Dear Parents,
This week we have begun learning about Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday for spellers! In class we’ve sounded out words like turkey, pilgrim and pumpkins as the children identify the sounds we make with our mouths and then decide which letter of the alphabet makes those sounds. We continue to count, draw and read.
At the request of several parents, I’ve made a copy of some of the songs we sing at school for your child to sing at home. I hope you enjoy them. The first few songs are extremely helpful for understanding the hows and whys of early reading. I know they aren’t the best copies, but when I purchased the school kit from Challenger years ago, the audio wasn’t the best. My apologies, but the kids don’t seem to mind.
I’ve also added a touch of homework for our little ones in the form of short vowel and consonant letter cards.
For example: ed The student should say eh as in egg and then add the duh sound for the d, blending them together to say “ed”
This is not only great practice for reading short vowel words, but it also gives them a chance to practice the sounds of the alphabet letters with some variety thrown in. I will change out each vowel group when you send them back to me, eventually exposing the students to each short vowel sound and most of the consonants.
Each child progresses at their own pace. I hope these flash cards help keep your student excited about the learning process. Please practice a time or two each day, but let’s not press him or her. She is learning, even if she may not choose to “perform” in front of you or may not do so for me sometimes. Learning is fun!
