Letters can stand for sounds — Language, 4–6 years
When we see a letter, we can connect it with a sound and use several letters to read a word.
A letter can show a sound
When we speak, our mouths make sounds. When we write, letters give those sounds a shape that our eyes can see, so we can read a word even when nobody is saying it aloud.
Why did people make letter signs?
A spoken message disappears when the voice stops. People needed a way to keep a name, a list or a message and send it to someone far away, so they made marks that could stand for parts of speech.
Reading «sol»
Take the word “sun”. First, look at s and say its sound. Then look at u and n, saying each sound in order. Now blend them smoothly: s-u-n becomes “sun”, the bright star we see in the sky.
One letter is not always one sound
It is sensible to expect one letter to make one sound, because that often works when we begin reading. But some letters work together, and the same letter can sound different in different words. We learn each word carefully.
Letters help us find things
Letters help us read labels on food, signs in a street and names on a coat peg. They also help us write a note for someone who is not nearby, so the message can wait for them.
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