Books Archives - Pure Joy Teaching

Heart Word Mapping Manual

How to teach the heart words just got easier with this mapping manual for teachers. Decoding and encoding by the spelling patterns. Sound articulations and spelling rules all organized in one place.

Detailed sight word mapping by sounds, with articulation support.

Help is at your fingertips with these colorful tabs on the teacher’s manual. Low Prep organized Teacher’s Guide. Support your students by explicitly teaching heart word mapping sorted by sounds. Differentiated levels, cumulative instruction, phonics, and spelling patterns. Student worksheets. Articulation images with detailed explanations. Great for reading intervention!

Heart words grouped by the sounds make it easier for students to practice and retain the information.

Unique Heart Word Decoding Elkonin Boxes

Full Red Heart – Focused heart sound skill
Heart Outlines– Previously learned pattern
Green line – Decodable sound
Green line with a Dark outline – Long vowel that says its name
White line with X – silent letter

Articulation Instruction

Mouth image with airflow lines
Voiced and unvoiced marking under bottom lip ~
Detailed descriptions of lip and mouth movements
Helpful descriptions of sound: bursts, vibrates, air pushes

Spelling Patterns – Tabs

Vowel Sounds, Schwa, 2 Long u sounds, Digraphs, R-Controlled, R-Trigraph, consonants, th/th voiced and unvoiced, wh

Consonants – Begin c, k, ending ck, ending k, ke, ic, soft & hard g, dge, ending l, ll, le

more

s = z sound

The suffix – ed has 3 sounds

contractions

tricky Y

How will this help you?

Well-organized resource. Easy to grab and teach with No-prep work.

Heart Words are orthographicly mapped for you. Explicit phonics.

Code-based spelling instruction.

Color-coded decodable sounds are green or darker outlines for long vowels.

Heart Words and decodable words are grouped together by similar sounds, which makes teaching them easy and sound-focused.

Sound checks on the back cover.

Vowel articulation on the last page.

Detailed sound articulation directions are at your fingertips.

Student worksheets are versatile to use. Follow the link to see the video.

Cumulative Instruction

Heart Words and High-frequency words grouped by sounds are presented in a sequential and cumulative format.

Starting with the simplest words first and then progressing to more advanced words.

Example – short a

at,

an,

and,

am,

as * ( this one is the heart sound, s = z) The other words were decodable.

How to Teach the Schwa Heart Words

Letter g, Mastering Sound and Shape

lowercase letter ‘g’ can be a tricky one to learn, both in terms of its sound and its shape. While these challenges are quite common, understanding the reasons behind them can help students overcome confusion. They can master the letter with ease with these helpful tips. Let’s break down two main difficulties students often face when learning the lowercase ‘g’.

Clever handwriting trick for making the letter and the hard g sound.

Watch this super simple video a few times. Learn to make the lowercase letter g in three easy steps and remember the hard /g/ sound with the word “girl.”

See /c/, /a/, /g/ girl. YouTube Video Here.

Pure Joy Teaching. Handwriting Trick for the Letter /g/.

This video was made at the request of a mother who was trying to teach her daughter to make the lowercase /g/ correctly and remember the letter sound, too.

Understanding the Lowercase Letter ‘g’: Overcoming Common Struggles

For many students, the lowercase letter ‘g’ can be a tricky one to learn, both in terms of its sound and its shape. While these challenges are quite common, understanding the reasons behind them can help students overcome confusion. They can master the letter with ease with these helpful tips. Let’s break down two main difficulties students often face when learning the lowercase ‘g’.

1. Letter Sound Confusion: The Soft ‘g’ and the “j” Sound

One of the biggest challenges students encounter is distinguishing the sound of the letter ‘g.’ When we say the name of the letter “G,” it sounds like the “j” in words like “giraffe.” This can lead to confusion because the letter ‘g’ actually has two distinct sounds in English:

The hard ‘g’ sound, as in “go” or “girl.”
The soft ‘g’ sound, as in “giant” or “giraffe.”

Because the letter name sounds like a soft “j,” students can mistakenly believe that the letter always makes the soft sound. Helping students practice both the hard and soft sounds of ‘g’ can clear up this confusion.

2. The Shape of Lowercase ‘g’: Confusion with Capital G

Another challenge is the shape of the lowercase ‘g,’ which can easily be confused with the capital letter ‘G.’ The lowercase ‘g’ is unique because it has a loop at the bottom that faces the opposite direction of the capital ‘G.’ This can be difficult for students to grasp, especially since both letters look somewhat similar. If they have learned the capital letter first, they may influenced by that initial shape curving the other direction.

To help students remember the lowercase ‘g’ shape, it’s important to practice writing the letter step by step:

Start by drawing the letter /c/.
Then, make it into the letter /a/ by sliding up and down to the line.
Finally, complete the letter by drawing a little tail that hangs out to the left side. Very simular to the letter /j/ tail.

By focusing on these specific steps and practicing the direction of the curve, students can avoid mixing up the lowercase ‘g’ with its capital counterpart.

The Importance of the Starting Point

The lowercase letters c, a, and g, all have the same starting points. Unlike most lowercase letters the /c/ shaped letters move in the opposite direction of normal English reading. The /c/ shaped letters start at the top and move from right to left. This book is helpful for teaching these letters.

C Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook

Tips for Teaching the Lowercase ‘g’

Use Visual and Auditory Cues: To reinforce both the sound and shape of ‘g,’ this video can be a helpful tool.
Practice Writing: Give students plenty of opportunities to write lowercase ‘g’ repeatedly, encouraging them to focus on the starting point of the letter /c/. and the direction of the curve. It can also be helpful to trace the letter first, then try writing it independently.
Focus on the Sound: Practice distinguishing between the hard and soft ‘g’ sounds in various words. Reading aloud and singing songs with the letter ‘g’ can help students become more familiar with the sound.

Conclusion

While the lowercase ‘g’ may seem tricky at first, understanding the reasons behind the confusion can help students master both the sound and shape of the letter. By practicing consistently and breaking down the challenges step by step, students can overcome their struggles and gain confidence in their learning journey. With patience and the right approach, the lowercase ‘g’ will become second nature!

Sound Wall Frame for Intervention

When Walruses Want Waffles, by D. Passmore

Silly questions with lots of funny “w” words for answers.

How far from their far north snow-covered homeland would walruses be willing to waddle, for waffles?

A funny question with silly illustrations. Lots of words start with the letter w like: wigs, wallets, whales, and wrestling too.

This book was created to fill a void in my “W” letter library, for my letter of the week curriculum. It also is a beautiful artistic tribute to the land that I love, covered with snow and beautiful auroras.

Hidden within the pictures of the story are a few little rubber ducks. Try to spot them all.

You can find it here on Amazon. Kindle or Paperback.

This could be fun to use with older students too. Challenge them with a writing task about the waffle hunting adventures.

Once I got started making waffles, I just could not stop there. Check out my waffle letters theme for handwriting. The yellow butter drips show the direction the letter should be written. It is all good letter formation practice. Start your letters at the top and follow the butter drip.

You can add some math with waffle counting too. When I was teaching preschool, my students loved any game that let them feed animals. Check out this feed the walrus waffle printable. You can make your walrus to feed with this simple printout.

Have Pure Joy Teaching

More Books By D. Passmore

If a Pig Could Paint, would he hog all the colors?

Then the story leads the reader towards an answer to the title question. What if a pig could paint? What would that look like?

An artistic twist to an animal painting adventure by D. Passmore

This book was written to help young students relax and enjoy painting. It introduces a few examples of different styles of painting. Then the story leads the reader towards an answer to the title question. What if a pig could paint? What would that look like?

The kids in my classroom loved it and laughed at the pictures. Specially the Pig-o-Lisa. Some kids recognized the Stary-dog-nights and some of the classic paintings from history. The book has lots of questions, which lead the kids to think of answers as the book progresses.

After that, we did some painting projects with the theme ‘What would cats, dogs, and pigs paint like? It got the kids thinking. Some kids jump to the task quickly. Others needed to work through the questions. How would the animals hold the brushes? Would they use their paws, tails, or whole body to paint? It was a good way to pose comprehension and inferred questions. Then follow it through with the actual painting.

If a Pig Could Paint? By D. Passmore – Pure Joy Teaching

You can take a look at Amazon Here. Kindle or paperback.

Spelling and story sequencing cards can be found on TPT Here.

More books by D. Passmore

Back to School Handwriting Program

letter shape patterns help to avoid letter confusion.

Engaging Handwriting Orton-Gillingham Styled Letter Tracables and Story Book Lessons

This book and handwriting program has fun visual links to help students see the letter shape patterns and avoid letter confusion.

Great for back-to-school, colorful pictures with an animal and pirate theme.

Find the book here on Amazon. The printables can be purchased on TPT

Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook By D. Passmore

Foundational skills of handwriting and vowel knowledge are a huge treasure for kids. Treasure-seeking pirates find things in the sand to trace around. This is how they learn the new skill of handwriting. Pirate-themed word-play helps create a memorable and fun storyline, with playful use of the letters: r, i, c, and x. The similar grouping of letter shapes makes it easy for them to learn the four-letter groups quickly. Special attention is shown to the importance of the vowel letters.

Handwriting letter groups Pirate letters

This makes handwriting a fun adventure with easy-to-trace images that follow a logical pattern. Orton-Gillingham Style letter grouping.

Less letter confusion with b and d reversal problems solved.

The colorful bird points out the all-important vowel sounds and helps lead the pirates to a second discovery “the vowels are a treasure.”

Four Letter Groups

Four books in one. The complete lowercase letter handwriting storybook collection.

Treasure-seeking pirates find things in the sand to trace around. This is how they learn the new skill of handwriting. Pirate-themed word-play helps create a memorable and fun storyline, with playful use of the letters: r, i, c, and x. The similar grouping of letter shapes makes it easy for them to learn the four-letter groups quickly. Special attention is shown to the importance of the vowel letters. With the help of a chatty parrot, the story has incorporated a few vowel sounds. Each letter has a specific visual cue to demonstrate the correct letter starting point. The letters are organized in clusters to help correct letter reversal errors. Each book in the series shares a close relation to Orton-Gillingham’s Style of handwriting instruction groups.
Handwriting is an adventure to treasure.

The four titles included in this book: R’s Pirate Letters, C Pirate Letters, I Pirate Letters, X Pirate Letters.

Like wise the use of posters and cards for this writing lessons are great match this book.

Visual Links to Handwriting Groups

1. r, n, m, h, b, p – Letter r is seaweed on the sand, the pirates trace the /r/ shape and that helps to make the other letters in this group. These are the dive down, slide up, and hook letters. Dark blue water on the bottom of the cards.

2. c, a, g, d, q, o, s, e – Letter c is half a coconut. The pirates trace around it in the sand to make the curved letters in this group. These are the /c/ curved letters that share the same starting point. Letter e was added to this group. (funny story in the book for letter /e/) Tallgrass on the bottom of the cards. Great for sand trays.

3. i, j, l, t, f, k – Letter i, are tracks made by turtle-hatchlings. The pirates copy the straight line letters in the sand. Light blue water on the bottom of the cards.

4. v, w, y, x, z, u – Letter x, is the v shape letters it traces around a shark’s tooth. These are the slanted line letters. Letter u was added to this group. (funny story in the book for letter /u/) Tree trunks on the top of these cards. The letter x is the title of the book because of course the pirates use the all important x to mark the spot for the treasure.

C Pirate Letters Sand Tray

X Pirate Letters: Handwriting Storybook for learning the lowercase letters v, w, y, x, z & u.

Orton-Gillingham Style Handwriting in a storybook to make learning the letters a fun adventure.

This is the fourth book in the handwriting series.

The pirate’s lowercase letter adventure is coming to a close with one of their favorite letters the X.

Of course, because the letter X would traditionally mark the spot where the treasure is located.

In this book, they will learn the slanted letters: v, w, y, x, v, and surprise the last vowel the letter u. The letter u is a very funny part of the story and it includes the vowel sounds are also a type of treasure for the pirates as they learn to write. Thanks to the helpful parrot that flies by.

In this storybook, the lowercase letters are grouped to help improve muscle memory and indicate a common starting point. The pictures illustrate a sensory experience of writing in the sand to stimulate the brain for learning. With letters grouped by similar starting points and slanted downstrokes, it can speed up the handwriting process and improve letter print recognition for reading. Images of the letters share the same shape to help avoid common letter reversal errors. Special attention to paid to the vowel letter, by a colorful bird. Paired with a fun and memorable story to engage the interests of young students.

This is a perfect book to use with sand tray letters.

The whole pirate adventure is available in one storybook on Amazon. The Pirate Letters: Lowercase Handwriting Storybook.

This is a wonderful way to teach handwriting in the Orton-Gillingham style letter groups.

Handwriting worksheets and cards for this book are available HERE on Teachers Pay Teachers.

C Pirate Letters Sand Tray

Have Pure Joy Teaching!

I Pirate Letters Storybook for handwriting lowercase letters

Orton-Gillingham Style Handwriting in a storybook to make learning fun.

This is the third book in the handwriting series.

The adventure continues, the pirates think that someone has been digging for treasure on the island. A huge surprise in the sand leads them to learn the next set of straight-line letters.

These letters are the third handwriting group. In this story, they will learn the letters: i, j, l, t, f, k.

In this storybook, the lowercase letters are grouped to help improve muscle memory and indicate a common starting point. The pictures illustrate a sensory experience of writing in the sand to stimulate the brain for learning. With letters grouped by similar starting points and straight downstrokes, it can speed up the handwriting process and improve letter print recognition for reading. Images of the letters share the same shape to help avoid common letter reversal errors. Special attention to paid to the vowel letter, by a colorful bird. Paired with a fun and memorable story to engage the interests of young students.

Tall Letters

Letter size is crucial but often overlooked when students are learning to write. Letters like i, j, f, l, t, and k provide great examples to highlight this concept.

i – is small
j – is a fall letter
f, l, t, and k, are tall letters.

Handwriting letter strips can be found on my TPT page. These are great for students to use daily. Practice writing the letters and making the letters sounds are very important for reading and spelling.

This is a perfect book to use with sand tray letters.

The next book in the series is “X Pirate Letters.“

The 4 book series can be purchased on AMAZON

Enjoy! Have Pure Joy Teaching

You may also like the c letters for sand trays.

C Pirate Letters Sand Tray

C Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook

The second book in the series Pirate Handwriting letter formation

Find it on Amazon

C Pirate Letters: Handwriting Storybook Lowercase Letter Formation

This is the second book in the series Pirate Handwriting.

The lowercase letters are grouped to help improve muscle memory, picture a sensory experience to stimulate the brain for learning, and avoid common letter reversal errors. In a storybook style, the letters are grouped by similar starting points and curved strokes to speed up the handwriting process and improve letter print recognition for reading. Presented with a fun and memorable story to engage the interests of young students.

This is the second group of letters that they learn: c, a, g, d, q, o, s, e.

These letters all share the common c shape.

They also start to recognize vowel sounds, with the help of a colorful bird and a curious monkey they find on the island.

Vowels a,o, and e.

The next book in the series is: I Pirate Letters

R’s Pirate Letters Handwriting Storybook

The first book in the series Pirate Handwriting letter formation

R’s Pirate Letters: Handwriting Storybook Lowercase Letter Formation

This is the first book in the Pirate Handwriting series.

The letters in this book all share a similar ‘r’ shape and fine motor direction with a common downstroke and slide-up hook.

Letters: r, n, m, h, b, p

Treasure-seeking pirates are distracted by a new adventure. That leads them to start learning the valuable skill of handwriting.

The lowercase letters are grouped to help improve muscle memory, picture a sensory experience to stimulate the brain for learning, and avoid common letter reversal errors. With letters that are grouped by similar starting points and down strokes to speed up the handwriting process and improve letter print recognition for reading. Paired with a fun and memorable story to engage the interests of young students.

The second book in the series is: C Pirate Letters, By D. Passmore

Letters: c, a, g, d, q, o, s, e