Maryland ELA RF.K.3.f

ELAKindergartenReading Foundational Skills

The Standard

RF.K.3: Know and apply phonics and word analysis skills in decoding and encoding words. Demonstrate knowledge of the alphabetic principle. Form/print all upper and lowercase letters correctly, using a common path of movement. Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. Know and apply phonics skills in order to decode and encode one-syllable words. Read common high-frequency words by sight. Decode and encode words that are minimal pairs. Decode words with the most common inflectional suffixes.

Decode and encode words that are minimal pairs.

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

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students read and write word pairs that differ by one sound, such as cat and cap. They hear which sound changed and replace the matching letter to make the new word.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given cat and cap, a student reads both words, writes them after hearing them, and names the sound that changed. They can do the same with a middle-sound pair, such as cup and cap.
Common Misconceptions: Some children change two letters when making a new word. Others write cup and cap with the same vowel, or spot the changed letter but cannot hear the changed sound.
How to Assess It: Say “cup,” then “cap.” Ask students to write each word, read both aloud, and circle the letter that changed.

Lesson moves

Give students letter tiles to build cat, then change one tile to make cap; have them read and write both words.
Ask partners, “What sound changes when cup becomes cap?” Have them say both words and point to the changed letter.
Play word switch: show pin, then ask students to write bin on mini whiteboards and read both words.
Place a cup and a cap on the table; have students label each object, read both labels, and name the changed sound.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to RF.K.3.f, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

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

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