Letter Skills

Letter Names- Kindergarten students should be able to name each capital and lowercase letter quickly and correctly. The letters and sounds are introduced quickly, so it is to your child’s advantage to have a good background on recognizing many of them before school starts. Start practicing naming letters in the child’s name, and build on learning a few each day. Keep letter naming practice short and fun. Some game ideas are included in the "Flashcard Fun" document below.
Letter Sounds- In Kindergarten, the sounds are learned along with the capital and lowercase letter. Kindergarten students start blending as soon as three sounds are learned. For students unfamiliar with letter names, this is a lot to master each week! Parent help is appreciated.
Once your student is comfortable with letter names, you can help them in learning the letter sounds. See the letter sound guide document below. Keep in mind that some sounds should be held 2-3 seconds, and some sounds are quick. This is indicated on the sound guide as well.

Phonological Awareness Resources and Information

Letter Sound Guide

Pronunciation guide for the symbols taught in Reading Mastery. Our district teaches these sounds for the letters in ALL of our reading programs for consistency. Some sounds are held and some sounds are said quickly. This will be indicated in the "pronounce" column by three letters for held sounds and by one letter for a quick sound. You can click on each symbol to hear the sound. Examples of the sounds used in words are also provided as an example. Ask your child's teacher or school's literacy facilitator is you are unsure about any sounds.

download letter sound guide