Sydney arrived a little sleepy (apparently, she fell asleep in the car). I started the session outside to wake up and start on a positive note. Using sidewalk chalk, I wrote lowercase letters on the concrete and around the playground and asked Sydney to identify them. She could name m, t, s, f, o, u, c, and y. She was not able to name the rest of the letters. Next, we bounced a ball while singing the alphabet song. Sydney struggles to sequence the alphabet; this is an emerging skill. Going inside, Sydney picked several books from the preschool library (Clifford Loses a Tooth and Clifford's First Christmas). We discussed unfamiliar vocabulary and practiced comprehension strategies. To conclude, we played a game of Phonics Dice to practice letter identification with gummy bears as an incentive. Great work, Sydney.

My goals for Sydney are to be able to identify the letters, articulate their sounds, and proper letter formation. We played a game of "find the letter" on an alphabet game board; Sydney got a gummy bear for each letter identified. She had a packet from school with handwriting and initial sound activities; we completed most of the packet before Sydney lost interest. I read aloud "The Berestain Book". To conclude, we practiced letters learned last session (c, o, a, d).

Sydney arrived with a stack of worksheets from her school; together we decided to work on the letter i. We talked about the short sound of i, and brainstormed example words: itch, igloo, iguana. Sydney practiced writing the lowercase and uppercase letter, and colored a letter search of an iguana. Next, we read a Thanksgiving book, "One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims" By G. Hennessy. To conclude, we went on a "turkey hunt" around the school, counting the turkeys in the various decorations.

After a brief tour of The Batt School, Sydney picked a location, and we got to work. Schoolwork from Sydney's mom indicated that she had been introduced to the letters c, o, a, and d. We reviewed the letters and the sounds that the letters make, and Sydney practiced writing each letter. I emphasized the importance of proper letter formation (precisely where to start each letter). Sydney was eager to write, using both pencil and markers. I read her a book, Dr. Seuss's ABCs. To conclude, we played a board game, Phonics Dice.