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• Between the Lions - "Humph!, Humph!, Humph!"
  Lionel's new friend Gus is a super hopper and a real funny bunny. When Leona asks him to read to her he gets all "humphy" but that is only because he doesn't know how to read yet. The sound of the day is the short u sound found in words like "rug," "jump," and "cut." Learn about the different sounds u can make in Vowel Boot Camp.
• Sesame Street
  Sesame Street features multiple segments that focus on literacy objectives such as letter sounds, rhyming, and storytelling. Tune in to each episode as Cookie Monster introduces viewers to the Letter of the Day. Children go on an exploration of what the letter looks like, what it sounds like, and that it may have more than one sound. Children see how letters combine to make words, which are shown on screen.

Do in Class

• Arthur: Around the Town - Reinforce vowel patterns and strengthen visual recall with this memory game.
• Arthur: Alphabet Shopping - Use supermarket ads to find objects that start with certain letters.
• Between the Lions: Matching Games: Short Vowels - Match the words that share the same short vowel. (click on short vowels in left hand navigation)

Play Online

• Between the Lions: Chicken Stacker - Play this online game to reinforce short vowel sounds.
• Between the Lions: Fuzzy Lions Ears - Develop listening skills and practice letter sounds with this interactive game. Choose the correct missing letter to make the word you hear.
• Between the Lions: Videos - Listen and sing along to "When Two Vowels Go Walking."
• Clifford: Puppy Letters - Search for missing letters to build words in an interactive online game.
• Mister Rogers' Neighborhood: ABCs - Identify letters and sounds in this alphabet game.
• Sesame Street: Letter of the Day - Practice both vowel and consonant recognition with Cookie Monster.

Read

• Altoona Baboona
  By Janie Bynum and Jane K. Bynum
  Published May 2002 by Voyager Books
  Readers who love Curious George will also like Altoona Baboona, a female version of the popular chimp who will appeal to both boys and girls. Each page offers an adventure for Altoona that ends in the letter a.
• Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful of Cats
  By Alyssa Satin Capucilli and Joan Rankin
  Published May 2001 by McElderry, Margaret K. Books
  Mrs. McTats buys a fish to share with Abner, her cat, but scratching at her door announces the arrival of two more cats. She invites them in and calls them Basil and Curly. The next day three new cats appear. This amusing tale is told in verse. Children can count, add, and anticipate the names of the new cats as Mrs. McTats progresses through the alphabet. The last arrival is a surprise. Rankin's cats are endearing and sport oddly human noses.

*As most PBS children's programs offer one year extended taping rights for teachers, please feel free to tape them now and save them for use in your classroom during the school year.