Key Features of the Student Letter Books

Each letter book is a resource for alphabet instruction and a support for children learning to read. Children have the opportunity to see and hear letter-sound correspondences in connected text that has colorful illustrations and memorable characters.

Alphabet Instruction in Every Book Each book opens with a routine that explicitly teaches the name, sound, and form of a letter. • First, children say a rhyme along with you to set up the target letter. • Then, a chant in every book helps children name the letter as they air trace or finger trace the capital and lowercase letter. • Next, an exemplar word and picture gives children a mental model for each letter sound. • Last, children get ready to look for letters and listen for their sounds in the story.

Intentional Text and Inviting Illustrations Every book has a story with diverse characters in realistic, relatable situations. Children attach meaning to letter learning as they listen to the story read aloud, follow along, and start to read. They can apply their alphabet knowledge to identify words in the book.

Clear Layouts for Early Literacy Every book supports children’s early literacy development, with short sentences on the bottom of the page. The books and lessons give context not only for phonics, phonemic awareness, and fluent reading but also print concepts as children practice looking from top to bottom, reading left to right, and using pictures to extend information in the words.

Questions About Letters, Meaning, and Feelings Intentional text in every book supports use for different purposes. Questions in the back of each book prompt conversations and encourage children to look back to find letter-sound representations and evidence to support their comprehension.

Words to Watch You can use the books for shared reading, where you read and children begin to recognize and read words on their own. A chart on the back cover of each book helps you prepare for the variety of words in the book including: • decodable words children can sound out • high-frequency words with irregular spellings that children may recognize by sight, learn by heart, and read with a focus on tricky parts • story words that are more complex for you to read aloud