Alphabet Books - A WIL Home-School Connection
Because our approach at WIL to literacy instruction has its emphasis on children's developing awareness, we do not directly "teach" the alphabet but instead provide many opportunities to encounter the letters, their names, and their sounds.
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To support children's alphabet learning, WIL features one new take-home alphabet book each month. These are to be used first at school. We ask teachers to change their classroom alphabet displays on a monthly basis using the pictures we supply. And, we suggest, after teachers have discussed the new alphabet with children, that they tape the cards below the classroom chalkboard so the pictures are at these young children's eye level.
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After their month of serving as the classroom alphabet, the alphabet books are meant to be sent home for families to read together. You can consider the books as additions to the Take Home Reading Program. Research has shown that repeated readings of alphabet books aid children in alphabet knowledge and recognition.
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September: Starting Head Start: A First Alphabet Book
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October: A Halloween Alphabet
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November: A Thanksgiving Alphabet
For those who've asked, Wampanoag are the native peoples who participated in the Pilgrim's first thanksgiving.
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December: A Winter Holiday Alphabet
Kwanzaa is an African-American holiday celebrated during the winter season. Hanukkah, variously spelled Hanukah or Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday that also falls at this time.
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January: A Winter Alphabet
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February: A February Holiday Alphabet
February is African American history month. You may want to refer to the lessons for Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King as well as The Snowy Day. Both of these can be found in the A-Book-A-Week instruction. You can learn more at the African-American Mosaic at the Library of Congress.
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Ground Hog Day, February 2, is often interesting for children. You and your children can look at Phil's long history at the Official Groundhog Site.
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March: A Transportation Alphabet
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April: A Springtime Alphabet
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It is our policy at WIL to recognize and honor America's wonderful diversity through the pictures we select. Please let us know if we have inadvertantly included pictures you cannot use in your particular cultural setting.
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