Kindergarten · English Language Arts · Unit 9 of 14
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.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) teks student expectation: K.2(A); K.2(B) · 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 Texas
In the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), this is unit 9 of 14 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 Texas parents
- Printable Kindergarten English Language Arts sheet
- Texas report cards explained
Source: Texas Education Agency (TEA)
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 “sun”?
- 2
- 3
- 4
3
Hint: Say the word slowly and tap once for each sound: sun.
Question 2
How many sounds do you hear in “ship”?
- 4
- 3
- 2
3
Hint: Say the word slowly and tap once for each sound: ship.
Question 3
Blend the sounds: b – a – t. Which word is it?
- 🦇bat
- 🐔hen
- 🚌bus
🦇 bat
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: bat.
Question 4
Which word begins with “h”?
- 🪵log
- 🐔hen
- 🐷pig
🐔 hen
Hint: Say each word out loud. Listen for the first sound: h.
Question 5
Blend the sounds: l – o – g. Which word is it?
- 🎩hat
- 🚌bus
- 🪵log
🪵 log
Hint: Say each sound slowly, then push them together: log.
Question 6
Which word begins with “m”?
- 🐱cat
- 🦇bat
- 🧹mop
🧹 mop
Hint: Say each word out loud. Listen for the first sound: m.