Reception English and phonics: The sounds of t and p

Method. Find the picture whose name starts with the sound /t/.

1. Look at the start of each name. The first letter, or first letters, give the first sound. A grown-up can read each name aloud.
   tin starts with t · pan starts with p · sun starts with s
2. Find the sound /t/. Only one name starts with this sound.
   /t/ is at the start of tin.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   tin

Check. Say tin slowly, sound by sound. It starts with /t/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the start of the name, not at the end or the middle.

Method. Find the picture whose name starts with the sound /p/.

1. Look at the start of each name. The first letter, or first letters, give the first sound. A grown-up can read each name aloud.
   tin starts with t · ant starts with a · pan starts with p
2. Find the sound /p/. Only one name starts with this sound.
   /p/ is at the start of pan.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   pan

Check. Say pan slowly, sound by sound. It starts with /p/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the start of the name, not at the end or the middle.

Method. Find the picture whose name starts with the sound /p/.

1. Look at the start of each name. The first letter, or first letters, give the first sound. A grown-up can read each name aloud.
   sad starts with s · pin starts with p · tap starts with t
2. Find the sound /p/. Only one name starts with this sound.
   /p/ is at the start of pin.
3. Write the answer. Use the word written under the picture.
   pin

Check. Say pin slowly, sound by sound. It starts with /p/. ✓

Watch out. Look at the start of the name, not at the end or the middle.

Method. Say the name of the picture. Then find the letter that makes its first sound.

1. Read the name. Read every letter in the name.
   tap
2. Find the first sound. The first letter tells the first sound.
   The first sound is /t/.
3. Choose the letter for that sound. Choose from t, p, a.
   t

Check. The word tap starts with t. ✓

Watch out. Some letters make a different sound in other words. Check the start of this word only.

Method. Say the name of the picture. Then find the letter that makes its first sound.

1. Read the name. Read every letter in the name.
   pan
2. Find the first sound. The first letter tells the first sound.
   The first sound is /p/.
3. Choose the letter for that sound. Choose from p, n, s.
   p

Check. The word pan starts with p. ✓

Watch out. Some letters make a different sound in other words. Check the start of this word only.

Method. Say the word, sound by sound. Then write one letter, or one group of letters, in each box.

1. Say the name of the picture. A grown-up says the word slowly.
   tap
2. Say each sound in order. Each sound is written as one box.
   t - a - p
3. Write the letters in order. The letters go in the same order as the sounds.
   t-a-p

Check. Read the letters back: t-a-p. They spell tap. ✓

Watch out. Write the sounds from left to right, and leave no box out.

Method. Read the parts in order. Then say the sounds together, faster and faster, to make the word.

1. Read each part, one at a time. Each part makes one sound. Read them from left to right.
   t - a - p
2. Say the sounds, then join them. Blending means joining the sounds together into one word.
   /t/ /a/ /p/
3. Write the word. The blended sounds make the word.
   /t/ /a/ /p/ = tap

Check. Check the picture of a tap. The picture matches the word. ✓

Watch out. Do not say each sound as a separate word. Join them together.

Method. Look at the start of each name. One of them starts with a different sound.

1. Look at the first letter of each name. Read the names as a grown-up points to them.
   pan: p · pin: p · tin: t
2. Find the one that is different. The other names all start with p.
   tin is different.
3. Write the answer. Say what the odd one starts with.
   tin (starts with t)

Check. The other pictures start with p, so tin is the odd one. ✓

Watch out. Find the sound that most names share first. The odd one is the name that does not match.

Method. Look at the start of each name. One of them starts with a different sound.

1. Look at the first letter of each name. Read the names as a grown-up points to them.
   tap: t · tin: t · pan: p
2. Find the one that is different. The other names all start with t.
   pan is different.
3. Write the answer. Say what the odd one starts with.
   pan (starts with p)

Check. The other pictures start with t, so pan is the odd one. ✓

Watch out. Find the sound that most names share first. The odd one is the name that does not match.

Method. Look at the first letter of each name.

1. Look at tin. tin starts with t.
   tin: t
2. Look at pan. pan starts with p.
   pan: p
3. Write the answer.
   pan

Check. Only pan starts with p. ✓

Watch out. Check the first letter, not the last.

Method. Check each word for a first letter t and a middle letter a.

1. Check tap. tap starts with t, and a is in the middle.
   t - a - p
2. Check tin and pan. tin starts with t but has i in the middle. pan starts with p.
   tin: i in the middle; pan: starts with p
3. Write the answer.
   tap

Check. tap is the only one that matches both clues. ✓

Watch out. Check both clues before you choose.

Method. Check the first letter of pan, then the last letter of tap.

1. Look at pan. The first letter is p.
   p - a - n
2. Look at tap. The last letter is p.
   t - a - p
3. Give your answer. Say what you found for each word.
   Accept any answer that says yes: pan starts with p, and tap ends with p.

Check. Read each word again. Both clues are true. ✓

Watch out. A letter can be at the start of one word and at the end of another.