The main objective of the first seventeen lessons is to recognize and name the
letters of the alphabet. In addition, students will gain and understanding of the alphabetic principal and strengthen
their phonemic and phonological awareness.
Two special features of the Learning Letter Sounds™ program should be mentioned.
1. Order of Introduction
Letters are introduced in order of their frequency of use rather than in alphabetical order. In choosing the order of
presentation, Learning Letter Sounds uses the Hanna study of the Thorndike-Lorge Word List and ease of learning from the
Nicholson study. The first six letters introduced, o, s, t, a, r, e appear in 50% of words in the English language. When
the next six letters, s, i, l, u, c, p, are taught, the child has 80% of the letters in words. Vowels are combined With
consonants and letters are paired for ease of learning.
Letter learning tasks vary in difficulty. Tasks, from easier to harder are: Matching letters, identifying letters named
and recalling letters from memory.
Learning letter names in this manner does not preclude the necessity for also
learning alphabetical order. (Thorndike-Lorge, 1944; Nicholson, 1958; Hanna, 1966; Moats, 1998)
2. Letter Name-Sound Phonics
Letter name-sound phonics is a unique teaching medium that helps make phonics logical and easy for beginning readers.
Letters are first introduced in the context of words in which the name of the letter is actually heard.
Example: letter /a/ in able, letter /n/ in end, letter /i/ in ride. This technique capitalizes upon the child's mastery
of oral language and logically transfers that skill into an understanding of the alphabetic system. Twenty-two of the
twenty-six letters of the alphabet permit letter name- sound phonics; the names of h, q, w, and y do not contain their
sounds.
The letter name-sound process is used each time a new letter is introduced (with the exception of h, q, w and y). As each
lesson progresses the student encounters the letters used in words in which the letters do not say their names and in
initial, medial and final positions.
Awareness of separate sounds in spoken words has sequence of ease; letter name-sounds are easier to identify than phonemes;
sounds at the beginning of words are easier than at the end or middle of the word; larger clusters of sound, such as rhyming
phonograms or syllables are easier than smaller phonetic units. (Durrell-Murphy, 1953)
Lesson Content: Introduction of Letter Names
Lessons
1 - os OS
2 - at AT
3 - er ER
4 - Review of lessons 1, 2, and 3
5 - in IN
6 - ul UL
7 - cp CP
8 - Review of lessons 5, 6, and 7
9 - md MD
10 - hb HB
11 - yf YF
12 - Review of lessons 9,10, and 11
13 - gv GV
14 - xw XW
15 - kz KZ
16 - qj QJ
17 - Review of lessons 13,14,15, and 16
Letter Sounds
After the student has mastered letter names, that knowledge is put to use learning the sound-symbol relationships of those
letters. The remaining fifty-two lessons are devoted to logically and systematically making the transition from speech to
print.
Iitial cosonants, digraphs and blends are presented first, then these elements are blended with vowels within common
phonograms, employing comparison and contrast, transfer, analogy, onset-rime examples and other effective instructional
strategies. (Adams, 1990; Goswami-Bryant, 1986; Wylie-Durrell, 1970)
Sounds are never distorted by being presented in isolation.
The student always hears the sound within the context of whole words that appear with high frequency in the speaking
vocabulary of primary-age children.
Lesson Content: Introduction of Letter Sounds
Lessons
18 - s, m
19 - b, t
20 - p, f
21 - Review of lessons 18,19, and 20
22 - r, d
23 - c, n
24 - h, l
25 - Review of lessons 22, 23, and 24
26 - g, v
27 - k, j
28 - z, w
29 - Review of lessons 26, 27, and 28
30 - y, q
31 - ch, th
32 - sh, wh
33 - Review of lessons 30, 31, and 32
34 - sp, sl
35 - sc, sm
36 - st, sk
37 - Review of lessons 34, 35, and 36
38 - sn, sq
39 - sw, tw
40 - br, tr
41 - Review of lessons 38, 39, and 40
42 - gr, fr
43 - dr, cr
44 - pr, wr
45 - Review of lessons 42, 43, and 44
46 - cl, bl
47 - fl, pl
48 - str, scr
49 - Review of lessons 46, 47, and 48
50 - ay, ail, ain
51 - ake, ave, ate
52 - eat, ear, eep
53 - Review of lessons 50, 51, and 52
54 - ide, ice, ine
55 - ow, oke, old
56 - ook, oop, ore
57 - Review of lessons 54, 55, and 56
58 - ap, an, at
59 - ack, ash, ank
60 - ent, ell, est
61 - Review of lessons 58, 59, and 60
62 - ip, in, it
63 - ick, ill, ing
64 - ot, op, ock
65 - Review of lessons 62, 63, and 64
66 - ub, um, ug
67 - uck, ump, ush
68 - aw, are, all
69 - Review of lessons 66, 67, and 68
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LS™ Learning Letter Sounds: 
