Teaching letters to our students can feel like a big challenge, especially when you have a wide range of abilities in your classroom. I’ve definitely been there, trying to find ways to make learning letters fun and engaging for my students with severe disabilities. That’s why I want to share what’s been working in my classroom—Letter of the Week activities that are designed specifically for special education!
If you’ve been searching for a way to really get your students excited about letters, I can’t recommend this Letter of the Week Activities Bundle enough. It’s made a huge difference in how I teach letters, and I think it could be a game-changer for you too. Oh, and did I mention that you can try the Letter A for FREE? You’ll get a taste of everything that’s included, and trust me, there’s a lot to love!
Why Letter of the Week?
You might already be familiar with the idea of teaching a “Letter of the Week,” but in a special education classroom, we often need to take that concept a step further by adapting the activities and making them more accessible. The students in our classrooms, particularly those with moderate to severe disabilities, often benefit from repetition, visuals and hands-on learning, and this bundle provides exactly that.
The key to these activities is differentiation—everything is designed to be flexible and adaptable, so you can meet your students where they are. From my non-verbal students to those working on fine motor skills, everyone is able to participate in their own way.
What’s Included in the Letter of the Week Activities?
This Letter of the Week Activities Bundle is packed with a variety of activities for each letter of the alphabet, A-Z.
Here’s a quick look at some of the things you’ll find:
- Core word vocabulary board: This is one of my favorite pieces. Using core vocabulary with our students is essential, especially for non-speakers who are working with AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication). The bundle includes a core word vocabulary board for each letter, helping to strengthen language development alongside letter learning.
- Core word visuals: Perfect for printing, cutting, and laminating, these visuals support reading instruction and are great for adding to your adapted reading materials.
- Adapted Books: Each letter comes with its own adapted book! These are interactive and fun, helping students see the letters in action while practicing their literacy skills.
- Feed the Letter: This one is such a hit in my classroom! Students feed “Mr. Munch” objects that begin with the letter of the week, making it a hands-on and highly engaging way to practice letter sounds and recognition.
- Circle Map Poster & Worksheet: Visuals are so powerful, and these circle maps help students associate words and pictures with the letter of the week.
- Build a Sentence: Great for students who are working on early sentence-building skills.
- Find the Letter: A simple and effective way to reinforce letter recognition through visual scanning and identification.
- Letter Poem, Letter Sort, and Mini Letter Book: These are fun ways to mix things up, from rhyming letter poems to hands-on sorting activities.
- Trace the Letter: Perfect for students working on fine motor skills!
How I Use It in My Classroom
In my classroom, I start each week with a focus on a new letter. Monday morning, we introduce the letter with our core word vocabulary board, and then we spend the week doing activities that reinforce that letter. The adapted books and letter poems are perfect for our morning reading routine, and the kids love taking turns feeding “Mr. Munch” with items that start with the letter of the week.
We also use the circle maps as a group activity to brainstorm words that start with the letter, which gives us a chance to work on communication skills as well as letter recognition. And for my students who are working on writing, the trace the letter activities are a great way to practice forming the letter in a low-pressure way.
The best part is that by the end of the week, I’ve seen my students really connect with the letter we’ve been focusing on. It’s always amazing to watch how much they grow and how confident they become with just a little bit of extra support and structure.
Try Letter ‘A’ for Free!
If you’re interested in seeing how these activities can work in your classroom, you can download Letter A for free right now! It’s the perfect way to try these activities and see how your students like them and do with them.
GRAB LETTER A FOR FREE!
If you like what you see, the full Letter of the Week Bundle is available here, and it includes everything you need to make teaching letters engaging, inclusive, and accessible for all of your students.
GRAB THE ABC BUNDLE HERE!
I’m curious-how do you teach letters in your classroom?
I’d love to hear about the activities that work for your students, especially when it comes to making learning fun and accessible for students with severe disabilities. Feel free to leave a comment below—let’s share ideas and help each other out!