Vowel "i" - Long and Short Sounds | by Phonics Stories™

Mrs. Smarty invites a special guest, the letter "i", in this episode of Phonics Stories. The letter "i" tells stories about why he makes his long and short sounds. Subscribe for more stories!

There are five vowels within the 26 letters of the English language. These vowels are a, e, i, o, and u. Vowels are tricky for kids to learn because their sounds frequently change, and sometimes vowels don’t make a sound at all. In Phonics Stories, learning the vowel's long and short sounds becomes easy! Each vowel has a unique story kids can relate to.

Welcome to Phonics Stories!

Phonics Stories is a series of puppet shows that explain why the letters make their sounds.

These stories help developing readers form a lasting connection with the alphabet. Each letter in Phonics Stories has its own personality that kids can relate to and identify with. Having a personal connection with the letters not only helps children learn more quickly, but they will find more joy and confidence in reading and writing.

Through Phonics Stories, children painlessly learn about digraphs, long vowels, short vowels, diphthongs, blends, silent letters, and more.

Children love stories, and Phonics Stories teaches kids about letters by coming from a place they can understand. Children become engaged with stories about the types of things they are going through in their social life. Children like to be the line leader. They are annoyed by children who try to get in front of them in line. They understand a “show off” type of behavior. All of these emotions are included in Phonics Stories. Thus, children immediately identify with these feelings. This is them. This is their life. The letters of the alphabet become their friends and classmates who they like and also have difficulties with. The letters become real. Phonics Stories helps children make connections to letter sounds in a playful way.

The most effective way to teach is to meet learners right where they are and bring them forward.

When children make the transition between Kindergarten and First Grade, they feel disappointed because they thought they had learned the letter sounds. Soon, they discover that they have not really learned the letter sounds. For example, in Kindergarten they learned that the letter “c” makes the /c/ sound. They learned that “h” makes the /h/ sound. In first grade the tables are turned. Children learn about digraphs like “ch.” When “h” is next to “c” they make the /ch/ sound. If teachers can give them a reason for this or a story, it helps children so much.

There are so many exceptions to rules of the English language that children have to learn throughout elementary school and beyond. Phonics Stories helps children to remember these exceptions by giving them a story. When watching Phonics Stories, children may feel emotions ranging from happy, excited, silly, or even a little sad or mad. The most important thing is that the stories make them feel something, because the most effective learning comes through feeling.

Sit back with your child and watch them learn and react with Phonics Stories. You will be a witness to their understanding of phonics. A whole new world opens up when children learn to read and express themselves through writing. Phonics Stories simply hopes to give kids the confidence to enter that world with their head held high.

Thank you for viewing. We are continually looking to improve Phonics Stories with each video. Please feel free to leave a comment with any feedback, lesson suggestions, or reactions!