Please scroll down to see available books, workbooks, supplementary books, activities, and flashcards that are used at Level 2.
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PDF Files - Level 2 - Exploring Sounds In Words
The newest version of Exploring Sounds In Words was uploaded in November, 2019. Students use two workbooks to study all the letters of the alphabet. The letters that are easiest to write are taught first. Letters that are more difficult to write are taught later. The books have handwriting warmup pages, handwriting pages, beginning and ending sound pages, put it together pages (beginning, medial, and ending sounds), large sound story pages, and "silly sounds" pages (two-sound letter combinations to pronounce).
The books can be used in kindergarten after completing level one, or as a readiness level at the beginning of first grade. The books teach/review the alphabet letters, their sounds, and their letter formation. Students write letters to show beginning and ending sounds for pictures, and also write letters on lined paper from dictation, given their sounds. Students learn to pronounce two-sound combinations consisting of a short vowel and a consonant, such as ab, ac, ad, af, ag, and ba, ca, da, fa, ga. These combinations are called "silly sounds" because they do not have meaning. While working through these books students begin spelling short vowel words with plastic letters in small groups, working with the teacher.
The optional Picture Dictionary A-Z book can be used with Exploring Sounds In Words if desired. It contains illustrated word lists for the alphabet letters in which all of the words begin with the same sound. For many letters, there are also ending sound word lists. These lists are similar to the lists in the level one Learning The Alphabet books. The teacher reads the words for students while they look at the words and pictures, so that they understand that the first letter represents a word's beginning sound, and the last letter represents its ending sound. Students at levels four and five who are already reading could also use this book as a spelling reference during creative writing periods. The words don't have written definitions - a small picture illustrates the meaning of each word. The book also includes the most common three-hundred words. These words are not illustrated.
Click on any of the green bars below to download the desired PDF file.
Click on any of the blue bars to download a compressed version of the file, with the same content but a smaller file size.
Click on any of the blue bars to download a compressed version of the file, with the same content but a smaller file size.
Previous Level 2 Materials
- The first book below shows a previous version of Exploring Sounds In Words. All of the alphabet letters are studied in the same sequence in a single workbook. The book does not contain handwriting pages, so you will need a separate handwriting book.
- There are two versions of the Exploring Sounds In Words Manuscript Handwriting Book. They are almost the same. The 2017 version has introductory pages with very large capital letters and lower case letters to trace and pages with smaller letters to trace and copy. The 2018 version has extra handwriting pages with capital and lower case letters that are between the extra large and small letters in size.
- The last book below is A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad. It has large color sound pictures and letters, making it suitable to read aloud to a full-sized class to introduce the speech sounds in English and the letters that represent them.
More Previous Versions
The links shown below are for an earlier version of Exploring Sounds In Words from 2013. At the time, the books were called Advanced Learning The Alphabet.
The link shown below is for the earliest version of Exploring Sounds In Words. The book, called Beginning And Ending Sounds, shows just the beginning and ending sound pages from the Exploring Sounds In Words books. Other pages are not included.
Sound Cards
Sound Story Picture Cards - With Or Without Alphabet Letters
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Use these cards at all levels when you are introducing A Sound Story About Audrey And Brad. Print on white card stock, and cut into separate flashcards. After reading new sections of the story to the students, show the sound picture cards for those sections. Have students say the sound for each picture. Place the cards in a pocket chart or on a table along with the alphabet cards that represent the same sounds. Have students match the pictures with the associated letters or letter patterns.
Some of the card sets have both the letters or letter patterns and the sound pictures. These are useful when students are learning new alphabet letters or "beyond the alphabet" letters and letter patterns from part two of the sound story. Hold up the card. Students say the sound and copy the letter or letter pattern onto their papers. |
Alphabet Cards - Lower Case And Capital Letters
Use these cards at all levels to introduce and review the letters of the alphabet. Print on pastel blue card stock.
Activities For Level 2
Oral Blending Cards
Oral blending pages are included in the Exploring Sounds In Words books. These picture cards include many of the same pictures. The cards can be used with individual students or a group for extra oral blending practice. No worksheets are used when using the cards - the activity is done orally. These cards can be used with older students who need to practice oral blending skills.
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Eleven sets of oral blending cards,
# 1-11. There are eight picture cards in each set. Includes compound words, two-syllable words, and two-sound words. |
Eleven sets of oral blending cards,
# 12-22. There are eight picture cards in each set. Includes three-sound words. |
Eleven sets of oral blending cards,
# 23-33. There are eight picture cards in each set. Includes four-sound and five-sound words. |
Sound Blending Cards - Learning To Pronounce Two-Letter Combinations (Saying "Silly Sounds")
If you pronounce two-letter combinations like ab, ac, ad, and af, you are not saying real words. That is why, in this program, they are called "silly sounds," because they don't really mean anything. At Level 2 in this program, Exploring Sounds In Words, students practice saying these two-letter combinations on a regular basis. These are essentially speech lessons. They prepare students to begin reading three-letter short vowel words.
In the letter connection activity, the teacher slides a short vowel card down the left side of several columns of consonants, creating combinations such as ab, ac, ad, af, ag, and ak. Students say the vowel sound followed by the consonant sound, sliding the sounds together smoothly. At the beginning, the teacher models how to pronounce each combination, and the students repeat. As students become more confident, they learn to pronounce the combinations without help from the teacher.
