South Dakota ELA K.RF.1.b

ELAKindergartenReading Foundational Skills

The Standard

K.RF.1: Demonstrate foundational understanding of print concepts and features of print.

Understand that letters represent individual sounds in spoken language and combine to form words.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students match letters to sounds they hear in spoken words. They put letters in order and blend their sounds to read a word.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given the letters m, a, and p, a student says each sound and blends them to say “map.” They can change m to t and read “tap” without using a picture.
Common Misconceptions: Some children say a letter name, such as “em,” instead of its sound, /m/. Others guess a word from its first letter without checking the remaining sounds.
How to Assess It: Show m, a, and p on three cards. Ask, “What sound does each letter make, and what word do they make together?”

Lesson moves

Give pairs magnetic letters m, a, p, and t; have them build map, say each sound, then swap m for t and read tap.
Say “map” aloud and ask, “Which sounds do you hear, and which letters would you use to write it?”
Use letter cards b, m, t, a, and p; students build and read bat, map, and tap, racing to read each word without pictures.
Put a “bag” label on the classroom supply bag; students touch each letter, say its sound, and blend the word before opening it.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to K.RF.1.b, 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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