Kindergarten · Reading · L.K.2.D, RF.K.3

Spelling Lesson Plan for Kindergarten

A ready-to-teach spelling lesson for Kindergarten, built around spelling cvc words by sound, short vowel sounds, word families, building words with letter tiles, and tracing and copying common words. Print the plan, print the practice pages, and you are set.

Approximately 47 minutes

Learning objective

Hear the first, middle and last sound in a CVC word
Match short vowel sounds to the letters a, e, i, o and u
Trace and copy three-letter words

Materials

Spell Short A CVC Words
Spell At Family Words
Trace and Write Animal Words
Picture CVC Word Match
Spell Short I CVC Words
Spell An Family Words
Pencils, and whiteboard space for the modeled examples

Lesson steps

1. Build the background (5 min)
Say it before you show it. Give three spoken examples of spelling and have students repeat, then one that does not belong.
2. Read aloud and think aloud (I do) (10 min)
Write two examples of spelling while sounding them out slowly. Point to each part as you say it so the sound and the letters stay connected.
3. Guided practice (we do) (12 min)
Read a second passage together. This time students find the evidence and you record it. Push every answer back to the text with "what words told you that?"
4. Independent practice (you do) (15 min)
Hand out "Spell Short A CVC Words". Students read and answer on their own. Circulate and ask individuals to point to the line in the text that supports their answer.
5. Share and close (5 min)
Two or three students share an answer and the evidence behind it. Restate spelling one final time in the students' own words, not yours.

Check for understanding

Ask each student to point to the evidence in the text for one of their answers. A student who has the right answer but cannot find the line has not yet learned spelling.

Differentiation

Extra support. Students who stall: pull them into a small group and rebuild spelling with concrete materials or a simpler text before asking for the written work again. Do not send the page home as homework, it will just rehearse the misunderstanding.

Extension. Students who finish early: ask them to write their own spelling problem for a partner to solve, then check the partner's work. Creating a problem is harder than solving one and it surfaces whether they really understand spelling.

Skills covered in this lesson

CVC spelling patterns · Word families · Trace, spell and write · CVC words

Questions teachers ask about teaching spelling

What spelling should a kindergartener be able to do?

By the end of kindergarten, children write a letter for most consonant and short vowel sounds and spell simple words phonetically (CCSS L.K.2.C and L.K.2.D). Spelling three-letter CVC words like cat, hen and mop by sound is the main goal.

What is a CVC word?

A CVC word has a consonant, a short vowel and a consonant, like sun, bed or pig. Children can sound out each letter, so CVC words are the first words most kindergarteners spell on their own.

How can I help my kindergartener spell words at home?

Say the word slowly and stretch each sound, then ask which letter makes that sound. Start with the first sound, then the last, then the middle vowel, which is hardest to hear. The CVC spelling pages follow the same order.

Is there an answer key for each worksheet?

Yes. All 16 sheets have an answer key, including the longer trace and write sets.