Thank you
for reading our October 2008 newsletter!
Volume Two, Tenth Issue
WriteReading.com
is dedicated to Words that make the future brighter!
$2,000: Education
supporting education
I want thank you all again
for your support!!! Because of book sales as of last Wednesday, donations to
the Perpetual Education Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
just passed $2,000! Donations fund low interest micro-loans to worthy church
members in developing nations who cannot otherwise afford to finance an
education or learn a trade. As the loans are paid back the funds are used over
and over again! You can learn more about this remarkable charity at www.lds.org/pef. Again, thank you, thank you,
and thank you!!
Teaching letters with multiple sounds
One of the steps to helping
your little one become a successful reader and lifelong learner is to introduce
them to the sounds that letters make. Hopefully, you have had fun over the past
month teaching your child some of the sounds! (See last month’s newsletter,
archived at the website above on the “Press” page). You may have many more
sounds left to teach your child. However, when you are ready, this newsletter
will address teaching the ten letters that have multiple sounds. These
important activities are not just for children on a homeschool curriculum!
Materials needed
From the 3”x5” index cards
used previously to teach your child the names of the letters, select the
lowercase and uppercase cards for a, c, e, g, i, o, s, u, x and y, which were
mentioned last month to be set aside. Write the following reference words on
the back of those cards so you can refer to them when teaching their sounds:
“a” and “c” as in cat, “e” and “g” as in egg, “i” and “s” as in hiss, “o” and
“x” as in box, and “u” and “y” as in yum.
You will also need to make
32 additional 3”x5” cards to teach your child the long vowel sounds and some
irregular sounds. To do so, turn two blank cards vertically (see March’s
newsletter). Draw lightly with a pencil to form a two-inch high lowercase
letter on one card, and a three-inch high uppercase letter on the other card
(approximate sizes). Form your letters the way they are taught in schools,
rather than copying the font used in the Book of Mormon. Then, retrace the
letters using a black marker. As you make each card, have your child watch you.
As you model good penmanship, explain how each letter should be formed. Make
each set of two cards only as you need them.
On the back of the new cards
write the following reference words: “a” as in acorn, “e” as in eagle, “i” as
in ice, “o” as in ocean, “u” as in unicorn, and “y” as in my. To differentiate
these cards and indicate their long vowel sounds, draw a line over the
letter on the front of the cards. For the following irregular consonant sounds,
write these words on the back of additional cards: “c” as in city, “g” as in
gentle, and “s” as in is and “x” as in Xena (both of which make the “z” sound).
For the following irregular vowel sounds write these reference words on the
back: “u” as in put, “y” as in many, “o” as in who, “o” as in of, “a” as in
also, and “a” as in about. To signify these irregular sounds, draw a line under
the letter on the front of the cards.
Point to and
repeat; write and recite; & circle and recite
The same method is used to
teach the letter sounds as was used to teach the letter names. Do not discuss
the name of a letter when teaching its sound. First, teach both sounds for “c,”
“e,” “g,” “i,” “s,” and “x.” Choose a
letter and teach both sounds consecutively, but teach them one at a time. Teach
a sound by using both the lowercase and uppercase cards like before. Use the
“point to and repeat,” “write and recite,” and “circle and recite” activities
(refer to the March, April and May newsletters, respectively). When teaching an
additional sound for the same letter, explain that some letters have more than
one sound. Finally, teach the three sounds for “u” and “y,” and then the four
sounds for “a” and “o.”
Follow-up
If desired, space the three
daily learning activities (see bold heading above) throughout the day. You may
need to have your child choose one of the activities before giving them
permission to do other things. Like before, when your child can look at the two
flashcards the following day and remember the sound they are learning—without
any prompting—select the next letter. When your child searches the scriptures
for the “circle and recite” activity, “x” is found in many words beginning with
“e” in the index. Don’t worry about reviewing with your child sounds learned on
previous days. As always, reading a story to your child each day is also an
important activity at all stages in your child’s development!
This
unique program uses the Book of Mormon to help a child:
·
grow closer to the things of God
·
develop a scripture reading habit
·
learn how to read and write
Helping a child learn or practice reading and writing skills can be a daunting task. But it doesn’t have to be. Head Start with the Book of Mormon: Using the Scriptures to teach Children Reading and Writing Skills, by Vicki Lynn Rasmussen (42 brief pages + 70 pages of flashcards) will give parents and grandparents the skills needed to nurture great readers using a simple scriptural plan—based on the top 50 words in the Book of Mormon. From a toddler hearing a story read, to a child reading silently, the three included phases will benefit all learners. Watch as your child also develops the habit of regular scripture use!
Thank
you for purchasing this book! What better gift can you give a child than the
gift of literacy? As referenced on the back cover, the author’s royalties will
be donated to the LDS Perpetual Education Fund. The book can be ordered at the
website above, or purchased at LDS bookstores.
Please email any questions or comments you may have to:
I hope to chat with you again soon!
Hugs & wishes, Vicki (o;`~
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2007©LittleRasCo