The Letter of the Week program in my classroom (which begins in January) will be seen through the lens of the "whole" child. The letters are not presented in alphabetical order to discourage rote memory learning. They are used more as themes and organize my curriulum that is based heavily on phonemic awareness skills. You are provided with a monthly calendar to follow our letters. Incorporated within my "letter themes" will be Dramatic Play, Social Studies, Science, Language Arts, Music, Rhyme Time, fine motor activities, math skills, matching and numbers, counting, and of course, Religion. The children are "saturated" with the letter sound that week. My program is based on Phonemic Awareness. It will not be a flash card, learn your phonics program which is not developmentally appropriate. .
Please click here if you want more information on Phonemic Awareness .
I do not teach vowels, double sounds (such as G or C) or blends. These generally cause more confusion than anything in most children of this age and can be learned in a later grade when children begin to decode.
As for the "letter sound item" that each child should bring in each morning, it�s value is more in the looking and choosing than anything else! As you look for an item beginning with the �t� sound, your child must "think t" in order to find an appropriate item. This is why I ask that parents not do this for the child but rather, with your child. Remember, the item should be brought to school in the morning and taken out of the backpack so that your child does not have to leave our Morning Circle to go into the hallway to get it. Try to get items that will easily fit in the bag.
Many, but certainly not all, children may begin to read a little by the end of the school year. Should this occur with your child I suggest buying simple predictable rhyming books such as �Hop on Pop" by Dr. Seuss if you want to help them along at all. My program teaches skills that are considered to be extremely useful pre-reading skills and reading should not be the goal, though it is sometimes accomplished.
I will also use environmental print (familiar signs and things like �Burger King� , "Goldfish" crackers etc � ) to teach children that print has meaning and is not just an exercise in fine motor. Speaking of which � yes, you will see even more cutting going on throughout this process! The more they cut, the easier it is for them to print. It�s plain and simple and it works � the proof is in the pudding.
It is my goal to help prepare your child for a love of reading by providing them experiences that will ignite a curiosity and interest in Language Arts and the journey that stories and their own imaginations can take them on . This is why I create all my own games and felt stories to kindle this interest and result in true experiential learning rather than rote memorization .Coloring pages , worksheets or optional homework are only used as an adjunct to my program upon request.
Should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me, write a note or see me , as always.