TEACHING THE ESSENTIALS 1. Teach the alphabet. The first step in learning to read is recognizing the letters of the alphabet. Use a poster, chalkboard, or notebook to write or display the alphabet. Go over the letters with the student until he or she learns them all. Use the alphabet song to help the student to remember. 2. Teach sounds. Once your student is familiar with the alphabet, you will need to teach them the sounds of each letter. Learning the name of the letter is not enough, as a letter may be pronounced differently depending on the word. For example the '' g sound in the word "green" is different from the g sound in the word "giraffe. " Once the student has mastered the sounds of individual letters, they can practice blending letter sounds together to form words. 3. Teach short, one-syllable words. Introduce your student to basic reading by showing them two or ...