Single Letter Sounds
Know the primary sound for each consonant and the short and long sounds for the five major vowels; respond speedily to single-letter graphemes
Teaching approaches
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1 approach
Letters stand for sounds. Consonants like S, M, and T usually have one clear sound. Vowel letters can make a short sound, like /a/ in apple, or a long sound that matches the letter name, like /ā/ in cake. Today we only answer with sounds, not letter names, unless I ask for the long vowel.
Spend about 10 minutes flipping six ready letter cards. Practice consonant sounds, one short vowel sound, and one long vowel sound.
Learning resources
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This concept
Check understanding
- Say the most common sound for each consonant when shown the letter
- Distinguish short vowel sounds in CVC words (e.g. /a/ in 'cat' vs /e/ in 'bed')
- Associate long and short vowel sounds with common single-letter spellings
“Can your child look at a letter and quickly say its sound — like 's' makes /s/, 'a' can make a short /a/ as in 'apple' or a long /ā/ as in 'cake'?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Procedural
- Subject
- English
- Domain
- Phonics & Word Reading
- Age range
- Ages 4–6
Standards