Letter TV III

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The third series of Letter TV programs focuses on phonemic rules for readers, mostly related to vowel combinations. With only 26 letters to represent more than 100 phonemes, learning to read means learning how to decode all the sounds represented by certain combinations of letters. The rules presented in each episode will help learners unravel the complicated web of reading, build confidence, and expand vocabulary. Rules are explored in detail and the story provides a natural context for viewers to remember the correct application of the rule. A team-oriented explanation segment clarifies and simplifies the rule for learners, and a catchy song reinforces the concept. Over and over again, viewers see the characters reading as part of the story, effectively modeling positive attitudes toward reading.

“R” Controlled Vowels
A cowboy western where Co-Co finds her words (make that wods) lacking “r”s. Turns out the evil Bad Bart, actually Bad Bat at the moment, is stealing “r”s from words to replace the one he’s lost in his name. Horses become hoses in the fray.

Alternate Sounds of “A”
In a series of commercial ads, the sounds of “A” as in paw, haul, and mall are explored. This program also explores the purpose and effectiveness of TV advertisements, a valuable media literacy lesson.

When Two Vowels Go Walking . . . (1)
In a Storytime Segment, May Point reads her book, “The Boat, Goat, and Train” to illustrate the rule. Mark arrives on the set confounded, but by the end of the story, he understands the rule just fine.

When Two Vowels Go Walking . . . (2)
A parable about a town where people choose to eat wheat or oats. The community is completely segregated until an unfortunate mishap occurs to a wheat-eater, sparking a rescue by some nice oat people, and uniting the village.

Irregular Plurals
At the farm, Mark and Comma learn how some plurals are made by changing the spelling and sound of the word: geese, teeth, oxen. The episode also examines stereotypes.

Diphthongs (1)
Mark attempts to express the meaning of the term diphthong through music, dance, and by creating a wild machine, but because he doesn’t really understand diphthongs, his attempts fall short. May helps him and he goes off to write a play about diphthongs.

Diphthongs (2)
In part II, we see how Mark finally expresses the new phonemic vowel sounds created by certain combinations called diphthongs in an outrageous theater production.

Homophones (1)
Peri, captain of a pirate ship, tells an evening tale about a knight who wants to explore the sea. Co-Co keeps noting all the homophone puns in the story, from the night-knight story to a knight who wants to see the sea. She wonders if his boat is towed by a toad.

Homophones (2)
The story continues as the knight’s blue sail blew into a storm and the knight landed on Hare Isle to discover a fabulous treasure: fabulous hair!

Final Y
Mark is a mad scientist attempting to change the consonant sound of “Y” into a vowel sound by using a scary potion. Peri Od arrives to show him how placing the y at the end of a word with more than one syllable does the trick.

Vowels at the End
Mark discovers an old lamp and when he rubs it, Comma, a so-so genie appears. The genie grants two wishes to Mark. When the first wish doesn’t work out well, Mark decides to use his second wish to make the genie better than just so-so.

Silent ESilent E
Comma Commentator plays a Chinese Emperor who receives a silent e for a birthday gift. Afraid that others will think he is not smart, Comma keeps trying to hear the silent e, but only after a child arrives does he learn that the “e” changes the sound of the other vowel but is, itself, silent.

Long and Short
A long-and-short-vowel-sound fable about a bat with a pail of bait who won’t be a pal and share his bait. The bat learns that being greedy can lead you to losing what you have.

Visit the Letter TV Web site at www.lettertv.net for free lesson plans, correlation of Letter TV content to state learning standards, printable Letter TV feltboard pieces, scripts, lyrics, and other resources. The Letter TV CD-ROM offers great and fun practice for emergent readers.

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