This year your TK student will be learning the sounds of the alphabet using Zoo-Phonics. It’s an effective curriculum that’s been around for many years. The students quickly learn all the letter sounds because they are associated with an animal and a gesture. I have included two videos to help you practice at home with your child. We’ll soon master these letters and create our own video demonstration.

“Come Meet Us at the Zoo”, the Zoo-Phonics song

Introduction to the Zoo-Phonics animals and gestures.

Another Way to Sing the ABCs
You may notice that we sing the Alphabet Song a little bit differently than you remember. The tune is the same, but our version slows down “LMNO” so students don’t think that is just one letter instead of four!

A B C D E F G (clap)
H I J K L M N (clap)
O P Q (clap)
R S T (clap)
U V W (clap)
X Y Z (clap)
Now I never will forget, how to say the alphabet!

Learning to Read Words
We will be learning many words this year but the list will be created by your child! Students will be asked which words they would like to learn and we will make flashcards for each student based on their own interests. We call these word lists, “Words from the Heart” because your child will have a personal connection to every word chosen. Names of siblings are popular choices for the word lists, so look for an email from me to confirm the spellings.

For your information, I have included the essential 30 High Frequency Words (HFW) taught in Kindergarten:
Trimester 1: the, a, is, I, see, and, we, he, she, have
Trimester 2: it, this, go, do, has, are, in, on, what, you
Trimester 3: at, like, of, to, was, for, with, they, my, said

Click HERE for a list of short, fun videos to help your child practice these words.