Single Letter Sounds
Know the primary sound for each consonant and the short and long sounds for the five major vowels; respond speedily to single-letter graphemes
Suggested ages 4–6
Evidence of understanding
- Say the most common sound for each consonant when shown the letter
- Distinguish short vowel sounds in CVC words (e.g. /a/ in 'cat' vs /e/ in 'bed')
- Associate long and short vowel sounds with common single-letter spellings
Assessment prompt
Can Single Letter Sounds look at a letter and quickly say its sound — like 's' makes /s/, 'a' can make a short /a/ as in 'apple' or a long /ā/ as in 'cake'?
Standards alignment
RF.K.3.a
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · K
RF.K.3.b
Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects · K
Revision: Letters and sounds
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Sounds /f/, /l/, /s/, /z/ and /k/
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Sound /ŋ/
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key Stage 1
Respond to graphemes
The national curriculum in England: Key stages 1 and 2 framework document · Key stage 1