Sound Quest Teacher Guide UFLI Lesson 35 Tier 2 / Small-Group Focus
Sound Quest Teacher Guide
Target Skill
Short /ă/ Review & Blending
Target Phoneme: /ă/ as in apple
Consonants Used: m, s, t, c, p, b, f, n, d, r
High-Frequency Words: the, a, is, has, on
Pacing / Group Size: 15–20 Mins • 3–5 Students
1
Phonemic Warm-Up: Tap & Blend (3 Mins)
Auditory Only
Say words sound-by-sound. Students tap fingers (thumb-to-finger for each phoneme) and sweep to blend.
Prompt 1: /s/ - /ă/ - /t/ → sat
Prompt 2: /m/ - /ă/ - /p/ → map
Prompt 3: /b/ - /ă/ - /t/ → bat
2
Word Building & Chaining (5 Mins)
Letter Tiles Mat
Use the Word Switch Activity Mat . Direct students to change one letter at a time to build a new word. Touch and say each sound before blending.
cat
→
mat
→
map
→
cap
→
tap
→
tab
Teacher Cue: "Start with 'cat'. Change the /k/ sound to /m/. What is our new word? Now change the ending sound /t/ to /p/..."
3
Segment & Spell Mapping (4 Mins)
Sound Boxes
Students use the Phoneme Power Mapping Worksheet . Follow the 4-step orthographic routine:
1. Say It
Say the target word aloud
2. Tap It
Tap sound dots for 3 sounds
3. Map It
Write 1 letter in each sound box
4. Read It
Slide finger under and read
4
Decodable Reading & Rapid Assessment (4 Mins)
Connected Text
Controlled Reading
Read Fat Cat Decodable Reader . Partner whisper read, underline short /a/ words, and complete quick comprehension check.
Rapid Quick Check
Administer the 1-minute probe from Rapid Sound Quick Assessment . Goal: 8+ words correct per minute with zero vowel substitutions.
Immediate Error Correction Routine (My Turn / Your Turn)
If student says incorrect vowel sound: Stop immediately. Touch the vowel letter: "This vowel is a. Its sound is /ă/. Repeat: /ă/."
Then re-blend: "My turn: /m/ - /ă/ - /p/, map. Your turn." Have student touch and re-blend the whole word.
UFLI Foundations Aligned • Small Group Toolkit Lesson 35 • Mastery Target: Short a CVC Blending & Segmentation
Word Switch Activity Mat UFLI Lesson 35 Hands-On Phonics Lab
Word Switch Activity Mat
Name:
Date:
Letter Tile Bank (Cut out or place tiles) Red = Vowel • Blue = Consonant
a
m
s
t
c
p
b
f
n
d
Active Word Building Stage
Beginning Sound
Short Vowel /a/
Ending Sound
Touch sounds
Sweep & Read!
Word Chain Ladder • Change One Letter
Listen to teacher cues to change 1 sound
1 Start Word:
2 Change Sound 1:
3 Change Sound 3:
4 Change Sound 1:
5 Change Sound 1:
6 Change Sound 3:
Mystery Switcher Challenge
Change pan to fan: Which sound changed?
Change bat to bad: Which sound changed?
Small Group Phonics • Word Building Mat UFLI Lesson 35 • Short a (CVC)
Phoneme Power Mapping Worksheet UFLI Lesson 35 Segment & Spell
Phoneme Power Mapping Worksheet
Name:
Date:
1 1. Say Word
→
2 2. Tap Sounds •••
→
3 3. Map Letters [ ][ ][ ]
→
4 4. Write & Read
Tap Sounds, Map Graphemes, and Write the Word
1 box = 1 sound
Word 1
Word 2
Word 3
Word 4
Word 5
Word 6
Teacher Dictation • Listen, Tap, and Map
Teacher calls words (e.g., tap, sad)
Dictation A
Dictation B
Sentence Dictation Application
↑ Capital Letter • Finger Spaces . Period
Teacher dictates: "The cat sat on a mat." (Listen, count words on fingers, then write on the line.)
Phoneme-Grapheme Mapping Routine • Orthographic Mapping UFLI Lesson 35 • Short a CVC
Fat Cat Decodable Reader UFLI Lesson 35 Decodable Reading Application
Fat Cat Decodable Reader
Name:
Date:
Warm-Up: Short /ă/ Words
Pat cat fat sat mat cap bag nap
High-Frequency Heart Words
the is a has on and
Story: Pat the Fat Cat
Read 3 Times:
Pat is a cat. Pat is a fat cat.
Pat sat on a tan mat.
Pat has a bag and a cap.
Sam has a bat. Sam and Pat tap the bat.
Pat sat and had a nap on the mat.
Decodable Check
1. Where did Pat sit?
2. What did Pat take on the mat?
Answer using a complete short-a word.
Illustrate the Story
Draw Pat the fat cat with his cap on the mat:
? Phonics Detective: How many times does the word Pat appear in the story?
Count:
Connected Text Fluency • Short a Decodable UFLI Lesson 35 • 100% Controlled Reading
Rapid Sound Quick Assessment UFLI Lesson 35 Mastery Progress Check
Rapid Sound Quick Assessment
Student:
Date:
Part 1: Real Words ____ / 8
Part 2: Nonsense ____ / 4
Part 3: Spelling ____ / 3
Total Mastery ____ / 15
1
Part 1: Real Word Decoding (8 Points)
Student reads across • Score: ✓ Correct / × Error
mat
cap
bad
sat
fan
rag
tap
pad
2
Part 2: Nonsense / Pseudoword Reading (4 Points)
Tests pure decoding
vap
zam
dat
paf
3
Part 3: Segment & Spell Dictation (3 Points)
Teacher says word • Student writes in boxes
1. /j/ /ă/ /m/
2. /b/ /ă/ /t/
3. /n/ /ă/ /p/
4
Part 4: Sentence Fluency Application
Assessor checks fluency & accuracy
“A fat cat sat on the tan mat.”
Fluency: Smooth Word-by-word
Instructional Decision • Next Steps
Mastery (13–15 pts / ≥85%) Proceed to Lesson 36 (next short vowel / nasals).
Developing (10–12 pts / 70–84%) Repeat word chaining ladder with vowel contrast.
Intervention (<10 pts / <70%) Provide continuous phoneme blending & articulatory cues.
Small Group Phonics Assessment • 1-on-1 Monitoring UFLI Lesson 35 • Short a Criterion-Referenced