Alphabet's Secret Code
Explore the incredible power of the alphabet by creating words with paper letters. Discover how our 26 letters combine to form countless words, even with different sounds, challenging your family to see language in a whole new way.
The lesson goal is learners will understand that all the words we use come from just 26 letters, even though those letters can make many different sounds. They will be able to experiment with various letter combinations to build and recognize new words.
What You Need
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Learning Guide
Step-by-step guidance. No preparation required.
- 1
Breakfast Table Words5 Min
- Point out words on breakfast items and count letters.
- Move on when Student identifies at least two words and counts the letters in one of them.
Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels - 2
Explore & Plan: Our Letter Toolkit8 Min
- Discuss the alphabet and guess how many letters it has.
- Write each letter of the alphabet onto small paper squares.
- Cut out all the letter squares to create letter tiles.
- Move on when Student has a complete set of paper alphabet letters cut out and ready to use.
- 3
Discussion: Letters and Sounds6 Min
- Explain that 26 letters make about 44 sounds.
- Ask how 'A' sounds different in 'apple' vs 'ate'.
- Discuss how letters combine to make new sounds like 'sh'.
- Move on when Student can provide an example of a letter making different sounds in different words and understands that letters combine to make sounds.
Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán on Pexels - 4
Activity: Building a Word Universe9 Min
- Use paper letters to spell out your name or a favorite word.
- Try changing one letter to create a new word.
- Challenge yourself to build longer words or tricky words.
- Move on when Student has successfully built at least three different words using their paper letters.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels - 5
Summary: The Power of 262 Min
- Ask what was most surprising about letters and words.
- Discuss the power of 26 letters making many words.
- Move on when Student shares one key takeaway about letters, sounds, or words.
Photo by Anastasia Shuraeva on Pexels
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