# Build and read words

Blend taught sound-spellings and encode simple CVC words.

## Try it

1. Point. Say the sounds. Blend the word.
2. Read: sat, mat, map, sit, pin.
3. Build a word your adult says. Read it back.

Read words made from letters you have learned.

**After s a t m i p n:** sat mat map sit pin tap nap man.

**After c o d g e + earlier letters:** cat cot dog dig ten net pet can.

**After r h b f l u + earlier letters:** red hen bat fan lip log sun run.

**After j v w y z k q x + earlier letters:** jam van wet yes zip kit quit box.

## Your materials

[Open the pupil workbook PDF](/files/c385c4cae385f0f332fd1c00d8e3dba4e2a5838fae4774b70df25e42e950768e). Use pages **5, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40**.

Letter cards, word cards, and sound boxes.

## Teacher lesson plan

### Learning goal

Blend taught sound-spellings and encode simple CVC words.

### Before teaching

Knows the sound values used in the selected words; can blend orally with support.

### Model

Build sat. Point to s, a, t and voice the sounds, then blend smoothly into sat. Explain the word in a sentence. Change s to m, read mat, and identify what changed. Say map, segment it, select m-a-p, then read it back.

### Guide, then apply

Use cumulative banks in the pupil book only after their spellings have been taught. Alternate reading a built word and building a spoken word. Include words in mixed order rather than a predictable ladder alone.

### Interpret the response

Correct reading includes the whole word, not only isolated sounds. For a guessed word, cover unrelated pictures, point to each grapheme, blend, and check meaning. For encoding, locate the missing sound and rebuild; do not demand memorized whole-word shapes.

### Support

Use continuous consonants where helpful, reduce the card selection, and model continuous blending. Separate articulation differences from decoding knowledge.

### Extend when ready

Change an initial, final, or vowel sound and explain the resulting word. Move to the next spelling pattern only after teaching it explicitly.

### Fresh check

After all its letters are taught, ask the child to read rim and build dug from speech. Do not rehearse these probe words immediately beforehand.

[Teacher plans PDF](/files/1f4985652f45f6b19ef743d7b27765081e2d637d0a001670faa74e59383c736a): page 5. Record exact support and revisit the idea later.

## Keep learning

[Next in this path: Read and understand](/agent/docs/tk-lesson-reader) · [Choose a learning path](/agent/docs/tk-learn)

## Publication details

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Material | Classroom lesson |
| Learning path | Words and writing |
| Lesson | 4 |
| Learners | California TK, ages 4–5 |
| Setting | Full classroom |
| Pacing | Teacher selects from observed prerequisites |
| Author | Arcomm |
| Edition | First edition, 2026-09-08 |
| Format | Markdown |
| Evidence status | Original synthesis; not outcome-validated |

## Sources and dates

- [CDE: Language and Literacy Development](https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/cd/re/documents/ptklflanguageliteracydev.pdf): current PTKLF edition. Retrieved 2026-09-08T03:44:00.628834+00:00.
- [IES What Works Clearinghouse: Foundational Reading Skills](https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/PracticeGuide/21): 2016; revised 2019; kindergarten through grade 3. Retrieved 2026-09-08T03:44:00.628834+00:00.

[Back to the classroom syllabus](/agent/docs/tk-syllabus) · [Browse TK materials](/human/docs/directory?subject=society%2Feducation%2Ftransitional-kindergarten)

## Revisions

[Revision history](/agent/docs/tk-lesson-blend/history)