Kindergarten English Language Arts: Chapter 7 | Sounds, Sight Words and Story Retelling
Separate teacher guide and answer key. Read the matching student chapter aloud, model a worked example, then let the learner respond independently. Keep individual student records private.
Day 1: Blend and Segment Words
Instructional reading
Blending joins spoken sounds to make a word; segmenting breaks a word into sounds. The word sun has /s/ /u/ /n/. Touch one counter for each sound, then push the counters together while saying sun. A word’s letters and sounds are related but may not always match one-to-one; begin with straightforward consonant-vowel-consonant words.
Model the concept
Segment map into /m/ /a/ /p/ and then blend the sounds again.
Answer key
- 1. Blend /c/ /a/ /t/. Answer: cat
- 2. Name the first sound in sun. Answer: /s/
- 3. Name the last sound in map. Answer: /p/
- 4. How many sounds are in sit? Answer: 3
- 5. Which vowel is in pen? Answer: e
- 6. Segment dog into three sounds. Answer: /d/ /o/ /g/
Score six core questions. Accept developmentally appropriate spoken or drawn equivalents, reteach missed skills, and check again without prompting.
Day 2: Recognize High-Frequency Words
Instructional reading
Some common words appear in many sentences. Practice recognizing I, see, the, a and is while still using phonics for decodable words. Read ‘I see a cat.’ and track each word from left to right. Recognizing a word quickly should help comprehension, not replace careful reading of the rest of the sentence.
Model the concept
Point to each word in ‘I see the sun.’ Read it aloud and identify the word the.
Answer key
- 1. Read the word I. Answer: I
- 2. Which word follows I in ‘I see a dog’? Answer: see
- 3. Read ‘the’. Answer: the
- 4. How many words are in ‘I see a cat’? Answer: 4
- 5. Write the word see. Answer: see
- 6. Why do we leave spaces between words? Answer: So words are distinct and readable
Score six core questions. Accept developmentally appropriate spoken or drawn equivalents, reteach missed skills, and check again without prompting.
Day 3: Read an Original Story
Instructional reading
Read: ‘Tia has a little cup. She puts a seed in a pot. Tia gives the seed water. Days pass. A green sprout grows.’ Name who the story is about and what happens in order. Some longer words can be read aloud by a teacher so comprehension can still be assessed separately from decoding skill.
Model the concept
First, Tia puts a seed in a pot. Next, she waters it. Later a sprout grows.
Answer key
- 1. Who has a cup? Answer: Tia
- 2. What does Tia put in the pot? Answer: a seed
- 3. What does she give the seed? Answer: water
- 4. What grows later? Answer: a green sprout
- 5. Does the story say Tia planted a tree? Answer: no
- 6. Retell the three key events in order. Answer: Plants, waters, sprout grows
Score six core questions. Accept developmentally appropriate spoken or drawn equivalents, reteach missed skills, and check again without prompting.
Day 4: Use Details to Answer Questions
Instructional reading
Reading comprehension means understanding what the words say. To answer a question about a story, return to the sentence that gives the information. If asked ‘What color is the sprout?’ reread the final sentence. Do not invent a detail that is not written. If the answer is absent, say the story does not tell us.
Model the concept
Question: Was the cup blue? The story never states the cup color, so answer ‘The story does not say.’
Answer key
- 1. What color is the sprout? Answer: green
- 2. Who puts the seed in the pot? Answer: Tia
- 3. Does the story tell us the cup’s color? Answer: no
- 4. Which word means a young plant in this story? Answer: sprout
- 5. Where could you look to check an answer? Answer: the relevant sentence
- 6. Why is guessing an unstated fact a problem? Answer: It adds unsupported information
Score six core questions. Accept developmentally appropriate spoken or drawn equivalents, reteach missed skills, and check again without prompting.
Day 5: Independent Literacy Check
Instructional reading
Read the short words and sentences in this chapter, answer literal story questions, and write an original complete sentence. Teacher assistance with instructions should be recorded separately from independent decoding. Reread a story before saying an answer was not given.
Model the concept
Read ‘The hen is red.’ Name what is red, then write a sentence beginning with I.
Answer key
- 1. Blend /h/ /e/ /n/. Answer: hen
- 2. Which rhymes with hat: cat or log? Answer: cat
- 3. What grew in Tia’s story? Answer: a sprout
- 4. Write a sentence beginning with I. Answer: Any correct complete sentence
- 5. What ending mark completes ‘The sun is hot__’? Answer: period
- 6. Name one event that occurred before the sprout grew. Answer: Tia planted or watered the seed
Score six core questions. Accept developmentally appropriate spoken or drawn equivalents, reteach missed skills, and check again without prompting.
Review and next steps
Five daily checks with 30 questions total. Discuss progress privately and use a separate independent check before advancement.