Week 3 Overview
Weekly Learning Goal: Students will learn the sounds for letters K, L, M, N, O and expand their word reading to include more complex consonant blends.
This week adds five more letter sounds, including the third vowel (O). With fifteen letters mastered (A-O), students can now read dozens of simple CVC words and are ready to tackle consonant blends. Each lesson includes phonics practice, word building, and reading activities that reinforce the connection between sounds and letters. By Friday, students will have learned three vowels and twelve consonants, opening up a wide range of reading possibilities.
Monday: Letter Sound K (/k/ as in "kite")
Time: 15-20 minutes
Learning Objective
Student will be able to: Recognize the letter K, produce the /k/ sound, and identify words that begin with this sound.
Materials Needed
- Large card with "K" and "k"
- Picture of a kite (or make a simple kite)
- 3-5 objects/pictures starting with K (kite, key, king, kangaroo, kid)
- Letter cards A-J from previous weeks
- Paper and writing tools
Materials Substitutions
- Kite → draw a simple diamond kite or print a picture
- Key → use a real key from your keychain
- Kangaroo → toy kangaroo or draw one
Procedure
Introduction (2-3 minutes)
Review: Flash 5 random letters from A-J. Student says sounds.
Show kite: "/k/-/k/-kite. What's the first sound?" (/k/!)
Show K: "K makes the /k/ sound, just like C! They're sound twins." (Note: Explain that K and C often make the same sound, but we use K in certain words like "kite" and "key.")
Main Activity (8-10 minutes)
Sound Practice: "/k/, /k/, /k/. Just like C, the back of your tongue touches the top."
Object Identification: kite, key, king, kangaroo, kid.
Letter Writing: "K has a tall line with two slanted lines that touch the middle." Practice K and k.
Blending Practice: Make words with K: K-I-D (kid).
Practice (5-7 minutes)
Sound Hunt: Find K objects (kitchen, kettle, kit).
Review A-K: Show all 11 letters randomly.
Draw a kite and write K.
Closure (2-3 minutes)
"Eleven letters now! Tomorrow: L."
Check for Understanding
- Show K: "What sound?" - Expected: /k/
- Ask: "What other letter makes this same sound?" - Expected: C!
- Can student blend K-I-D? - Expected: "kid"
Supplemental Resources (Optional)
These are optional enhancements, not required for the 15-20 minute core lesson.
YouTube Videos
Library Books
- Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes - Story with K words
Tuesday: Letter Sound L (/l/ as in "lion")
Time: 15-20 minutes
Learning Objective
Student will be able to: Recognize the letter L, produce the /l/ sound, and identify words that begin with this sound.
Materials Needed
- Large card with "L" and "l"
- Picture of a lion (or toy lion)
- 3-5 objects/pictures starting with L (lion, leg, lamp, leaf, log)
- Previous letter cards A-K
- Paper and writing tools
Materials Substitutions
- Lion → stuffed animal or draw a simple lion
- Lamp → point to a real lamp in your home
- Leaf → find a real leaf outside
Procedure
Introduction (2-3 minutes)
Review: Show K. "What sound?" (/k/!)
Show lion: "/l/-/l/-lion. First sound?" (/l/!)
Show L: "L makes the /l/ sound."
Main Activity (8-10 minutes)
Sound Practice: "/l/, /l/, /l/. Your tongue touches the roof of your mouth behind your teeth."
Object Identification: lion, leg, lamp, leaf, log.
Letter Writing: "L is simple: a tall line with a short line at the bottom going right." Practice L and l.
Blending Practice: Make words with L: L-I-D (lid).
Practice (5-7 minutes)
Sound Hunt: Find L objects (lock, lemon, light, lunch).
Review A-L: Show all 12 letters randomly.
Draw a lion and write L.
Closure (2-3 minutes)
"Twelve letters! Tomorrow: M."
Check for Understanding
- Show L: "What sound?" - Expected: /l/
- Say "lamp" - "First sound?" - Expected: /l/
- Can student blend L-I-D? - Expected: "lid"
Supplemental Resources (Optional)
These are optional enhancements, not required for the 15-20 minute core lesson.
YouTube Videos
Library Books
- The Lion and the Mouse (Aesop's Fable) - Classic story with L words
Wednesday: Letter Sound M (/m/ as in "moon")
Time: 15-20 minutes
Learning Objective
Student will be able to: Recognize the letter M, produce the /m/ sound, and identify words that begin with this sound.
Materials Needed
- Large card with "M" and "m"
- Picture of the moon (or draw a crescent moon)
- 3-5 objects/pictures starting with M (moon, mop, map, mat, milk)
- Previous letter cards A-L
- Paper and writing tools
Materials Substitutions
- Moon → draw a crescent moon or look outside at night
- Mop → show a real mop or broom
- Map → use any map (road map, world map)
Procedure
Introduction (2-3 minutes)
Review: Show K and L. Student says sounds.
Show moon: "/m/-/m/-moon. First sound?" (/m/!)
Show M: "M makes the /m/ sound."
Main Activity (8-10 minutes)
Sound Practice: "/m/, /m/, /m/. Your lips press together and the sound hums in your nose."
Object Identification: moon, mop, map, mat, milk.
Letter Writing: "M has two tall lines with two humps in the middle." Practice M and m.
Blending Practice: Make words with M: M-A-D (mad), M-A-D→B-A-D (show how changing one letter changes the word!).
Practice (5-7 minutes)
Sound Hunt: Find M objects (mom, mirror, mouse, muffin).
Review A-M: Show all 13 letters randomly.
Draw the moon and write M.
Closure (2-3 minutes)
"Thirteen letters! Tomorrow: N."
Check for Understanding
- Show M: "What sound?" - Expected: /m/
- Say "map" - "First sound?" - Expected: /m/
- Can student blend M-A-D? - Expected: "mad"
Supplemental Resources (Optional)
These are optional enhancements, not required for the 15-20 minute core lesson.
YouTube Videos
Library Books
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff - Story with M words
Thursday: Letter Sound N (/n/ as in "nest")
Time: 15-20 minutes
Learning Objective
Student will be able to: Recognize the letter N, produce the /n/ sound, and identify words that begin with this sound.
Materials Needed
- Large card with "N" and "n"
- Picture of a bird's nest (or make a simple nest)
- 3-5 objects/pictures starting with N (nest, net, nose, nut, nail)
- Previous letter cards A-M
- Paper and writing tools
Materials Substitutions
- Nest → draw a simple nest or make one from twigs
- Net → use a hair net, butterfly net, or draw one
- Nut → show a real nut (peanut, walnut)
Procedure
Introduction (2-3 minutes)
Review: Show L and M. Student says sounds.
Show nest: "/n/-/n/-nest. First sound?" (/n/!)
Show N: "N makes the /n/ sound."
Main Activity (8-10 minutes)
Sound Practice: "/n/, /n/, /n/. Your tongue touches the roof of your mouth and the sound hums in your nose, like M."
Object Identification: nest, net, nose, nut, nail.
Letter Writing: "N has two tall lines with a slanted line connecting them." Practice N and n.
Blending Practice: Make words with N: N-A-D (nad is not a real word, but we can sound it out!), better: use ending N: F-A-N (fan), C-A-N (can).
Practice (5-7 minutes)
Sound Hunt: Find N objects (neck, napkin, notebook, night).
Review A-N: Show all 14 letters randomly.
Draw a nest and write N.
Closure (2-3 minutes)
"Fourteen letters! Tomorrow we learn our third vowel: O."
Check for Understanding
- Show N: "What sound?" - Expected: /n/
- Say "nut" - "First sound?" - Expected: /n/
- Can student blend F-A-N or C-A-N? - Expected: "fan" or "can"
Supplemental Resources (Optional)
These are optional enhancements, not required for the 15-20 minute core lesson.
YouTube Videos
Library Books
- The Napping House by Audrey Wood - Story with N words
Friday: Letter Sound O (/ŏ/ as in "octopus") and Word Reading
Time: 15-20 minutes
Learning Objective
Student will be able to: Recognize all fifteen letters A-O, produce all fifteen sounds, and read CVC words with short vowels A, E, I, and O.
Materials Needed
- Large card with "O" and "o"
- Picture of an octopus (or draw one)
- 3-5 objects/pictures starting with O (octopus, olive, ox, otter)
- All fifteen letter cards A-O
- Paper and writing tools
Materials Substitutions
- Octopus → draw a simple octopus with 8 arms
- Olive → show a real olive or jar of olives
- Ox → show a picture (similar to a cow)
Procedure
Introduction (2-3 minutes)
Review: Flash M and N. Student says sounds.
Show octopus: "/ŏ/-/ŏ/-octopus. This is our third vowel!"
Show O: "O makes the /ŏ/ sound." (Like the middle sound in "hot" and "dog.")
Main Activity (8-10 minutes)
Sound Practice: "/ŏ/, /ŏ/, /ŏ/. Your mouth opens in a round shape."
Object Identification: octopus, olive, ox, otter.
Letter Writing: "O is a perfect circle." Practice O and o.
Fifteen-Letter Review: Hold up all fifteen letters randomly. Student says each sound: A-O.
Blending Practice with O:
- H-O-T: /h/ /ŏ/ /t/ = hot
- D-O-G: /d/ /ŏ/ /g/ = dog
- M-O-M: /m/ /ŏ/ /m/ = mom
- C-O-T: /k/ /ŏ/ /t/ = cot
- L-O-G: /l/ /ŏ/ /g/ = log
Say: "You can now read words with THREE different vowels: A, I, and O! You're really reading now!"
Practice (5-7 minutes)
Word Building Challenge: Give student letter cards. Ask them to build:
- A word that says "dog"
- A word that says "hot"
- A word that says "mom"
- A word that says "log"
Reading Practice: Write 5-10 CVC words on paper with vowels A, I, O. Student reads each word:
- cat, dog, big, hot, mad, log, fan, kid, mop, can
Closure (2-3 minutes)
Celebrate: "You learned FIFTEEN letter sounds in three weeks! You know three vowels (A, I, O) and twelve consonants. You can read dozens of words now!"
Preview: "Next week, we'll learn five more letters (P, Q, R, S, T) and you'll be reading even longer words and simple sentences!"
Check for Understanding
- Show all fifteen letters A-O randomly - Can student say sounds for at least 13/15? - Expected: Yes
- Can student read these words: dog, hot, cat, big, fan? - Expected: Reads at least 4/5 correctly
- Overall Week 3 Assessment: Can student blend CVC words with short A, I, and O? - Expected: Yes, with 80%+ accuracy
Week 3 Complete!
This week, your student learned five more letter sounds: K (/k/), L (/l/), M (/m/), N (/n/), and O (/ŏ/). They now know FIFTEEN letter sounds total (A-O), including three vowels (A, I, O). With these fifteen letters, students can read and decode many CVC words like "dog," "hot," "cat," "big," "fan," and "mom." This is tremendous progress! Next week, we'll add the final five letters of this first month (P-T) and students will have mastered 20 letters—enough to read simple sentences!
Supplemental Resources (Optional)
These are optional enhancements, not required for the 15-20 minute core lesson.
YouTube Videos
- Letter O Short Sound Phonics
- CVC Words Reading Practice - Additional practice reading simple words
Library Books
- Fox in Socks by Dr. Seuss - Fun rhyming book with short vowel words
- Bob Books Set 1 by Bobby Lynn Maslen - Decodable books for practicing CVC words with A, I, O
Can't find these at your library? Search YouTube for "[Book Title] read aloud" for narrated versions.