A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J,K,L,M,N,O,P,Q,R, S, T, U, V, W,X,Y and Z, now I know my ABC's...

Let's review!  How many letters are there in the alphabet?  That's right, 26!  And there are 44 phonemic sounds that make up our language, too.

Remember the letters of the alphabet are used in combinations to make words. They make up the words in this book. Letters are symbols that represent sound. Phonemes are sounds that make up language. Letters are the smallest part of written words.

Words are built from vowels, (a, e, i, o, u) and consonants (the rest of the alphabet).  Y is special because sometimes it acts as a consonant and sometimes it is a vowel.

A vowel is not just a letter it is also a sound.

Put you hand under your jaw. Does your mouth move when you say these letters?

Say these Vowels

out loud like this

Vowels are formed with an open breathe channel. That's what makes them vowels, the relatively free passage of breathe through your throat and mouth. While a consonant is most often identified as a letter that is not a vowel.

There are 20 consonants not counting Y in the alphabet. How many consonants can you name? Need help? Look back at page 5 and say the letters that are consonants!

A syllable is formed as the mouth opens to say vowels and closes to say consonants. This act of opening and closing creates the rhythm in words.

Opens to say vowels

Closes to say consonants

Syllables sound like pauses or breaks in a word. Syllables have a vowel that acts as a core for the sounds. Vowels may or may not have consonants attached to them in a syllable.

Here's a one syllable word. Say it out loud.

Let's start clapping when we a syllable.

Say (and clap) these one syllable words

Let's continue to clap when we say a syllable.

and these

two syllable words