Maryland ELA RF.K.2.c

ELAKindergartenReading Foundational Skills

The Standard

RF.K.2: Demonstrate understanding of rhyming words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). Recognize and produce rhyming words. Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. Distinguish between sounds (phonemes) using knowledge of place and manner of articulation. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words. Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words.* (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.) Orally blend and segment individual phonemes in two; three; and four-phoneme words.

Distinguish between sounds (phonemes) using knowledge of place and manner of articulation.

Maryland College and Career Ready Standards for English Language Arts (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students listen to and say speech sounds. They notice where their lips and tongue move, and whether a sound hums through the nose or pops from the mouth.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can tell /m/ from /n/ by feeling their lips close for /m/ and their tongue touch behind their top teeth for /n/. They can tell /m/ from /p/ because /m/ hums and /p/ pops.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think /m/ and /n/ are the same because both hum. They may confuse /m/ and /p/ because both begin with closed lips.
How to Assess It: Say /m/, /n/, and /p/ aloud. Ask each student, “Which sound uses your tongue instead of your lips? Which one pops instead of humming?”

Lesson moves

Give pairs a hand mirror to watch their lips and tongue as they say /m/, /n/, and /p/.
Ask students to tell a partner what changes in their mouths when they say /m/ and then /n/.
Play sound detective: say /m/, /n/, or /p/ behind a folder, and have students point to a matching lips, tongue, or pop card.
At lunch, have students say “milk” and “napkin” and feel which first sound closes the lips and which uses the tongue.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RF.K.2.c, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

Keep exploring

Grade, subject, topic, and the complete standard are prefilled. Create one free, no account needed.