.1; 0.2.1.2 · hearing first sounds and matching each sound to its letter

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. Say the word out loud.
  2. Listen to the very first sound.
  3. Find the letter that makes that sound.

Example: Which letter does “ball” start with? Say “ball”: b-b-ball. The first sound is /b/. Answer: b

First Sounds in Minnesota

In the Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards, this is unit 2 of 12 in Kindergarten English Language Arts, after Letter Partners and before Rhyme Time.

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.

Source: Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which one starts with “r”?

    • 🤖robot
    • 🌋volcano
    • 🏠house

  2. Question 2

    Which one starts with “h”?

    • 🌋volcano
    • 🦛hippo
    • 🍉watermelon

  3. Question 3

    Which one starts with “g”?

    • 🌮taco
    • 🎸guitar
    • 🎻violin

  4. Question 4

    Which one starts with “t”?

    • 🦆duck
    • 🐢turtle
    • 🌙moon

  5. Question 5

    Which letter does it start with?

    🦆_uck
    • v
    • d
    • b

  6. Question 6

    Which letter does it start with?

    🌋_olcano
    • h
    • p
    • v

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