We have begun to work in our new program, Beginning to Read, Write, and Listen.  Your child will be bringing home letterbooks to share with you.  In these letterbooks, they will learn the names of the letters of the alphabet, how to write them, and what sound each letter represents.  They will also learn how to blend the letter sounds to form words.

This program is structured so that every concept is taught in sequence; each new skill that is introduced builds on skills already learned.  Each letterbook focuses on one letter and one sound that the letter stands for.  The letters are taught according to their formation.  The first letters introduced, for example, are based on the circle.

Learning to appreciate literature is an important part of our program.  In each letterbook, the children will listen to a story or a group of poems or songs while looking at illustrations in the book.  Please take time every day to read with your child.  Remember that he or she is just beginning to read, and it will take a while before independent reading is possible.

1)  Letterbook Cc -  The children learned the name and shape of the letter C and one sound that C stands for, the hard sound that you hear at the beginning of cat and cup.  When you talk to your child about "C", please try to avoid words such as cent and city.  The children also learned how to write uppercase C and lowercase c.

2)  Letterbook Oo - We have completed our second letterbook, having learned about the letter O.  The children learned about the short sound of O, such as at the beginning of octopus.  At this point, the children will not be learning about the long sound of O.  Please concentrate on "short O" words when you have your child practice at home.

3)  Letterbook Gg - The children have completed Letterbook G.  In this book, they learned one sound that G stands for, the hard sound that you hear at the beginning of game and goat.  They listened for the hard sound of G at both the beginning and end of words.  The children also learned to write uppercase G and lowercase g.

4)  Letterbook Aa - In this letterbook, the children learned to recognize and write uppercase A and lowercase a.  They also learned the short sound of A that is heard at the beginning of apple.  The long sound of A will not be taught at this point in time.  The children practiced listening for A at the beginning and in the middle of words.

5)  Letterbook Dd - We have completed our fifth letterbook. Letterbook D.  The children have learned the name and shape of the letter D, as well as how to write uppercase D and lowercase d.  Most importantly, the children are learning to blend letter sounds to read words.  Blending sounds is difficult, but the children are starting to read!

6)  Letterbook Ss - We have now completed Letterbook S.  The children practiced listening for the sound of S at the beginning of words such as sun and snake.  Also, the concept of singular and plural was introduced, and the children learned that "dogs" stands for more than one dog.

7) Letterbook Ll - The children have now completed their 7th letterbook.  In Letterbook L, they have learned the name, sound, and shape of the Letter L.  They listened for the sound that L makes at the beginning of words, and they have also begun practicing blending sounds to read words.

8) Letterbook Ii - In this letterbook, the children learned to write uppercase I and lowercase i, and they also learned one sound that "I" stands for, the short sound that is heard at the beginning of igloo.  This is the only sound of "I" that they will be learning at this time.  The children also learned that a sentence is a group of words that tell us about something and end with a period.  They are beginning to read sentences now!

9) Letterbook Tt - The children have now completed their 9th letterbook, Letterbook T.  They have learned to identiy, write, and blend words with the letter T.  The children have also read their first story!  Please have your child read the story on pages 10 to 11 to you, giving help when needed.

10) Letterbook Ff - In this letterbook, the children learned to identify and write uppercase F and lowercase f and to listen for the sound the letter F stands for in the beginning, the middle, and the end of words.  The children have now learned their first memory word, the word "a."  They also learned to pronounce "a" the same way that the first sound in the word about is pronounced.

 11) Letterbook Ee - We have now completed Letterbook E.  The children learned to recognize one sound that the letter E stands for, the short vowel sound heard at the beginning of elephant and egg.  At this point, this is the only sound for E that the children will be learning.  The children also learned that an apostrophe shows ownership and they practiced this new concept while reading "Ed's Sled" in their letterbooks.

12) Letterbook Hh - The children have now completed their twelfth letterbook, Letterbook H.  They learned to recognize and write uppercase H and lowercase h.  They also learned that the sound H stands for is the sound heard at the beginning of hat and heart.  The children were introduced to their second memory word, the word "the."

13) Letterbook Uu - The children have now completed Letterbook U.  In this letterbook, they learned one sound that the letter U makes, the short sound that is heard at the beginning of umbrella and uncle. This is the only sound for U that will be learned at this time.  The children now know the names and shapes of the five vowels and the short sound associated with all of them.  They also learned that vowels are very important because they are part of every word we say, read, or write.

14) Letterbook Bb -  In this letterbook, the children learned the sound that the letter B stands for at the beginning of balloon.  They also learned to write uppercase B and lowercase b and to distinguish between lowercase b and d.  They listened to words that begin with b or d and learned to recognize the differences in their sounds.  This can be a difficult concept for some children, so much practice will be needed.

15) Letterbook Rr - The children have now completed their fifteenth letterbook, Letterbook R.  They learned to write uppercase R and lowercase r and they listened for the sound that the letter R stands for at the beginning of rabbit and red.  They also learned that rhyming words sound alike at the end.  A good activity for the children would be to say a word and ask them to tell you a word that rhymes with that word.

16) Letterbook Nn - In this letterbook, the children learned to write uppercase N and lowercase n and to recognize the sound N stands for at the beginning of nest and net.  They also learned the memory word "and" and the concept it represents.

17) Letterbook Mm - The children have now completed Letterbook M.  In this book, the children practiced writing uppercase M and lowercase m and listened for the sound M makes at the beginning of mitten and monkey.