Teaching Phonics

I help teach phonics in kindergarten and I would like to post my lessons. The first time I realized I actually had to teach something, as a parent, instead of just helping out... I freaked out. I have always thought I was a horrible teacher. Looking back I realize it was because I was teaching from a manual and didn't even think about how to make it creative and fun. I just read from the manual.. BORING! No wonder kids would get all restless and not pay attention. When I was told I would have to pick a subject to teach they didn't give me a manual. The only thing they told me was the theme of the month. I needed to exercise my brain a little bit to figure out how I was going to teach phonics. I never knew I'd love it!!!

I teach every other week in little groups. The groups are about 4 kids in 15 minute sessions.  My job as a co-op parent is to reinforce the phonics skills the teacher has been teaching.  We play games that deal with specific areas of reading. Each month is a new step in the journey to reading.  Please feel free to adjust any of these lessons to your situation.

Here are the steps to reading kindergarten level:

Sept. - letter identification
Oct. - letter sounds
Nov. - short vowels
Dec. - word families (words that end the same)
Jan. - blending (sounding out the letter sounds to make words)
Feb. - long vowels
Mar. - ch, sh, wh
Apr. - beginning sentences
May - review