RF.1.3: Phonics and Word Analysis
Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.1.3 · Cluster: Phonics and Word Recognition.
The Official Wording
Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words.
Common Core State Standards, Grade 1, Reading: Foundational Skills · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026
What RF.1.3 Means in Plain English
First graders sound out regular words like chimp and decode new patterns: ch and wh as one sound, a silent e that makes the vowel say its name, vowel teams like ee, two-syllable words like trum-pet, endings like -ing, and tricky words like said.
Counting syllables uses one rule: every syllable has a vowel sound, so trumpet, with two, splits into two parts. Kindergartners learned single letter sounds and first sight words (RF.K.3). In 2nd grade come more vowel teams, prefixes and suffixes, and two-syllable words with long vowels (RF.2.3).
RF.1.3 I Can Statements
- I can read ch, sh, th and wh as one sound.
- I can read words with silent e and vowel teams.
- I can read words with -ed and -ing endings.
RF.1.3 Worked Example
One silly sentence that puts all seven lettered parts, RF.1.3a to g, to work.
Read this sentence and name the pattern that unlocks each new word: The white chimp said, “I keep chomping on the trumpet!”
- Two letters, one sound: wh says /w/ and ch says /ch/. Chimp is a regular word, so sound it out.wh = /w/ · ch = /ch/ · ch-i-m-p → chimp
- In white, the e at the end is silent and makes the i say its name. In keep, the two e’s team up to say long /ē/.wh-ī-t(e) → white · k-ee-p → keep
- Cover the ending, read the base word, then add the ending back.chomp + ing → chomping
- Trumpet has two vowel sounds, so it has two syllables. Split between the two consonants in the middle and read each part.trum | pet → trumpet
- Said doesn’t follow the rules: the ai says /e/. Know it by heart.said = /s/ /e/ /d/
- Read the whole sentence smoothly.The white chimp said, “I keep chomping on the trumpet!”
Check it: Give two words the child hasn’t practiced that use the same patterns, like whale and munching. Reading them shows the patterns carried over, not the sentence.
Common Mistakes with RF.1.3
Sounding out both letters of a digraph
Reads chimp as “k-h-imp”
Try this: Underline digraphs with one scoop under both letters and drill them as single sounds on cards before reading them in words.
Skipping the silent e
Reads white as “wit”
Try this: Lay kit and kite side by side, have the child read both, and ask what the e changed and why.
Dropping the ending
Reads chomping as “chomp”
Try this: Cover the ending with a finger, read the base word, then lift the finger and read the whole word, ending included.
Where RF.1.3 Fits
Practice RF.1.3
Quick Check
- What sound does wh make in white?
- Why does the i in white say its name?
- How many syllables are in trumpet, and how do you split it?