Word Study Lesson: B, R, S Sound Sorting
Author: Diann Christensen
Subject: Reading (Phonemic Awareness & Phonics)
Grade/Level: Emergent Speller (K-1)
Phonics Principle: Students will learn the sounds for the letters B, R, and S.
State Standards/Objectives:
AZ- Arizona Academics Standards
Subject : Language Arts
Subject/ Grade/ Domain : Reading
Grade : KINDERGARTEN
Strand : Strand 1: Reading Process
Concept : Concept 2: Phonemic Awareness: Identify and manipulate the sounds of speech.
Performance Objective PO 7: Identify the initial and final sounds (not the letter) of a spoken word.
Concept : Concept 3: Phonics: Decode words, using knowledge of phonics, syllabication, and word parts.
Performance Objective PO 3: Say letter sounds represented by the single-lettered consonants and vowels.
Learning Context: The learners are emergent readers/writers who are ready to learn how letters
correspond to sounds. These consonant sounds are very distinct from each other, which will help them
to sort more easily. In assessments, they were unable to name the sounds for all of these letters.
Materials & Preparation:
 Copied & cut word sort cards (B, R,
S) from the Words Their Way CD-ROM
(each set on a different color to allow
for regrouping mixed sets)—one set is
needed for each child, plus a set for
teacher demonstration

Paper & pencil or mini whiteboard &
marker for each student

A follow-the-path board from the
Words Their Way CD-ROM, with the
letters B, R, and S randomly written
on the spaces (It can be laminated
Game Board Example
beforehand and letters can be written
in overhead pen. This allows you to wipe off the letters and use the board for other games.)

Game tokens, one per student
This lesson is adapted from the following source:
Bear, D. et. al. (2008). Words their way: word study for phoics, vocabulary, and spelling
instruction, 4th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Management Notes:
This lesson is designed for small-group or one-on-one instruction. To make it easier, two sounds can
be contrasted instead of three.
The game extension should be done in groups of two, or three at the most. This will allow all players
to see the letters on the playing board right-side up.
Procedure:
Introduce & Demonstrate the Sort:
Tell the students they will be doing some activities related to letters and their sounds today. Pull out the
three key cards (ring, sun, and bell). “I have a card here with a ring. Can you help me listen to the
sound this word makes at the beginning? Can you hear the /r/ at the beginning of rrrrring?”
Really emphasize the initial sound. “Can you think of some words that sound the same at the
beginning?” Take a moment to have the students generate words orally that start with the same sound.
“You see that next to the picture is the letter R, because /r/ is the sound that the letter R
represents.” Do the same thing for the other two key cards, sun and bell, reviewing their sounds. Place
the three cards at the top of the work space.
Using the demonstration set of cards, go through each of the pictures and tell students the word for each
one. A couple may be confusing, such as a picture that could be a street or a road. If any of the cards are
so unfamiliar to the students that they would have difficulty sorting, those cards may be removed. During
the demonstration, always make sure that the cards are right-side up from the students’ perspective.
“Now, to sort these, here’s what we’ll do. I’m going to say the word for the picture, BAT. It
sounds the same at the beginning as one of these three words we just talked about.
Hmmm…BAT, RING…Do you see how I’m putting the BAT card right next to the RING card while
I think about this? Do those sound the same at the beginning? How about…BAT/SUN?” Really
emphasize the initial consonant sounds to help the children determine which key card matches the picture
card. Put the BAT card under the B key card. Continue to work through all of the remaining cards together.
Sort and Check:
“Now I’m going to give you a chance to do this sort on your own.” Hand out the sets of cards, one
set per student. “First take out your key cards and put them at the top of your table space.” Help
students to do this, if they are not familiar with it. “I would like you to do the same thing we just did
together, only you’re going to do it on your own this time. Put your cards face down in front of
you. Choose one and say the word on the card. Hold it next to each of the key cards and say
both words. Decide which key card has the same beginning sound as your picture, and put it
under that card.”
Do not assist the students at this point unless scaffolding is needed to make the activity accessible for a
student. Take anecdotal records of the students’ ability to complete the task. When a student finishes,
have him/her say all of the words in each column, listening for whether they sound the same at the
beginning. If needed, help them listen more closely in order to move cards they may have placed in the
wrong column.
Reflect:
“How are all of the words in the ‘ring’ column the same? Can you think of a way this could help
you when you are writing?” Help them to apply their learning to the process of invented spelling. “If I
were writing and I wanted to say that my mom had a b-b-baby, what letter would it make sense
to write first?” Help the students to connect their learning of these letter sounds with their everyday
writing.
Extend & Closure:
The follow-the-path game board has the letters B, R, and S. Be sure to model the game briefly so that the
students will know how to play it on their own. If the students have not played a similar game in word
study before, it may help to play most of one round together to model. Emphasize to students that they will
be practicing hearing the first sound in the word for each picture card and matching the sound to the correct
letter.
Student pairs can combine their word sort cards into one deck, turning it face down. The first player draws
a card and moves his/her token to the next space on the path that matches the beginning sound in the
word. For example, a child who draws the “soap” picture would move his token to the next “S” on the
board. Play continues until someone lands on the last space.
Assessment:
 Take anecdotal records of the students’ ability to sort the cards in the correct columns during the
independent sort.

Perhaps dictate a couple of words beginning with the targeted letters and see if they can invent a
spelling that reflects the correct beginning letter. This could be done with paper/pencil or mini
whiteboards/markers.

Observe the students’ writing for invented spellings that employ B, R, and S, particularly to
represent initial sounds in words.
Complete the following AFTER you present the lesson
and BEFORE you submit it on TaskStream.
Reflections on the Teaching Experience
What did you learn about the process of planning and about yourself as a teacher? How do you think
your lesson impacted the learners? Give specific examples to support your thinking. What do you
think went especially well, and what might you think about doing differently in future teaching
situations?
Peer Feedback
Your partner will send you feedback via TaskStream. Copy and paste it here.
Artifacts
It is helpful to add artifacts from this lesson, such as sort card masters, assessment sheets, photos of
your materials, scanned student work, etc.