Kindergarten · English Language Arts · Unit 9 of 16
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.
New York State Learning Standards learning standard: KRF2; KRF3 · 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 New York
In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 9 of 16 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.
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
How many sounds do you hear in “me”?
- 4
- 3
- 2
2
Hint: Say the word slowly and tap once for each sound: me.
Question 2
Blend the sounds: c – a – t. Which word is it?
- 🐱cat
- ☀️sun
- 🚐van
🐱 cat
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: cat.
Question 3
Blend the sounds: m – o – p. Which word is it?
- 🧹mop
- 🦊fox
- 🚐van
🧹 mop
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: mop.
Question 4
Which word begins with “s”?
- ☀️sun
- 🦊fox
- 🕸️web
☀️ sun
Hint: Say each word out loud. Listen for the first sound: s.
Question 5
How many sounds do you hear in “sun”?
- 2
- 3
- 4
3
Hint: Say the word slowly and tap once for each sound: sun.
Question 6
Blend the sounds: p – i – g. Which word is it?
- 🚐van
- 🐷pig
- 🐱cat
🐷 pig
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: pig.