Dear Preschool 3 Parents,
Iβm happy to share an update on all the wonderful progress your children have made during our literacy time this trimester! Itβs such a joy to visit the classroom each week and see how much theyβve grown in their love for books, sounds, and storytelling.
Phonemic Awareness with Heggerty
We are now working through the second half of the Heggerty program, focusing on developing strong phonemic awareness, the ability to hear and play with the sounds in words. The children are becoming more confident with rhyming, identifying beginning sounds, and blending parts of words together.
These skills are a key part of early reading readiness, and itβs exciting to see them build their understanding through playful listening games and sound activities.
Special Guest: David
One of the highlights of literacy time is when David (inspired by the mischievous character from the David books) comes to visit. The children absolutely love when David shows up, and they have come to expect his silly antics and fun surprises. David helps make literacy time feel special and keeps everyone engaged and excited to learn.
Our Literacy Routine
The children are now very familiar with our literacy routine. As soon as I arrive, they know itβs time for stories, sounds, and lots of learning fun. This sense of predictability and structure helps them feel confident and eager to participate.
Books & Reading Comprehension
Weβve been working on understanding and talking about books, helping the children think beyond just hearing a story. They are learning to:
- Identify the characters and setting.
- Retell important parts of the story.
- Predict what might happen next.
- Share their own thoughts and connections to the story.
Itβs wonderful to see them express their ideas and get excited about talking together after we read!
Letter Sounds & Rhyming Fun
We continue to explore letter soundsβhelping children understand that letters, just like animals, have their own special sounds. We also play with rhymes, encouraging them to listen for words that sound the same at the end. They are becoming more confident in recognizing and creating rhymes, which is a huge step toward becoming future readers.
Looking Ahead
As we move into the next part of the year, weβll keep building on these skills with:
- More practice with rhyming, blending, and segmenting words.
- Exploring environmental print, like noticing and βreadingβ familiar logos and signs.
- Encouraging children to retell stories using props and puppets.
- Introducing new seasonal books to spark curiosity and build vocabulary.
Itβs been a joy to watch the children grow in their confidence and excitement around literacy. Thank you for your ongoing support β if you have any questions or would like ideas for fostering literacy at home, Iβm always happy to share!
With joy and literacy love,
Judith Acosta
