Abc letter books and sight word books can be used to teach so many different beginning reading skills. We have used them to teach letter recognition, beginning sounds, sight words, beginning reading strategies, and writing! The printable letter books and sight word books for kindergarten can be easily differentiated. We have broken down how you can teach each skill previously mentioned. To differentiate, have students focus on whichever skill they are working on at that time. We have also provided a sample lesson which explains exactly how we taught these books in our classroom!
Teaching Letter Recognition
Teaching Beginning Sounds
Before reading the book, go over the focus letter and sound. Have students search for words that begin with that sound.
Teaching Sight Words
The best sight word books for kindergarten have different sight words in each book that become more challenging as the books progress. Teach the new sight words in the book before reading it and then add them to your word wall. After reading the book, have students look for and circle or highlight the new sight words on each page.
Teaching Beginning Reading Strategies
These printable sight word books/letter books are effective tools for teaching early reading strategies.
- Look at the picture.
- Point to each word.
- Start the word.
- Think about what makes sense.
- Read the words you know.
- Go back and reread.
Before reading the book, encourage students to look through all the pictures to gather clues about the story’s content. On the first page, have them point to the first word, get their mouth ready, and begin sounding it out. As they read, students should point to each word and use the pictures to help them determine what makes sense. If they encounter a word they don’t know, instruct them to skip it and read the words they recognize. Afterward, they should go back and reread the sentence correctly.
Teaching Writing
If you are using printable letter/sight word books, the last page can be used for writing. This page can be easily differentiated. For students learning the alphabet, have them write the letter the book focuses on and draw a picture of something that starts with that letter. When students are ready, have them write a word and draw a picture that starts with the focus letter. For even more of a challenge, have them write a sentence that follows the pattern of the book and draw a picture to match their sentence. Be sure to explain that the word and picture starting with the focus letter needs to be different from those already found in the book.
Sample Lesson
Review reading strategies with your students. At the beginning of the year, this may simply involve looking at the pictures and pointing to each word. Next, review the letter name and sound, and introduce any new sight words found in the book. Conduct a picture walk by having students turn each page and name the picture. You might also ask them to find the word that matches each picture during the picture walk. Model reading the book with your students, paying attention to words that start with the focus letter and any sight words. Encourage them to continue reading using the strategies discussed. Students should then read the book independently and underline all the sight words. On the last page, students can either draw and label a picture of another word that begins with the focus letter or write and illustrate a sentence that follows the pattern of the book.
Letter / Sight Word Books on Google Slides
These digital letter books / sight word books are a great way to reinforce the letter of the week, teach and review sight words and reading strategies. Each letter of the alphabet has its own 19 + page interactive digital slideshow. These slides are the perfect mini-lesson and a great way to engage your students. You can use these slides in your classroom or for distance learning.
Our Printable Alphabet Books
Our printable alphabet books can be used as individual alphabet letter books and are also some of the best sight word books for kindergarten we have found. The sight words become more challenging as the weeks progress. You will notice the order of the books is as follows: cmat rsip bfog hjul dwen kqvxyz. Based on research and experience, we recommend that you teach the alphabet in this order. Research has shown that this order gives students a good foundation for reading. This sequence is designed to help students be able to put sounds together and start building words. However, you may teach the alphabet in whatever order works best for you and your students.
Check out our Reading Skills Curriculum page to see our entire Alphabet Animals Reading Skills Curriculum! It is a year long curriculum that starts out teaching the alphabet and builds up to beginning sounds, long vowels sounds, digraphs, interactive writing, and more!
