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What is the "alphabetic principle"?

Children's reading development is dependent on their understanding of the alphabetic principle – the idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language. Learning that there are predictable relationships between sounds and letters allows children to apply these relationships to both familiar and unfamiliar words, and to begin to read with fluency. (Reading Rockets Website)

Students need to have proficient knowledge of the names and sounds that the letters make. A main goal in kindergarten should be that your child is able to name all uppercase and lowercase letters as well as know the most common sounds for those letters. (That includes the short vowel sounds and the hard c {cat} and g {goat}). When students are able to automatically recall the names and/or sounds of the letters, it makes reading words much easier.

Here are some links to good activities that you can print off or use at home to help your child learn letter names and sounds:

The Measured Mom website
This Reading Mama Tips for teaching letters and sounds website
This Reading Mama Resources and Activites
Starfall Website-interactive online activities
Reading Rockets website
 

 



Our Mission

The mission of Wildwood Elementary School, the joyful Zephyr family dedicated to building the foundational pathway of learner agency and personal excellence, is to ensure that each student has intrinsic passion for life and learning with compassion for oneself and others, through a vital system distinguished by:

  • A culture of exploration, play, wonder, and creativity
  • An equitable learning experience for all 
  • A community that builds authentic relationships, a sense of belonging, collaboration, and trust 
  • A culture that views challenges as opportunities to persevere and grow 
  • An array of exceptional and global learning experiences that cultivate academic, social, and emotional growth
Wildwood Elementary School ISD #832
8698 75th Street North, Stillwater, MN 55082
Phone: 651.407.2100
Fax: 651.407.2125
Attendance: 651.407.2108
Our School
 
At Wildwood Elementary School, we honor the whole child and teach future-ready skills of inspiring curiosity, embracing change, and turning ideas into action. Our talented teachers and staff members work with students in small class sizes and nurture a culture of excellence that has become the expectation and norm. Our students learn social-emotional skills alongside academic core areas in order to gain the foundation for academic success. In addition, they have the opportunity to engage in learning with specialists in gym, art, media, music, and STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) classes. Our elementary school is surrounded by green space and our students enjoy recess at our natural playground and attend classes in our outdoor classroom. We have an engaged and supportive parent community who volunteers and supports the school with academic opportunities and tools. Our District is a leader in engineering and science and we value academic areas that will spark curiosity, fuel creativity, and instill a lifelong passion for innovation in our students.