Digital Learning-Thursday, May 14th

This week, we had fun with our very last letter, Zz!

Let's read about Zak, the bee who loves to buzz around. You might notice that some words begin with Z, like Zak, and some words end with z, like buzz. Read on to find out where Zak likes to buzz. 

Read the chart of Z words 3 times. Try reading the words quickly across the page, then up and down.

Congratulations, you finished all of your alphabet letter sounds! We are so proud of you! 

Digital Learning-Wednesday, May 13th

Welcome back! The /z/ sound can be heard at the beginning of words or at the end of words. Tap out the sounds in the words below and blend to read the words quickly. 

What other words can you think of with the /z/ sound? 

Zebra, zero, zipper, zoo, or even Zombie begin with the /z/ sound. In the story, Zombies Don't Eat Veggies, Mo loves to eat veggies. Can he convince his family to try peas? Listen to the story to find out. 

Zombies Don't Eat Veggies! Read Aloud

Mrs. Arduino's Story Time

Digital Learning-Tuesday, May 12th

Zeke the Zebra is our zoo animal for this week.

To give Zeke's signal. place your hands together and lean them against your cheek to suggest Zeke catching a few “z’s” (sleeping). While signaling, say the letter sound /zzzzz/.

How much do you know about zebras? They live in Africa and spend most of their time eating grass. Do you know why they have stripes? Check out the link to learn more about zebras.

Facts About Zebras

Look at the picture and name the objects that begin with the /z/ sound. 

Hint: there are a total of 5.

Did you notice the zipper on the zebra's jacket? Zipper begins with the /z/ sound. Go on a scavenger hunt at your house and see how many different zippers you can find. You can look for zippers on coats, pants, backpacks, and purses. Practice zipping your jacket. 

It's time to catch some Zzzzz's! Get some rest and we will see you for a new lesson tomorrow! 

Digital Learning-Monday, May 11th

This week we will be learning about our last letter sound, /z/ for the letter Zz. Can you believe we made it to the end of the alphabet? 

Click the link below to hear the song for Mr. Z

The song for Mr. Z 

Read the poem about a baby zebra named Zigzag. How many words can you count with the /z/ sound?

Let's make a match! Name each picture and tap out each sound you hear. Touch the word that matches the picture.

Great work! We will see you tomorrow with a new lesson about the letter Z! 

Digital Learning-Thursday, May 7th

This week has been all about the letter X!

Read the story pages below and listen for the /ks/ sound at the end of many of the words. Is Ben able to get his sax fixed?

Read the words in the chart with the /ks/ sound at the end. Quickly read the words across, then up and down three times. 

Nice work, friends! Each time you read the word chart, you are improving your fluency. Have a happy weekend and we will see you next week with our last letter! 

Digital Learning-Wednesday, May 6th

Welcome back to our sound study of the letter x /ks/. Tap out the sound of each word, then blend together to read the word.

Luca looks like a fox, but acts like a dog. The dogs at the park don't think he is a dog. The foxes in the forest don't think he acts like a fox either. Will Luca find a friend? Listen to the story to find out...

I Am Not a Fox Read Aloud

Name each picture and listen for the sound of the letter x, /ks/. Be careful, two of the words do not end with the /ks/. 

Nice work today! Look for more letter sound practice activities on our blog tomorrow. 

Digital Learning-Tuesday, May 5th

 Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today we are going to practice the /ks/ sound for the letter X. The zoo phonics animal for the letter X is Xavier Fox. You can make his signal by crossing your arms in the shape the letter X and say the letter sound /x/, (“ks”). The “x” in Xavier comes at the front of the name, but the “x” in “fox” comes at the end.

Take a look at the picture and name the objects with the /ks/ sound for x at the end of the words. Hint: there are a total of 6.

The /ks/ sound for the letter X is at the end of many words. Look at the pictures below and listen for the /ks/ sound at the end. Only the pictures that end with /ks/ can go in the box. Don't get tricked! Three of the pictures do not belong. 

We have also been learning about the different parts of a book and who makes a book. The author is the person who writes the story, and the illustrator makes the pictures. We can find this information on the title page of the book. Click on the link to watch a quick video: 

Parts of a Book Lesson Video

Great work today! We will see you tomorrow with more words to practice that end with x.

Digital Learning-Monday, May 4th

Welcome to a new week of digital learning! Our letter of the week is Xx, which makes the /ks/ sound. Mr. X is mixed up and all wrong. Click the link to hear his song.

Meet Mr. X

Read the poem about Max the Fox to find out why he went to the doctor. Notice the letter x at the end of words in this poem. 

Have you ever had an X ray at the doctor's office? So many bones make up our bodies. An X ray is a picture of your bones. 

Here's a fun craft you can try at home. Make an X ray of a skeleton using pieces of a plastic straw, dry spaghetti, or toothpicks. 

Have an excellent day! See you tomorrow for more fun with the letter X!

Digital Learning-Thursday, April 30th

We are having fun the the letter Qq and the /kw/ sound this week. Name the objects in the picture that begin with the /kw/ sound. Have you ever eaten a quesadilla? They are quite delicioso!

Let's read a story about Quinn the cat. As you read the story pages, notice the words that make the /kw/ sound that begin with the letter Q.

Quickly read the words in the chart three times. Read the words across the page, or start and the top and read down in a row. 

We had fun learning more about the letter Qq this week. Have a quiet and peaceful weekend!

Digital Learning-Wednesday, April 29th

It is a wonderful Wednesday and we are continuing our letter sound practice for the letter Qq. Read the words below. Tap out each sound, then blend to read the word. Remember that the letters qu make one sound, /kw/.

Let's listen to a story about a lonely duck. His name is Quackenstein, which begins with the sound/kw/. All the animals in the zoo have families to love. All of them, except Quackenstein. Lonely and sad, he decides to adopt an egg. He cares for it, waiting until the moment when it will hatch a baby duck of his own. On a dark and stormy night, the egg hatches, but wait—what’s this? That baby’s not a duck! Click the link to find out what Quackenstein does next.

Quackenstein Read Aloud

       

Our sight word for this week is see. Quack the Duck is looking at boots with his dad. Do you see the word see in the story sentence?

What color boots would you pick? We will read more about Quack the Duck in our Zoom meeting this week. 

Digital Learning-Tuesday, April 28th

Today we are naming objects and reading words that begin with the /kw/ sound for the letter Qq. 

The Zoo-phonics animal that makes the sound for the letter Q is Queeny Quail. You can make the signal for Queeny by placing your bent index finger forward at the top of your forehead, while saying the letter sound /q/ (kw). We use our finger to make the feather on top of Queeny's head. 

What facts do you know about a quail? Quails are small, plump birds with brown to bluish-gray feathers. A plume on the tops of their heads bob as they walk. The eat seeds, berries, and flowers.

Click the red link to find out more about this special bird. Facts About Quails

Look at the picture below. Name the objects that begin with the /kw/ sound. 

Hint: there are a total of 9.

Nice work, you are quick! Check back tomorrow for more fun letter activities. 

Digital Learning-Monday, April 27th

Welcome back, it's a magnificent Monday! Today, we are learning about the sound of the letter Q. 

                          Check out this link to hear Mr. Q's song:   Letter People-Mr. Q's Song

Do you ask a lot of questions? We hope you do because that is how we learn about things. When you have a question, you use asking words. Try using the asking words from the chart to ask a question about Mr. Q. What are you wondering about him?

Take a look at our poetry poster and count the number of words with the letter Qq. Why did the queen want the birds to be quiet? 

Time for a nap! You might want to take a nap today too. We will see you back here tomorrow! 

Digital Learning-Thursday, April 23rd

Today is "thumbs up" Thursday! It's time to practice our reading fluency. Can you read the words in the chart smoothly and quickly? Try reading it 3 times, going up and down or across. 

Vincent Vampire Bat helps us with the /v/ sound. What do you already know about bats? 

While much of the world sleeps, vampire bats emerge from dark caves, mines, tree hollows, and abandoned buildings in Mexico and Central and South America. If you want to learn more about vampire bats, check out this National Geographic link for kids:

National Geographic Vampire Bat Facts

Now we are going to listen for the first sound we hear in words. Say the name of the picture and listen for the beginning sound. Can you match the pictures that have the same first sound? I hear /v/ in van, and /v/ in vase. Now you try.

We are proud of you for practicing your letter sounds this week. Tomorrow is fun Friday, so enjoy your day and we will see you back next week with a new letter friend! 

Digital Learning-Wednesday, April 22nd

Do you remember our Zoo-phonics friend who helps us with the letter V?

v—vampire bat

Vincent Vampire Bat

Bend and raise your elbows horizontally with

your hands near your mouth. Form little fangs

with your index fingers. Flap elbows up and

down and say the letter sound /v/.

Can you tap out each sound for the words below? Blend the sounds together to read the words. Which words rhyme? 

Read the passage about Val the vet. How many words can you read with the /v/ sound? Remember, our sight word of the week is here. Point to the word here in the story. 

We will read more of this story in our Zoom session this week. See you then!