English Year 3: The alphabet and reading words with pictures
English, Year 3 (Portugal): 26 letters with English names, letters that team up (sh, ch, ee) and how to read a word with the help of a picture.
26 letters, English names
English has 26 letters, with the same shapes as in your language, but with English names: A is “ay”, B is “bee”, C is “see”. Some letters team up to make one new sound: “sh” in “ship”, “ch” in “cheese”, “ee” in “tree”. The alphabet also helps you spell your name aloud: “A-N-A”.
A picture and a word make a team
A picture and a word are a great team. The picture tells you what the word means, and the letters tell you how to say it. English spelling is not always what you expect, so the picture lets you check your guess. When you read a new word, look for letters that team up, say the sounds, and check with the picture. You can read aloud or in silence.
Reading “sheep”, step by step
Under a picture of a sheep you see the word “sheep”. Step 1: look at the picture: a sheep. Step 2: find the letters that team up: “sh” (like “shh!”) and “ee” (like a long “eeee”). Step 3: say the sounds: “sh” + “ee” + “p”. Step 4: put them together: “sheep”. Step 5: check: the word and the picture match.
The letters have new names
Do not say letters the way your own language does. In English, E is said “ee” (like in “tree”), I is said “eye” and A is said “ay”. So E is not “eh” and I is not “ee”. When you spell your name, use the English letter names: “A-N-A” is “ay-en-ay”.
Where you will use it
You spell your name when someone asks: “How do you spell it?” You meet letters on signs, in word games and on labels on toys and food. Every time you find an English word with a picture, try to read it: find the letters that team up, say the sounds, and check with the picture.
Test what you learned
Which two letters team up to make the first sound of “ship”?
- a) ch
- b) th
- c) ee
- d) sh
Correct answer: d) sh — Yes! “sh” makes one sound, like “shh!”: “sh-i-p”.
You read the word “sheep” next to three pictures. Which picture matches?
- a) A ship
- b) A sheep
- c) A shoe
Correct answer: b) A sheep — Yes! “sh” + “ee” + “p” = “sheep”: the picture and the word match.
How do you say the letter E in English?
- a) eh, like in “bed”
- b) ay, like in “day”
- c) ee, like in “tree”
- d) eye, like in “eye”
Correct answer: c) ee, like in “tree” — Yes! In English E is said “ee”, like the end of “tree”.
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