Weekly Alphabet Circle Time: Learn the Letters, Sounds, and Word Families

What will be taught? 

Students will learn alphabet letters, letter sounds, and phonological awareness skills (i.e. spoken language skills) in each class.  The class will focus on teaching oral language skills, letter recognition, letter sound production, and word families or rhyming skills. 

Topics covered: 

In each class, learners will be shown a series of images/photographs that they will describe out loud. Learners are welcome to talk with one another and socialize to describe the photos in detail. After describing the photos, we will then pull out relevant words and images from the photographs and discuss the letters that come up along with their sounds. We will also discuss relevant word families and practice making rhyming words. This class uses evidence-based practice by introducing students to letters, sounds, and word families in a relevant manner that makes it easier for them to remember and more engaging.

Class structure: 

This class is structured as a preschool-age social class where learners engage in interactive discussion about photographs. There is some teacher-directed instruction in the middle of the class, but the class is largely interactive.

Each Week (25 minutes total) - 
2 minutes: Introductions / Alphabet Song
5 minutes: Describe the Picture - What do you see?
2 minutes: Alphabet Movement Activity (i.e. Letter Yoga / Alphabet Freeze Dance)
2 minutes: Rapid Recall - Naming alphabet letters and sounds (i.e. Letter A Says /a/)
8 minutes: Letters, Sounds, and Word Families - Teacher-Directed Instruction
5 minutes: Practicing the Skills - Games and Activities (i.e. Letter / Sound Match, Kahoot Games)
1 minute: Wrap Up / Goodbye

Note: This class is an ongoing class format. Your learner may enroll/unenroll at any time and will not miss any progression of skills. Each week is a different photograph with letters, sounds, and word families relevant to that photograph.


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Week of April 10: Family Photographs / -ad family / Letter Talk: M / D / B
Week of April 17: Spring Photographs / -un word family / Letter Talk: S / E / B
Week of April 24: Baby Animal Photographs / -ick word family / Letter Talk: C / R / S
Week of May 1: Friends Photographs / -en word family / Letter Talk: F / L / P
Week of May 8: Playground Photographs / -ark word family / Letter Talk: S / W / G
Week of May 15: Flower Photographs / -ower word family / Letter Talk: F / S / R
Week of May 22: Camping Photographs / -amp word family / Letter Talk: C / T / M
Week of May 29: Cat Photographs / -at word family / Letter Talk: C / A / T
Week of June 5: Dog Photographs / -og word family / Letter Talk: D / O / G
Week of June 12: Beach Photographs / -it word family / Letter Talk: B / O / W 
Week of June 19: Garden Photographs / -ug word family / Letter Talk: G / B / F / P

Note: Other word families and letters may come up in discussion based on the descriptions learners provide of the images they are shown.

Learners will be able to interact with me and their classmates during the entire class through games, discussions, interactive slides, and teacher-directed instruction.

Learners do not need any prior experience, but should be at the emergent literacy stage, where they are learning letters, sounds, and early pre-reading skills (typically preschool and Kindergarten).