Method and apparatus for teaching reading

An aid for teaching reading to students, comprising:

• sound letters having a shape and appearance of standard English alphabet letters, each sound letter corresponding to a single sound most commonly associated with a particular alphabetic letter or combination of alphabetic letters of said standard alphabet, each said sound letter characterized as having a front, a back, a top, a bottom, a left side and a right side, said sound letters adapted for arrangement in a visually associated, juxtaposed relationship to form combinations of said sound letters, said combinations symbolizing words so that students are able to read said combinations of said sound letters phonetically, said sound letters further comprising:
• nine pairs of consonant sound letters, each said pair of consonant sound letters matched according to similarity in pronunciation, each said pair of consonant sound letters corresponding to a pair of voiced and unvoiced consonant sounds, said nine pairs of consonant sound letters comprising:
• a first pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter B, said sound letter B having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter B, said sound letter B symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter B in the word BAD;
• and
• a sound letter P, said sound letter P having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter P, said sound letter P symbolizing an unvoiced sound associated with the alphabetic letter P in the word PAD;
• a second pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter D, said sound letter D having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter D, said sound letter D symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter D in the word DAD;
• and
• a sound letter T, said sound letter T having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter T, said sound letter T symbolizing an unvoiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter T in the word TAD;
• a third pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter G, said sound letter G having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter G, said sound letter G symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with the letter G in the word GAB;
• and
• a sound letter K, said sound letter K having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter K, said sound letter K symbolizing an unvoiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter K in the word KATE, Q in the word QUAKE, and C in the word CAKE;
• a fourth pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter J, said sound letter J having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter J, said sound letter J symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter J in the word JAM;
• and
• a sound letter CH, said sound letter CH having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter C joined to an upper case alphabetic letter H, said sound letter CH symbolizing an unvoiced consonant sound associated with a combination of the alphabetic letter C and the alphabetic letter H in the word CHEER;
• a fifth pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter TH-bar, said sound letter TH-bar having a general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter T joined to an upper case alphabetic letter H, said sound letter TH-bar characterized as having an upper portion and a lower portion, said sound letter TH-bar further comprising a third indicia located in said sound letter TH-bar's lower portion, said sound letter TH-bar symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with a combination of the alphabetic letter T and the alphabetic letter H in the word THEN;
• and
• a sound letter TH, said sound letter TH having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter T joined to an upper case alphabetic letter H, said sound letter TH symbolizing an unvoiced consonant sound associated with a combination of the alphabetic letter T and the alphabetic letter H in the word THIN;
• a sixth pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter V, said sound letter V having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter V, said sound letter V symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter V in the word VAN;
• and
• a sound letter F, said sound letter F having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter F, said sound letter F symbolizing an unvoiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter F in the word FAN;
• a seventh pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter W, said sound letter W having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter W, said sound letter W symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter W in the word WET;
• and
• a sound letter WH, said sound letter WH having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter W joined to an upper can alphabetic letter H, said sound letter WH symbolizing an unvoiced consonant sound associated with a combination of the alphabetic letter W and the alphabetic letter H in the word WHET;
• an eighth pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter Z, said sound letter Z having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter Z, said sound letter Z symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter Z in the word ZIP;
• and
• a sound letter S, said sound letter S having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter S, said letter S symbolizing an unvoiced consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter S in the word SIP;
• and
• a ninth pair of consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter ZH, said sound letter ZH having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter Z joined to an upper case alphabetic letter H, said sound letter ZH symbolizing a voiced consonant sound associated with a combination of the alphabetic letter Z and the alphabetic letter H in the word ZHIVAGO, said voiced consonant sound symbolized by the sound letter ZH more commonly found in words such as "azure", "collision", "mirage", "equation", "treasure" and "casual";
• and
• a sound letter SH, said sound letter SH having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter S joined to an upper case alphabetic letter H, said sound letter SH symbolizing an unvoiced
• consonant sound associated with a combination of the alphabetic letter S
• and the alphabetic letter H in the word SHIN;
• nasal consonant sound letters, comprising:
• a sound letter M, said sound letter M having a general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter M, said sound letter M symbolizing a nasal consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter M in the word MAP;
• a sound letter N, said sound letter N having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter N, said sound letter N symbolizing a nasal consonant sound associated with the alphabetic letter N in the word NAP;
• and
• a sound letter NG, said sound letter NG having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter N joined to an upper case alphabetic letter G, said sound letter NG symbolizing a nasal consonant sound associated with a combination of the alphabetic letter N and the alphabetic letter G in the word SING;
• residual consonant sound letters corresponding to less restricted, more free-flowing consonant sounds associated with the alphabetic letters H, L, R, and Y, when said alphabetic letters H, L, R, and Y are used at the beginning of words and syllables, said residual consonant sound letters comprising:
• a sound letter H, said residual consonant sound letter H having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter H, said residual consonant sound letter H symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter H in the word HIP;
• a sound letter L, said sound letter L having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter L, said sound letter L symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter L in the word LIP;
• a sound letter R, said sound letter R having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter R, said sound letter R symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter R in the word RIP;
• and
• a sound letter Y, said sound letter Y having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter Y, said sound letter Y symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter Y in the word YIP;
• and
• standard short vowel sound letters corresponding to short vowel sounds of alphabetic letters A, E, I, O, and U, said standard short vowel sound letters consisting of:
• a sound letter A, said sound letter A having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter A, said sound letter A symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter A in the word BAD;
• a sound letter E, said sound letter E having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter E, said sound letter E symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter E in the word BED;
• a sound letter I, said sound letter I having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter I, said sound letter I symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter I in the word BID;
• a sound letter O, said sound letter O having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter O, said sound letter O symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter O in the word BOB;
• and
• a sound letter U, said sound letter U having a shape and general appearance of an upper case alphabetic letter U, said sound letter U symbolizing a sound associated with the alphabetic letter U in the word BUD;
• a first indicia of each said sound letter's top;
• and
• a second indicia of each said sound letter's back so that the top and back of each said sound letter are readily determinable by the student.