W is for watermelon: Building Phonemic Awareness and Letter Identification

How to Use This Book

Letter Recognition & Phonics

• Show the cover and point to the title.
  
  • Have students locate all the W letters in the title and trace over them with a finger while saying the letter name and sound:
    • "W says /w/!" (like blowing out a candle)
  • Reinforce the idea that each letter has two forms—uppercase (W) and lowercase (w).
  • Practice listening for the /w/ sound in other words like: wet, win, wig.
  • Practice saying fun short sentences like: Wes will win.

Exploring the Story

• Tell students that the book is all about delicious watermelon!

  • Ask: Have you ever eaten watermelon? What does it taste like?
  • Encourage students to describe its color, texture, and shape.

• Point out how the first letter of “watermelon” is red on each page.

  • Ask: Why do you think the author did this?
  • Discuss how making the W stand out helps readers recognize the letter and its sound.

Interactive Learning

• Show students the interactive games in the book.

  • These games help practice the W letter form, name, and sound.
  • Model how to use a pointer finger to trace letters and engage with the activities.
  • Have students draw a watermelon and write a big W beside it.