The Letter "J"

Welcome back to Read Not Guess. Today we’re going to work on the letter “J.”

Remember that we’re going to focus on the sounds the letters make. Both parent and child will need to be able to see the screen.

Let’s get started.

Today’s Letter Sound

Today we’re going to learn the letter “J.” We’re going for a sound like at the beginning of the words “jar” or “jelly.”

Ask your child to make the “j” sound 3 times as they point to the letters:

j

j

j

Ask your child if they can think of any words that have the “j” sound.

If they need help, the words jaguar, jump, and jellyfish all have the “j” sound.

Have them say the “j” sound 3 more times as they point to the letters:

j

j

j

Word Practice

Now we’re going to work on “blending” letter sounds into words. Your child can start slowly by saying each sound individually, but each time, they should try to say it just a bit faster.

Ask your child to say the correct sounds as they point to the letters:

j a m

j am

jam

And:

j u g

j ug

jug

And:

j o t

j ot

jot

And:

j e t

j et

jet

Did they get it right? If they're still reading it as "juh-eh-tuh" by the end of the sequence, have them do it faster until they are reading the word "jet" quickly and correctly.

Let’s do a few more:

j u m p

j u m p

jump

And:

j u s t

j ust

just

Silly Story

You may have to help your child sound out some of these words, but see if they can read this:

Jack and Jill went up a hill.

Jack had a bucket full of water.

But Jack was in a jam. He did not want to spill.

He did not go fast.

But he did it.

Yay Jack!

Were they able to get through it? We haven’t covered the “er” or the "ay" sounds yet, but were they able to sound them out based on the sounds they do know?

That’s it for today. See you next time.

P.S. This lesson pairs well with actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph reading Jabari Jumps at Storyline Online.