Do you wish you could create a systematic and explicit way to teach letter sounds and make them stick? You are in the right place friend!

Put yourself in the shoes of a brand new kindergarten student. Picture it:

You walk into your classroom for the first time and everything is new and foreign. These mysterious symbols are placed in front of you and were are asked to decipher them. Think about that for a minute. Isn’t this scenario much like being dropped into a foreign country and then being expected to read and use their language in just a few short months? It’s a bit preposterous if you think about it. But guess what?? Our kiddos rise to the occasion year after year.

Did you know that one of the biggest predictors in a child’s reading success is letter sound knowledge? (The other is phonemic awareness and you can read more about it here)

So the question is, how do we get our kiddos to not only recognize letters and sounds, but to recognize them quickly and fluently, so they are able to read and write?

Today I am breaking down how to do this is 5 easy steps:

Step 1: Prepare

Decide on a sequence.
Decide what your students need.
Create a plan.
Step into action.

Steps 2-5: Introduce the Letters and Sounds

Intro- Identify the letter (upper and lower) and the sound that it represents.
Practice pointing to the letter and saying its sound.
Talk about the mouth/tongue position.
Say it, Write it, Spiral Review (with games of course!)

Watch the video breakdown here!

Remember, teaching letter names and sounds is a crucial step on the route to reading journey. We must make it explicit and systematic. Following a simple routine like this helps to make it concrete for our students.

Below I am sharing some of my favorite letter sound activities!