The Common Core kindergarten standards for foundational reading cover print concepts (RF.K.1), hearing the sounds in spoken words (RF.K.2), phonics (RF.K.3) and reading beginner texts (RF.K.4). This page lists RF.K.2 and RF.K.3, item by item. In Zupzi Read's program, that is mostly Sound Steps, First Letters and The Alphabet (Levels 0 to 2), with blends in Level 3.
- 4 levels of the program
- 47 lessons
- Official standards text
- Coming soon
This page describes Zupzi Read's program: the order the app teaches in, lesson by lesson. Zupzi Read is coming soon to the App Store, and it goes there only with the whole program, ages 3 to 8.
The standards are the official text, quoted as written. The right-hand column is where each item sits in Zupzi Read's program, lesson by lesson; schools and states use their own versions of the standards, and classes move at different speeds.
RF.K.2: Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds (phonemes).
| Item | The standard says | Where it is in Zupzi Read's program |
|---|---|---|
| RF.K.2.a | Recognize and produce rhyming words. | Not practiced as a task yet: the program's Level 0, lesson 3 is “Rhyme time”, but the app has no rhyming task. |
| RF.K.2.b | Count, pronounce, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words. | Not practiced as a task yet: the program's Level 0, lesson 2 is “Clap the parts”, but the app has no syllable task. |
| RF.K.2.c | Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words. | Not practiced as a task yet: the program's Level 0, lesson 5 is “Start and end”, but the app has no onset-and-rime task. |
| RF.K.2.d | Isolate and pronounce the initial, medial vowel, and final sounds (phonemes) in three-phoneme (consonant-vowel-consonant, or CVC) words. (This does not include CVCs ending with /l/, /r/, or /x/.) | First sounds only: in the Sound game your child hears a sound and taps the friend whose name starts with it. Middle and final sounds aren't a separate task. |
| RF.K.2.e | Add or substitute individual sounds (phonemes) in simple, one-syllable words to make new words. | Substituting, with letters: the Word chain step changes one letter to make a new word (sat → mat). Adding sounds isn't a task. |
RF.K.3: Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
| Item | The standard says | Where it is in Zupzi Read's program |
|---|---|---|
| RF.K.3.a | Demonstrate basic knowledge of one-to-one letter-sound correspondences by producing the primary sound or many of the most frequent sounds for each consonant. | Levels 1 and 2: each consonant sound in its own lesson. See letter sounds. |
| RF.K.3.b | Associate the long and short sounds with common spellings (graphemes) for the five major vowels. | Short vowels in Levels 1 and 2 (CVC words); long vowels with magic e (Level 5) and open syllables (Level 6). |
| RF.K.3.c | Read common high-frequency words by sight (e.g., the, of, to, you, she, my, is, are, do, does). | All ten examples are heart words in the program: the (Level 1, lesson 4), of (Level 1, lesson 7), to (Level 1, lesson 9), you (Level 2, lesson 16), she (Level 4, lesson 4), my (Level 2, lesson 16), is (Level 1, lesson 8), are (Level 2, lesson 12), do (Level 2, lesson 2), does (Level 6, lesson 1). See heart words. |
| RF.K.3.d | Distinguish between similarly spelled words by identifying the sounds of the letters that differ. | The Word chain step: sat → mat → map. |
Source: Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Reading Standards: Foundational Skills (K–5) (CCSSO, 2010; PDF published 2022). © Copyright 2010. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices and Council of Chief State School Officers. All rights reserved.
The levels behind this grade
Level 0: Sound Steps10 lessons
Before reading: hearing the sounds inside spoken words, the names of the letters and the first letter sounds. Goal of the level: recognize the first letters and their sounds, and put two or three spoken sounds together into a word.
Level 1: First Letters9 lessons
The sounds of a, m, s and t, then two- and three-letter words (VC and CVC), then p, f, i and n. Goal of the level: read short words made with these sounds, and a first decodable book.
- am
- at
- sat
- mat
- tam
- sam
- map
- tap
- sap
- pat
- pam
- fat
Level 2: The Alphabet21 lessons
The rest of the single letters: o, d, c, u, g, b, e; an s at the end of a word; then k, h, r, l, w, j, y, x, qu, v and z. Goal of the level: know the sound of every single letter and read short words with any short vowel.
- on
- not
- top
- pot
- mop
- dad
- did
- dot
- dip
- sad
- mad
- pad
Level 3: Blends7 lessons
Words where two or three consonants sit side by side, like flat, milk and strap (CCVC, CVCC, CCVCC, CCCVC). Goal of the level: read blends without adding an extra vowel between the consonants.
- flat
- plan
- clap
- hand
- last
- ant
- fast
- band
- camp
- snap
- slip
- flip
Word pronunciations come from the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary, Copyright (C) 1993-2015 Carnegie Mellon University. All rights reserved.
Questions about kindergarten reading
What should a kindergartner be able to read?
By the standards: the most frequent sound of each consonant, the short and long sounds of the five vowels, common words like the, of, to, you and is read by sight, and simple texts for beginning readers. Schools and states move at different speeds.
Is Zupzi Read a full kindergarten curriculum?
No. It covers foundational reading (sounds, letters, decoding and heart words) in its own order; it is one part of learning to read, not a school curriculum.
Where would a kindergartner start in Zupzi Read?
Where the setup questions and the reading game suggest, for example Sound Steps or First Letters. A grown-up can also choose “Start at level”.
More by age and grade
Phonics, step by step:
