Does Letterland include an initial sight vocabulary where words are learned as whole shapes?
In Letterland children are introduced to some whole words before they have been introduced to the letter/sound correspondences needed to decode them. Whether they are expected to learn these words as whole shapes or in some other way is not made clear. In the Teachers Guide Lesson Plans, classroom labels and Letterland character names are to be used mainly to reinforce initial letter/sound correspondences. However, it is suggested that children read My Letterland Reading Booklet and read and spell Take-home Reading and Spelling Lists, which include NLS high-frequency words and Letterland character names, before all the necessary letter/sound correspondences have been taught. Spelling lists begin at Lesson 3, but blending is not introduced until Lesson 7. In the Early Years Handbook, children are encouraged to read labels, when they have not been taught to blend letters. Is the emphasis on letter sounds or letter names? The emphasis is undoubtedly on letter sounds and teachers are given
