Phonics reader for Muslim children!

I've been wanting to make some non-fiction reading books for the children for a long time. My 6 year old is still developing her early reading skills, and so to give her an alternative to the typical phonics story books, I've quickly put together this Islamic reader as a little experiment!
If successful I'd like to make more inshaAllah!

The long vowel sounds used are all coloured red to help recognition and develop reading confidence!

Please do have a look and let me know what you think bi'ithnillah, your feedback and comments would be hugely appreciated!

Jolly Phonics - Montessori fusion lapbook 3

Again long overdue, the 3rd in the Jolly-Montessori fusion style lapbooking series, covering letters  g, o, u l, f, b
As with all the previous lapbooks in the series, 2 download options are available for whatever preference you have for your consonant and vowel colours.

Blue consonants and red vowels (as used with the Learning resources alphabet)
download HERE!

Red Consonants and blue vowels (as used with the Montessori movable alphabet)
download HERE!




Activity after completing the lapbook:

Use a movable alphabet to copy and spell the simple CVC words in the middle of the folder. Help child to sound out the letters  to put together the full word, for example,

taking the word "sip"...
Child copy the word, finding the letters from the movable alphabet to spell. Then ask the child to read each letter sound "s" "i" "p". (make sure the letter sound is sounded out and not the letter name).
Help child to blend the letters to say the word, or ask what word can you hear, and you sound out the letters.

Continue making new words with all letters used from past lapbooks.

Jolly Phonics - Montessori fusion lapbook 2

Long overdue, the 2nd lapbook in the Jolly-Montessori fusion style lapbook, covering letters c,k,e,h,r,m,d.

Two download options available:
Blue consonants and red vowels (as used with the Learning resources alphabet) download HERE!
Red Consonants and blue vowels (as used with the Montessori movable alphabet) download HERE!

Activity after completing the lapbook:

Use a movable alphabet to copy and spell the simple CVC words in the middle of the folder. Help child to sound out the letters  to put together the full word, for example,

taking the word "red"
Child copy the word, finding the letters from the movable alphabet to spell. Then ask the child to read each letter sound "r" "e" "d". (make sure the letter sound is read and not the letter name).
Help child to blend the letters to say the word, or ask what word can you hear, and you sound out the letters.

Continue making new words with all letters used from past lapbooks.

Jolly Phonics Lapbook with a Montessori twist!

What do you get when you mix Jolly Phonics with Montessori???? Jolly Montessori! :) Okay only kidding! But here is a lapbook I put together using the Jolly Phonics method of learning letters, and combined that with Montessori techniques to practise.   

This is the first lapbook following the JP series, so I hope to complete and upload them as I go along teaching my 4 year old inshallah.

The Montessori moveable alphabet uses red for consonants and blue for vowels, however I purchased from Learning Resources something pretty similar (as was alot cheaper...altho the Montessori letters do look way better and easier to use in their box) but the colours are reversed.

The lapbook is available to download inshallah with 2 options:
1) with consonants in blue and vowels in red HERE!!!!!
2) with consonants in red and vowels in blue (as used in Montessori)  HERE!!!!

Front cover (here cut into 2 parts to open up)

Inside folder

Each letter mini book opens out to show 3 different nouns beginning with that letter, as well as a letter tracing page to practise writing.

Same as previous pic above.

Activity page which includes colouring, letter matching, sounding out words and pencil control practise.

Once the lapbook was completed, we used the sounding out words on the activity page with the movable alphabet. My 4 year old copied the words and we sounded them out together to try to read.

magnetic moveable alphabet from Learning Resources with magnetic whiteboard

(excuse the capital "S"'s....I swapped them over for the small letters after pic taken!!!!)

Alphabet picture wheels

Last night I was exhausted, not too well, with a sore throat and achy....but knew I would not be able to sleep! Alhamdulillah. So I was up late searching google images for activity ideas to do with Z today. MashAllah I came across some great ideas which I plan to use in the near future inshallah.

Amongst searching I came up with my own idea (although I am pretty sure hundreds of people have probably done this)

I decided to quickly prepare some alphabet wheels, as I haven't done alot with Z on her alphabet since we started, we've still only covered s,a and t alhamdulillah.

All I did was print off 4 clip arts from google images starting with each letter. And then today Z and I put together the wheels.

First I cut out the images ready for Z to stick.

 For the wheels I just used a bowl to draw around, and cut out a quarter section of the top piece.

I then laminated each of the pieces and put together using a brass fastener. Now Z can use it to spin around and see different images which start with each letter sound inshallah.

Inshallah, each new letter I introduce, we will make a new letter wheel. I'm trying to make more resources rather than buying them, and I think if a child helps make it, they will get a greater benefit from them inshallah.

As I was typing this up, Z was sat behind me with the little instruction booklet for one of the learning roots snap cards we have......because it is written in both Arabic as well as English, she thought it was a Qur'an and sat there "reciting" (you know what I mean....mumble jumble made up words with a Qur'anic rhythm) - was cute, reminded me of what K used to do (how quickly it is to forget those days!)

K was using the galt picture shapes and nails - she followed the instructions to produce this, as she was pleased with herself she instructed me to take a pic to put on the computer! (little madam mashAllah!)

Jolly Phonics Alternative Spellings of Vowels

When I begun homeschooling K back in January, she couldn't read and I had no idea how I would teach her! I found the task of teaching to read and write extremely daunting and did not know where to start!

Alhamdulillah for the Jolly Phonic programme! We purchased the Jolly Phonic finger books which go through all the main letter sounds (including some blends) as well as "The Phonics Handbook" (from jolly phonics - written by Sue Lloyd) Within a couple of months K went from not even knowing all the alphabet letter sounds to being able to read simple early reader books alhamdulillah! (we still need alot of reading practice though naturally!) My husband has been doing the Jolly Phonics work with her mainly before he goes to work in the morning straight after breakfast (when we are all up and ready on time!).

Anyway, back to the actual reason of this post, which is the book pictured above.

The Jolly Phonics programme explains that there are different ways to spell the vowel letter sounds, for example "A" can be spelt in words as "ai" "a_e" or "ay". Last week I attempted a worksheet from the handbook showing alternative spellings for the "A" sound. K had a melt down! She didn't want to do it, made a complete mess of the worksheet and to be honest, it ended up going in the bin!...what did she learn...nothing!

However this is a lesson I really want her to have as I think it is important, so what I have done is stick the 9 worksheets explaining the alternative vowel sounds into a home-made scrap book simply made using A3 coloured sugar paper folded into A4 - using colours she likes, pink and purple (and had to use blue as wasn't enough!)

 On one side of the double sheet I have stuck down the worksheet ready to complete inshallah. The other side I have left empty. Here I will ask K to write each of the different spellings for each sound onto a heart shape I have already cut out. Then I will give her some felt tip pens or maybe some glitter which she can use to decorate the heart sounds before sticking them onto the empty page inshallah beside the worksheet.

I will let K choose what colour hearts she wants to use for each sound spelling....she loves hearts so I hope this will encourage her inshallah.

For the front cover (pictured at the top of the post) I just wrote a title and selected an image from clip art.



Here are a couple of K's completed pages.....