Decoding the Letter U

Jul 22, 2023

3 min read

The letter U is a vowel. That means we have to open our mouths to make the sound. All vowels make more than one sound. In this lesson, we are going to focus on the short sound. The short sound of the letter U says /u/ like in umbrella.

Introducing the Letter U

Point to the letter making the short /u/ sound in each word below. The goal of this activity is to help the nonreader make the connection between the letter and the sound it makes. A reader will need to read the word to the nonreader. More examples are in our Learning to Read workbook.

Notice that all of these words start with the short /u/ sound. We can also hear the short /u/ sound in the middle of words. Point to the letter making the short /u/ sound in the words below. The goal of this activity is to help the nonreader make the connection between the letter and the sound it makes. A reader will need to read the word to the nonreader. More examples are in our Learning to Read workbook.

Practice the Letter U

The best way we can map a sound to a letter is to practice saying the sound when we see the letter. Our Learning to Read workbook has cards you can use to practice with the letter u. You can also make your own notecards to practice letters and sounds. Just a few minutes of practice a day will make a huge difference!

Reading Words

Congratulations! You can now read more words! You can practice reading the words on the chart.

Writing Practice

You can also practice writing the letter u. Make sure you follow explicit handwriting instructions to ensure you are writing the letter u efficiently. Writing letters efficiently is a huge part of building writing stamina.

Video Guidance

Want to see our video on the letter u?

You can use this video to prepare for a lesson with your student, or your student can work with the video independently.

LEARNING TO DECODE PROGRAM

Take your learning to the next level with our Learning to Read Workbook!

Learning to read is a systematic process that requires explicit instruction. Our learning to read program breaks down every sound students need to know to learn how to read. Every step of the program includes picture examples, sound practice, reading practice, and writing practice.

The best part of the program is that anyone who is a competent reader can help a student through the program. Use our webpages, videos, and the pages in the workbook to guide your student’s learning. Students work through the program at their own pace. This is a perfect supplement to what students are learning in school.