Grade by Grade
B. Foundations of Language · Sounds, Letters and Reading Words

Hearing Sounds in Words

B2.1About 30 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can clap the parts (syllables) in a word.
  • I can hear when two words rhyme.
  • I can say the first sound, the last sound and the middle sound in a short word.
  • I can notice what my mouth does when I make a sound.

Words to know

sound
The smallest bit you hear in a word. In this lesson we write a sound between slashes, like /m/.
syllable
A beat or chunk in a word. Rab-bit has 2 syllables.
rhyme
Words rhyme when their ending parts sound the same, like cat and hat.
first sound
The sound at the very start of a word. The first sound in sun is /s/.
last sound
The sound at the very end of a word. The last sound in dog is /g/.
middle sound
The sound in the middle of a short word. The middle sound in pig is /i/.

Words are made of sounds

Say the word sun very slowly, like a sleepy snail: sssss-uuuu-nnnn.

Did you hear the little sounds hiding inside? Sun has 3 sounds: /s/ /u/ /n/.

In this lesson we listen for sounds. You do not need to read letters yet. Just use your ears and your mouth!

How we write sounds

When you see a letter between two slashes, like /m/, it means say the sound, not the letter name. So /m/ is "mmm", like when something tastes yummy. And /s/ is "sss", like a snake.

Clap the syllables

Words have beats called syllables. Clap as you say each one:

  • cat → 1 clap
  • ma-ple → 2 claps
  • snow-man → 2 claps
  • ba-na-na → 3 claps
  • cat-er-pil-lar → 4 claps

Tip: Put your hand under your chin. Your chin drops once for each syllable!

👏👏👏
ba-na-na has 3 claps (3 syllables).
wordclapscatmaplesnowmanbananacaterpillarEach box is one beat (syllable). Each dot is one clap.
Words broken into syllables. Count the boxes, then clap once for each one.

Rhyming words

Words rhyme when the end sounds the same:

  • cat, hat, bat, mat
  • cake, lake, snake
  • bee, tree, see

Cat and cup do not rhyme. They start the same, but they end differently.

First, last and middle sounds

Now let's listen for one sound at a time.

WordFirst soundMiddle soundLast sound
sun/s//u//n/
dog/d//o//g/
map/m//a//p/
pig/p//i//g/
bed/b//e//d/
Every one of these words has 3 sounds.
Worked example

Let's find the first, last and middle sound in "fan"

What are the first, last and middle sounds in fan?

  1. Say the word slowly: fff-aaa-nnn.
  2. First sound: the very beginning. Your top teeth touch your bottom lip and air blows out: /f/.
  3. Last sound: the very end. Your tongue touches behind your top teeth and the sound hums in your nose: /n/.
  4. Middle sound: the one between them. Your mouth opens wide: /a/, like at the start of apple.

fan: first sound /f/, middle sound /a/, last sound /n/.

Watch your mouth!

Get a mirror. Watch what your mouth does:

  • /m/: lips press together and hum.
  • /f/: top teeth rest on your bottom lip and air blows.
  • /th/ (as in thumb): tongue peeks out between your teeth.
  • /s/: teeth close together and air hisses like a snake.
  • /o/ (as in octopus): mouth opens wide, like at the doctor's: "ahh".

Noticing your mouth helps you tell sounds apart.

Sounds, not letters

We listen to sounds. Cat and kite start with the same sound, /k/, even though one is spelled with c and one with k. Phone starts with /f/, just like fish!

Clap challenge

Caterpillar has 4 claps. Can you clap hip-po-pot-a-mus? That's 5 claps for one very big animal! 🦛

Hands-on activity

I Spy sounds

You need: a grown-up and a room full of things.

  1. The grown-up says: "I spy something that starts with /b/." (Say the sound, not the letter name.)
  2. Look around and guess: ball? book? bed?
  3. Take turns. Then play "I spy something that ends with /t/" (hat, cat, mat...).
  4. For a bonus round, clap the syllables of everything you find: ta-ble (2), win-dow (2), cup (1).

Look for: your child says the sound correctly and the object really does start or end with it.

Your turn

1

Clap the syllables in hockey. How many?

2

Do bee and tree rhyme?

3

What is the first sound in moon?

4

What is the last sound in bus?

5

What is the middle sound in cup?

6

Say a word that starts with the same sound as sun.

7

Say a word that rhymes with hat.

More practice: warm-up

1

Clap the syllables in dog.

2

Clap the syllables in pumpkin.

3

What is the first sound in leaf?

4

Do cat and cup rhyme?

5

What do your lips do when you say /m/?

More practice: on your own

1

Which word does not rhyme: cake, lake, bike?

2

What is the last sound in frog?

3

What is the middle sound in net?

4

Clap toboggan. How many syllables?

5

Do kite and cat start with the same sound?

Challenge

1

Which word starts with the same sound as fish: phone, pen or hat? Why?

2

Clap caterpillar. How many syllables?

3

Find a word with /o/ in the middle and /t/ at the end.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which word starts with the same sound as sun?

2.

Which word ends with the same sound as bed?

3.

What is the middle sound in pig?

4.

How many syllables (claps) are in rabbit?

5.

Which word rhymes with cake?

6.

Which sound do you make by pressing your lips together and humming?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Before children can read and spell well, they must be able to hear the sounds in words. This is called phonemic awareness (B2.1). Clapping syllables and rhyming are warm-ups; the key Grade 1 skill is isolating individual sounds (first, last, then middle).

How to help at home:

  • Play oral sound games in the car or at bedtime: "What's the first sound in banana?" "What rhymes with snow?" No paper needed.
  • Say the sound, not the letter name. The letter name is "em"; the sound is /m/ ("mmm"). Keep sounds short and crisp: /b/ not "buh", /t/ not "tuh".
  • Use a mirror to notice mouth shapes.

Common difficulties:

  • Middle sounds are hardest. Short vowels (/a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/) sound alike to many children. Stretch the word ("mmm-aaa-p") and emphasize the middle.
  • Mixing up letters and sounds. "Phone" starts with the /f/ sound; "city" starts with the /s/ sound. In this lesson, answers are about what you hear.
  • Rhyme vs. same start. "Cat" and "cup" share a first sound but don't rhyme.

If your child has persistent trouble hearing differences between sounds, mention it to the teacher; early support works well.