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The Alphabet: 26 Letters, Big and Small

Students meet the 26 letters of the alphabet and learn that each one has a name and makes a sound — the building blocks of every word they will ever read.

KindergartenLetters30 minutes1 class periodReading WorkshopExplicit teaching4 StandardsCommon Core
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name letters of the alphabet.
  • ✓Know each letter makes a sound.
  • ✓Match a letter to a word.
  • ✓Find letters around them.
Essential Question

Every book, sign, and word is made from just 26 letters. What are the letters, and what does each one do?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Alphabet Explorer · Interactive

The Alphabet Explorer

Project this and tap any letter. Have students say its name, its sound, and the word it goes with.

🔤 Tap a letter — name it and say its sound!Try it
Aa
The Lesson · Reading Workshop (Mini-Lesson · Practice · Share)

30 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Connect — 26 Letters

5 min

Sing the alphabet song — how many letters are there?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Sing the ABC song.
  • Point to the letters.
  • Set the goal: the alphabet.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Sing along.
  • Watch the letters.
  • Predict the idea.
2

Teach — Names & Sounds

8 min

Teacher models.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a letter.
  • Say its sound.
  • Give a word that starts with it.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Say the name.
  • Say the sound.
  • Hear a word.
3

Active Engagement — Explore Together

9 min

Class uses the Alphabet Explorer.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Tap letters.
  • Say name, sound, word.
  • Find the letter in the room.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Tap a letter.
  • Name and sound it.
  • Find it around.
4

Practice — Practice

8 min

Students practice letters.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Have students find and name letters.
  • Match letters to words.
  • Trace a few letters.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Find letters.
  • Name them.
  • Trace them.
5

Share — Share

5 min

Students share a letter.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Invite a favorite letter.
  • Say its name and sound.
  • Hand out the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Share a letter.
  • Name/sound it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts.

CCSS
RF.K.1d

Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

CCSS
RF.K.3a

Demonstrate basic knowledge of letter-sound correspondences.

CCSS
RF.K.1

Demonstrate understanding of the organization and features of print.

CCSS
RF.K.3

Know and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Alphabet cards with picture words.
  • Sentence frame: “___ is for ___.”
  • Sing the ABC song with motions.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Focus on letters in the child’s name.
  • Learn a few letters at a time.
  • Match letter to a picture.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Say the sound each letter makes.
  • Find letters in a book.
  • Put letters in ABC order.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Projector / board
  • 📓Journals
  • 💻The Alphabet Explorer
  • 🔤Alphabet cards
  • ✏️Crayons
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

alphabetthe 26 letterslettera symbol for a sounduppercasea big (capital) letterlowercasea little lettersoundwhat a letter saysnamewhat a letter is calledwordletters put togetherABC orderthe order of the alphabet
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
How many letters are in the alphabet?
26.
QUESTION 2
What word goes with the letter B? (from the tool)
ball.
QUESTION 3
Does each letter make a sound?
Yes — every letter has a name and a sound.

Going deeper? Alphabet hunt.

Have students find and name letters on signs, books, and labels around the room. A printable alphabet hunt is in the ELA library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 The AlphabetFlip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 The AlphabetQuiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
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Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ The AlphabetPrint
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: ABC order, alphabet, letter, lowercase, name, sound, uppercase, word
  1. a symbol for a sound
  2. the order of the alphabet
  3. a little letter
  4. the 26 letters
  5. what a letter says
  6. a big (capital) letter
  7. letters put together
  8. what a letter is called

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. How many letters are in the alphabet?
  2. What word goes with the letter B? (from the tool)
  3. Does each letter make a sound?
Answer key — Part A: 1) letter · 2) ABC order · 3) lowercase · 4) alphabet · 5) sound · 6) uppercase · 7) word · 8) name
Part B: 1) 26. 2) ball. 3) Yes — every letter has a name and a sound.