• 1st Grade
  • Learning Support
  • About 10 minutes

Letter Sound Speed Grid

Say the sound of each letter, row by row. Color a star each time you finish!

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This is sheet #38324601.

How to do it

  1. Point to the first letter and say its sound.
  2. Keep going across each row.
  3. Color a star after each time through.

Teaching tip

Smooth matters more than fast. Stop after three tries, even if there were mistakes.

Letter Sound Speed Grid worksheet for 1st grade (reading helpers (dyslexia-friendly)), free printable
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About this worksheet

A grid of five letters mixed up in rows, to read three times for smooth letter-sound practice.

What kids practice

These sheets practice the skills that are hardest for kids who struggle to read: hearing each sound in a word, connecting sounds to letters, telling look-alike letters apart, and reading smoothly in phrases. They follow the same ideas as structured literacy programs. They help any beginning reader. They are not a test and not a diagnosis. If reading is a struggle, ask your child's school or doctor about an evaluation. Only a qualified professional can diagnose dyslexia.

Watch for

  • Guessing from the first letter or the picture. Point to each letter and blend the whole word.
  • Special dyslexia fonts and colored overlays. Research hasn't found that they help most children read better, so time is better spent on sound and letter practice.
  • Waiting to see if it gets better on its own. Early help works best, so ask the school if reading is still hard by the middle of first grade.
  • Rushing for speed. Accurate first, then smooth, then quicker.

It's free to print, as many copies as you need. See the full reading helpers (dyslexia-friendly) guide for 1st grade.

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