Unit Plan 5 (Grade K ELA): Phonological Awareness I – Rhyme & Syllables

Focus: Recognize/produce rhyme; clap/tap syllables

Grade Level: Kindergarten

Subject Area: English Language Arts (Foundational Skills • Speaking/Listening • Language)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

This joyful sound-play week sharpens students’ ears for language. Children learn to recognize and produce rhymes and to clap/tap syllables in spoken words (names, classroom objects, animals). Short, high-energy routines (chant–clap–sort) help them hear word parts and build a foundation for decoding and spelling later in the year.

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to…

1. Recognize rhyming pairs and identify non-rhymes in songs, poems, and oral lists (RF.K.2a).
2. Produce a rhyming word for a familiar word (RF.K.2a).
3. Count syllables in spoken words by clapping/tapping/stepping; sort words by 1–4 syllables (RF.K.2b).
4. Confirm understanding after listening by repeating a peer’s rhyme/syllable count and asking/answering a follow-up (SL.K.2).
5. Use and add topic words (rhyme, syllable, beat, clap, tap) in talk and activities (L.K.6).

Standards Alignment — CCSS Kindergarten

• RF.K.2a–b Demonstrate understanding of spoken words, syllables, and sounds: recognize/produce rhyming words; count/pronounce/blend/segment syllables.
• SL.K.2 Confirm understanding of information presented orally or through media by asking/answering questions.
• L.K.6 Use words and phrases acquired through conversations and reading.

Success Criteria — student language

• I can tell if two words rhyme (they sound the same at the end).
• I can say a rhyming word for a word I hear.
• I can clap/tap the syllable beats in a word.
• I can listen to a partner and say what I heard (rhyme or number of beats).
• I can use the words rhyme and syllable correctly.