For a few language-gifted children, learning to read appears to be as easy as “A-B-C.” They read without requiring hardly any assistance. Yet, most children will need precise instruction for learning how letters and sounds fit together.
In Alphabet Harbor, learning to read contains three intricately connected components: A. Hearing the Sounds; B. Knowing How the Vowels and Consonants Work Together; and C. Comprehension. (See ABC on the main picture.)
The first component, A: Hearing the Sounds, supports B and C. When children easily hear the sounds in a word, they will read it with ease, and more importantly, will use the words when speaking. That’s right, a child’s vocabulary increases when they hear the sounds in words. And when those around them use the words in conversations, confidence builds.