Module 3: The Letter Aa-Language Arts K - Course Guide


Module Overview:

In this module, learners will focus on the letter Aa, practicing how to say the short /a/ sound and write the letter using fine motor skills. They will explore CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words by identifying and building words with the short /a/ sound and identifying the middle sound in spoken words. Learners will also work with high-frequency words such as “I” and “at,” and will build their phonemic awareness by identifying and creating rhyming words. Additionally, they will learn how to count the number of words in a sentence and sounds in spoken words. To support comprehension and expression, learners will also illustrate images that match descriptive text, strengthening the connection between words and meaning.


Module Materials:

Lesson # Lesson Title Material(s)
1 3.1 Letter Aa a small mirror
scissors
scrap paper
Handwriting Notebook
Sound Notebook
Words of the Week Notebook
2 3.2 Letter Aa Writing Notebook
scissors
3 3.3 Letter Aa Handwriting Notebook
scissors
4 3.4 Letter Aa household items
Writing Notebook
a small mirror
scissors
glue
5 3.5 Letter Aa Handwriting Notebook
Writing Notebook

Module Objectives:

Lesson # Lesson Title Objective(s)
1 3.1 Letter Aa
  1. Identify the letter Aa and tell the letter sound.
  2. Demonstrate fine motor skills and write the letter Aa.
  3. Learners will recognize high-frequency words "at" and "I."
2 3.2 Letter Aa
  1. Identify the middle sound in CVC words and apply concepts to build CVC words.
  2. Identify and create rhyming words.
  3. Identify the number of words in a sentence.
3 3.3 Letter Aa
  1. Identify and create rhyming words.
  2. Create an illustration to match a descriptive text.
  3. Demonstrate fine motor skills and write the letter Aa.
4 3.4 Letter Aa
  1. Identify and create rhyming words that include the short a sound.
  2. Identify the number of words in a sentence.
  3. Identify and count the individual sounds in spoken words.
5 3.5 Letter Aa
  1. Identify the middle sound of short /a/ in CVC words.
  2. Identify and create rhyming words that include the short /a/ sound.
  3. Identify the number of words in a sentence.

Module Key Words:

Key Words Words of the Week
letter Aa
vowel
short vowel
pronoun
middle sound
rhyming
fine motor skills
illustration
I
at

Module Assignments:

Lesson # Lesson Title Page # Assignment Title
1 3.1 Letter Aa 8 Handwriting
3 3.3 Letter Aa 6 Comprehension
4 3.4 Letter Aa 2 Phonemic Awareness
5 3.5 Letter Aa 5 Module Story


Learning Coach Notes:

Lesson # Lesson Title Notes
1 3.1 Letter Aa Your child will learn the letter Aa this week. While the letter Aa makes two sounds, the focus now is for your child to learn the short vowel sound, like the a in apple. This is so that your child can begin to decode consonant, vowel, and consonant (CVC) words such as mat. Your child will learn two new high-frequency words this week, at and I. Continue to review words already learned as new words are added.
2 3.2 Letter Aa Continue to reinforce the phoneme /a/ for the letter a. Repeat the beginning sound of words like ask, attic, act, alligator, and astronaut to help your child hear and identify the /a/ phoneme. Practice rhyming throughout the day by giving your child two words and asking if the words rhyme. Progress to giving your child one word with the short a sound in the middle and asking your child to say a word that rhymes with it.
3 3.3 Letter Aa Continue to practice listening for the /a/ sound at the beginning of words. Give your child two words and ask which one begins with the /a/ phoneme. Practice identifying and producing rhyming words with the short a sound in the middle. These are activities you can do during playtime, while preparing food, or driving in the car! Encourage your child to spend time practicing their words of the week.
4 3.4 Letter Aa Help your child practice rhyming by giving them a consonant-vowel-consonant word with the /a/ phoneme in the middle. Use words like bat, rag, and tap and ask your child to produce a rhyme. Continue to practice finger-stretching to count the phonemes in words. This is an activity you can do anytime. As your child prepares to draw a story about words that begin with the /a/ phoneme, help them brainstorm an idea before drawing.
5 3.5 Letter Aa Help your child practice counting phonemes in words by saying a VC or CVC word and asking your child to finger-stretch to count the phonemes. Use words like: at, in, on, up, map, sit, bug, and pen.

Module Guiding Questions:

When a student starts a lesson ask them questions to check for prior knowledge and understanding and to review concepts being taught. At the end of the lesson ask the questions again to see if their answer changes.

Lesson Title Question
3.1 Letter Aa
  1. Can you identify the letter Aa and make the letter sound?
3.2 Letter Aa
  1. Can you identify the middle sound and make rhymes?
3.3 Letter Aa
  1. Can you draw a picture of a description?
3.4 Letter Aa
  1. Can you count the words in a sentence?

Module Video Questions:

When a student watches a video take time to ask them questions about what they watched. Suggested questions for the videos in this module are listed here. Suggestion: Have the student watch the entire video first all the way through. Then have them watch the video a second time, as they watch it pause the video and ask the questions.

Lesson Title Video Question

Module Suggested Read Aloud Books:

Take time to read to your student or have them read aloud to you. Read a different book each day. While reading the book point out concepts being taught. You may purchase these books or find them at your local library. Suggested things to discuss while reading the book:

  • What is the main idea?
  • What are three things new you learned?
  • How does this book relate to what you are learning about?

# Book Author Lexile Level
1 The Lady with the Alligator Purse Nadine Bernard Westcott NP
2 Ten Apples Up On Top Dr. Seuss 200L
3 Eating the Alphabet Lois Ehlert NP
4 There’s An Alligator Under My Bed Mercer Mayer 490L
5 The Icky Sticky Ant Eater Dawn Bentley


Module Outing:

Take some time to apply what your student is learning to the real world. Suggested outings are below.

# Outing
1 Take your student Grocery Shopping with you this week. Have your student carry a notepad and pencil. While at the grocery store, have them draw or write items, they see that start with the letter Aa. Challenge them to find things that have the short Aa sound in the middle of the word.