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Learning Letter Sounds with Letter Drill Cards

9/13/2019

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I am always on the hunt to find the BEST possible method of teaching the alphabet and still, after a year and a half, I feel like I hit the grand slam with the Letter Drill Cards! We're always finding new and exciting ways to use them in our tiny schoolroom, and YES, we still LOVE them!
Learning Letters Sounds with Letter Drill Cards
Letter drill cards help teach and reinforce letter sounds, letter names, and the uppercase and lowercase formats! Not only that, but the cards are randomized so kids will actually learn the letters and not memorize the order of the alphabet. That was one of my biggest concerns when I was teaching my son the alphabet. We used to sing the alphabet song all the time together, beginning to end. Until one day, when I asked him what the letter N looked like...he completely froze and had to recite the entire alphabet until he reached the letter N in the list. That's when I realized that the way that I was teaching him wasn't effective in the least! It made no sense to teach him a list of alphabetized letters when in real life, words aren't always lined up in chronological order.
Learning Letter Sounds with Letter Drill Cards
That's when I created the Letter Drill Cards! I set it up so that each card has only a small group of letters that are introduced at a time. Students would read, from left to right, the random order of letter sounds or names. 
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"B, C, A, A, C, B."
Learning Letters Sounds with Letter Drill Cards
After only a week, I knew that it was working! I asked my son to point to the letter R in a list, and he immediately pointed to it. No more singing the entire alphabet song to be able to place the letter.

​This has worked so well that my son now knows all of the alphabet names, phonetic sounds, uppercase, and lowercase formats!

Learning Letter Sounds with Letter Drill Cards
To take it a step further, these Letter Drill Cards are editable! Teachers can customize precisely what letter their students need help with. Maybe it's just a few letters or perhaps its an alphabet in an entirely different language. No matter what the purpose is, teachers can make it their own to fit their own unique classroom!
Learning Letter Sounds with Letter Drill Cards
Teachers have even commented on how these cards help their students with reading disabilities or for the ones that just need an extra boost.
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Read what these teachers had to say about these cards:

"My child has a learning disability and these have worked really well with her. It's enough to make her think and still isn't too hard because she's only seeing a few letters at a time. She loves it."

"Good resource for practicing letter fluency. I plan to use it, especially the ones with only a few letters, on my students that need that extra help."

"This resource is perfect for my students who require support with their letter sounds. I love how it transitions to different letters."

"I used these today with my Pre-K kiddos. It will definitely help them learn their letters!! Thank you!"

"These are awesome! I wanted something I can use for my preschooler to help him master letter recognition and this will do just that. Thank you!”
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Check out these related resources:

Step-By-Step Alphabet Tracing Cards Bundle
Alphabet Bundle O' Go Fish!
Daps & Slaps Uppercase Alphabet
Daps & Slaps Lowercase Alphabet
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Top Essentials For The Evolving Homeschool

8/24/2019

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Here we go! Another homeschool year is underway. Exciting, right? ​
Top Essentials for the Evolving Homeschool
This post contains affiliate links. See full disclosure policy for more details.
And as with any homeschool, there are absolute must-haves for a learning space to be considered functional!
As for me, many of my homeschooling "essentials" have changed dramatically, just in the first couple of years alone. Crazy, right? Of course, my hand-made "curriculums" have rotated, but what about my teacher tools and accessories? Many I initially started with have become wholly unnecessary and sadly, a waste of money. It made me wonder why I ever decided that these "essentials" were even considered essential! But let's not talk about those right now. EEK!

So which homeschool essentials will last through years of learning?

It all comes down to how you envision yourself or how you are as a teacher.

Are you a homeschooler of one student, or ten? Do you teach in one room, or are you always on the move? Are your students visual or verbal learners? Do you embrace technology, or do you prefer to use more old school methods?

Many of you could probably flex in either direction for each question. That is why I've created this handy list of essentials that will flex with you as a teacher no matter what your style is!

#1 Visual Tools: The Whiteboard
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At first, I never thought I'd ever need to have a whiteboard in my homeschool, but I quickly learned that I was wrong. My whiteboard is used daily for almost every subject that I teach. It's a fantastic tool to have for visual learners, and it's excellent if you're trying to save paper. 
One misconception that I hear often is that a whiteboard is super bulky and takes up a ton of space, making it more of a hindrance than helpful.

Let me tell you right now that it doesn't have to be! There are so many different whiteboard styles on the market today; all you need to do is find the one that fits best for your unique space! Another plus is that it's easy to clean compared to a blackboard and works better around people with allergies (less dust).
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Here are some great options for you to consider:
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Best Whiteboard for Large Spaces (fixed): Lockways Magnetic Dry Erase Board 36X24
Best Whiteboard for Large/Medium Spaces (moveable): WEYOUNG's Magnetic Tripod Easel 24X36
Best Whiteboard for Small Spaces (fixed or portable): WEYOUNG's Magnetic Dry Erase 24X18
Best Whiteboard for Student Usage On the Go: Abaco Office's Mini Magnetic Whiteboard 16X12
And don't forget about having a good quality set of dry-erase markers!

Thin Assorted Dry-Erase: Low Odor Magnetic Double-Ended Erase Markers w/ Erasers
Thin Dry-Erase Black Set: Low Odor Black Dry Erase
Thick Barrel Assorted Dry-Erase: Artellius Thick Barrel Design with Bullet Tip
Best Erasers: Washable Smudge Free Magnetic Erasers
#2 Writing Tools: Good Pencils & Sharpener
So many people underestimate the power of a pencil! I can't express to you enough what a pain it is to sharpen a plastic-coated Spiderman themed pencil in my sharpener. What a mess! Pencils are by no means created equal. Some splinter and chip, others break easily, and some are just plain impossible to sharpen! If you'd rather spend quality time actually teaching your students than battling the classroom pencil sharpener, than check these out:
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BEST PENCILS: #2 Ticonderoga Graphite Pencils

Electric Sharpener (battery-powered): Tripworthy's No cord Sharpener for colored and #2 pencils
Electric Sharpener (electric powered): X-Acto School Corded Multi Size Pencil Sharpener
Manual Sharpener (mountable): X-Acto Mountable Manual Pencil Sharpener
Mini Personal Sharpener: STAEDTLER Mini Personal Pencil Sharpener
#3 Audio Tools: Mp3/CD/USB Player
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Yes, it's not a typo, I did write CD in this header! As some of you probably realize, CDs are not yet a thing of the past. Many curriculum developers and libraries haven't updated their systems with newer technologies yet. So multi-versatile audio players are a must-have in any learning space. 
With a decent audio device, you can:
  • Practice foreign languages
  • Listen to audiobooks
  • Play along with classics in a music lesson
  • Create an ambiance
  • Discuss cultural music from around the world
  • Listen to fact-based lessons for any subject
  • and more!

Here's a great Audio Player for you to check out (As a bonus, it's portable!):

Best Audio Player: SINGING WOOD's Portable CD/Bluetooth/USB/MP3/Radio/AUX
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Best Audio Player
#4 Tech Tools: Computer & Printer
We live in an age of technology, so why not utilize as many resources as we can? Computers are a fantastic way to get your hands on digital resources, digital books, online curriculums, educational games, and so much more. Every teacher could benefit from having a personal laptop at their fingertips. The plus side is that you can take it almost anywhere!
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Here is a great, yet affordable laptop you can check out:

Best Affordable Laptop: Acer Aspire 5 w/ Microsoft Office Home and Student 2019
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Best Affordable Laptop
And with every computer, you could use a printer! Check out these two great options; An all-in-one that will work great in your schoolroom or a mobile printer that is perfect for traveling with you on the road!

All-In-One Printer: HP Officejet 3830
On-The-Go Mobile Printer: Epson Workforce WF-100 Wireless Mobile Printer
#5 Storage Solutions
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Once you have your learning space filled with supplies, you need a place to store them! From your pencils to your papers, you don't want your room to be in disorder. A place of chaos becomes a distraction for you as a teacher, and for your students. So let's get organized!
Here are some of my all-time favorite storage solutions for your room:

Rolling Cart 1: 3-Tier Metal Storage Rolling Cart w/ Utility Handle and Extra Storage Accessories
Rolling Cart 2: 4-Tier Metal Rolling Utility Cart
Storage Cart 1: 6 Drawer Rolling Storage Cart
Storage Cart 2: 15 Drawer Organizing Cart
Storage Caddy: Clear School Supplies Desk Organizer
File Crates: Black Stackable File Crates
Hanging File Folders: 25 Pack Assorted Color Hanging Folders
Here are some of my favorites for storage solutions on the road:

File Folder Pocket Accordion: 24 Pocket Expanding File Folder
Travel Rolling Storage Case 1: Teacher/Student Black Rolling Organizer 
Travel Rolling Storage Case 2: Teacher/Student Gray & White Rolling Organizer
Carrying Storage Bag: Teacher/Student Carrying Storage Tote
Overall, these essentials will keep any learning space afloat. Let me know how they work for you. And let me know what essentials you would add to this list!

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This post contains affiliate links. See full disclosure policy for more details.
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    Hey there! I'm Ana. I'm a wife and homeschooling mother of one extraordinary little boy. I absolutely love music, mountains, and traveling with my family. Using my creative talents to make hands-on resources is my ultimate passion. For a glimpse into my life story click the button below!
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