Linking Letter Sounds

Building academic language

Word

• Explain that all of these things begin with the same sound, and the same letter--the letter C.
• Write the uppercase and lowercase C on the board.
• Ask the students to practice writing the letter C in the air with their fingers while saying the hard C sound aloud.
• Pass out the Alphabet Practice C worksheet and have the students practice writing the letter C on their own.
• Have the students turn and talk to a partner to think of other words that begin with the same sound.
• Have students return to the worksheet and draw pictures of other words beginning with the letter C.
• Tell the class that today they will be learning about a special insect that starts with the letter C, called a caterpillar.

Sentence

• Read aloud the book Are You a Butterfly? By Judy Allen
• Pause as you read to note the word "caterpillar" and have the students say it with you.
• After reading, ask the students if they can remember what happened to the caterpillar in the book. Prompt students with the sentence starter, "First ____. Then, ____. Finally, ____."
• Review the metamorphosis process with the students, providing student friendly word definitions using the glossary and visual vocabulary cards as reference materials.

Discourse

• Pass out the One, Two, Three worksheet for students to complete independently.
• Ask the students to circle the image that begins with the letter C.