Hawaii Grade 1 English

Read a silent-e word by checking its spelling pattern

The extra letter in kite changes the vowel spelling pattern. Help the child attend to that pattern rather than guess the word from its first letter or a picture. Begin with words the child can already blend, then introduce the silent-e example. This activity selects one part of Hawaiʻi’s current reading foundations requirements.

Curriculum source: Hawaiʻi Common Core Standards for English Language Arts, approved April 2024 and reprinted May 2026, from the Hawaiʻi DOE standards directory.

Hawaiʻi Grade 1 references for this activity

Hawaiʻi’s current English document includes Grade 1 expectations across reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. The expectations selected here support this activity; use the whole document and the school’s sequence for wider coverage.

These are selected grade-level expectations from Hawaiʻi’s current English standards. Activity labels describe a teaching focus rather than reproduce complete requirements. Read the linked grade-level document, including the reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening sections, alongside the school’s curriculum sequence.

A worked Grade 1 reading and writing activity

This original classroom example is separate from official assessment questions.

Word pair: kit · kite

Reading line: The kite is red.

Try the activity

Read kit, pointing to each spelling unit while blending. Show kite and identify its final e. Model how the middle vowel changes in this pair, then have the child blend kite. Read the short line with support for any other words that have not yet been taught.

Follow the reasoning

Kit has a short i sound. In kite, the vowel-consonant-silent-e pattern represents a long i sound, and the final e is not pronounced as a separate sound. Both words have three speech sounds, although kite has four letters. Point out that the final consonant still has its t sound; it is the vowel that changes in this pair. Return to the whole word after examining the pattern so the child connects the decoding with a recognizable spoken word.

Notice what needs more practice

Adding a separate e sound at the end turns the word into something different. Counting letters as though each must be a separate speech sound also obscures the pattern. Explain this regular example without promising that every word ending in e follows the same rule. Words such as have use a different pronunciation. Introduce exceptions through the classroom’s sequence rather than ask the child to infer them from this one pair.

Use the next session to build independence

1. Blend kit before introducing kite.
2. Identify the silent-e pattern and compare the vowel sounds.
3. Read the short line, then explain the pattern in the example word.

Compare cap and cape after the child has practiced that vowel pattern. Ask what changes in the pronunciation and what remains. Use letter cards to build and read both forms, rather than only name the letters. Keep the task focused on reading regular examples already taught. If the child relies on a memorized picture, cover the picture and return to the spelling. A later session can add a connected sentence and discuss its meaning; one successful pair does not establish mastery of the whole phonics requirement.

For more general reading and writing resources, visit the Grade 1 English Online Center.

Hawaiʻi Grade 1 English: useful planning questions

Why is the final e in kite not counted as a separate speech sound?

In this regular vowel-consonant-silent-e example, the final e helps mark the long vowel spelling pattern but is not pronounced separately. Kite has four letters and three speech sounds.

Where are the complete state requirements?

Hawaiʻi’s current English document includes Grade 1 expectations across reading, writing, language, speaking, and listening. The expectations selected here support this activity; use the whole document and the school’s sequence for wider coverage. The school’s sequence also includes reading, writing, speaking, listening, and language work beyond this example.