Sometimes we like doing basic things like finding things which match first letter sounds.

Learning how to read and write the simple sounds of the alphabet is the first step in our reading instruction program. It needs to be fun at this level, and the more different ways we can use to help students remember how to read and write the letters and simple words, the better. Here you can see three different activities at three different stages. The first is an alphabet hunt. We went out and about looking for things to put in our different letter bags. Next is letter writing on the whiteboard, much more popular than writing on paper, and the big arm movements help us to remember how to write the letters too. Finally we are playing bingo with three letter words. This is very popular and a good way to have beginning readers focus on reading 3 letter words for quite an extended period. They take it in turns to read the cards.

There are l l leaves and a ladybug in the L bag, g g grass in the G bag, a peg and some paper in the P bag, clover in the c bag and that's a huge ant in the A bag, sand and sticks in the S bag... Don't worry all small anmals were returned safely to the wild!

R and S are our two guest letters this week. We sorted tons of different ones in the pocket chart in preschool and practiced writing them on the balcony in after-school preschool. Some of us even wrote our spelling tests on the balcony!