Phonics and Letters

This Week in Phonics and Letters

💌 Phonics Update

We are having so much fun in phonics! This week, our focus is on the letters Z, J, and O. Students are practicing recognizing and naming these letters, saying their sounds, and writing them correctly. We are also clapping out syllables in words and learning that sentences are made up of separate words.

🎯 I Can Statements:

• I can identify the name of letters.
  
  

• I can say the sound of the first letter in a name.
  
  

• I can clap and count the syllables in words.
  
  

• I can identify words in a sentence.
  
  

🏡 How You Can Help at Home

• 🔤 Letter Hunt: Look for the letters Z, J, and O on signs, in books, or on labels.
  
  

• 🕵️‍♂️ Name Detective: Ask what sound your child’s name (or a family member’s) begins with.
  
  

• 👏 Clap It Out: Clap syllables in everyday words (like ap-ple, ta-ble, win-dow).
  
  

• 📖 Point and Read: When reading aloud, point to each word so your child can see where words start and stop.
  
  

• 🏷️ Label Your World: Help your child make labels for objects around your home (like bed, cup, dog). Post-it notes are perfect for this—your child can write the word and stick it on the object!
  
  

• ✍️ Name Practice: Encourage your child to practice writing and spelling their own name. This can include tracing, writing on paper, or forming letters with playdough.
  
  

Together, these small activities make a big difference in building your child’s confidence with letters, sounds, and words. Thank you for partnering with me to support their learning!

Reading

I can envision what is happening in a text.

I can look at pictures, remember the story, and then story tell to read.

This week we are continuing to learn how to envision what is happening in a text. We do this by closing our eyes and imagining what it may look like and feel like if we were one of the characters in the story. 

As you are reading at home, ask your students to close their eyes as you are reading and try to imagine what is happening. Then have them open their eyes and explain what they saw. They can then use the pictures on the page to compare what they imagined to what the illustrator drew.

Writing

I can write words to make sentences

This week, we are learning how authors write multiple words to make sentences. To practice this, we are writing stories about true events in our life, and sounding out multiple words in our stories to make sentences.

We are also learning the difference between informational texts, "teaching books", and story books.

At home you can practice this skill by encouraging your writers to add words to their drawings. As they add words, you can help them practice stretching multiple words out to match the sounds they hear to letters and create sentences.