Vtech ALPHABERT User Manual

A Parent’s Guide to using the

Alphabert The Ready to Read Robot™

learning toy

Dear Parent,

You know how important reading is to your child’s future. If your child can read, your child can do anything. That’s because reading is the foundation upon which all fundamental learning is built. A good beginning is absolutely essential.

That is why VTech designed the Fundamentals of Reading product line to help your child develop language skills, the skills crucial to learning how to read. Our ageappropriate activities will help your child feel successful every step of the way. In fact, we provide three levels of reading progression to help your child move from a beginning reader, to a growing reader, and finally to an advancing reader. Our curriculum begins with letters, letter sounds, and letter formation all the way through vowels, consonants, word recognition - even full sentences. With the

Fundamentals of Reading product line, children think they’re playing, but they’re actually learning. So their confidence grows, their self-esteem grows and their appetite for learning grows, too.

How Can You Help?

You’ve already started by showing you’re interested in your child’s reading devel-

opment. By being a good role model, your child should see you read books, maga-

zines and newspapers. Of course, there are other sources including billboards,

grocery lists, recipes and street signs. What’s most important is that reading is a

fun, interactive experience that should be shared with your child daily.

We encourage you to play the activities in the Fundamentals of Reading product

line together. You’ll see first hand what progress your child is making. Children

love positive reinforcement so praise your child’s achievements. As your child

embarks on the road to learning, he or she will encounter challenges. This is a

natural part of the learning process. Please be patient and if your child needs

help, be sure to provide it. Have fun. Remember, learning to read isn’t a race. It

doesn’t matter who gets there first, it’s simply “getting there” that really counts.

We wish you the best as you help your child get off to a great start in becoming a

lifelong learner. As your child grows, count on VTech® to be there with fun, innova-

tive learning toys to help your child do his or her best every step of the way.

We thank you for entrusting us with the responsibility of building your child’s

future. When your child can read, your child can do anything.

Sincerely,

Your Friends at VTech®

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TO BEGIN PLAY

ALPHABERT THE READY TO READ ROBOT™

	CARRY HANDLE
	VOLUME CONTROL SWITCH
LCD SCREEN
	ON/OFF BUTTON
	ACTIVITY
	BUTTONS
	ARROW BUTTONS
SPEAKER	ENTER BUTTON
	LOCK BUTTONS
	HELP BUTTON
	26 LETTER/OBJECT BUTTONS

TO BEGIN PLAY

1.To begin play, press the ON/OFF button or just open the keyboard. You will hear an opening short tune followed by “Hello! How are you?”

2.Press any ACTIVITY BUTTON to select one of the sixteen activities. The friendly robot will guide you through each of the following activities:

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1)Learn Letters	9)Word Groups
2)Alphabet Order	10)Word Scramble
3)Sounds of Letters	11)Word Search
4)Sounds of Words	12)Letter Catch
5)Missing Letters	13Hangman
6)Missing Vowels	14)Memory Challenge
7)Matching Rhymes	15)Counting
8)Beginning & Ending Blends	16)Hear A Song

3.Press the HELP BUTTON to repeat a question and/or receive the answer to a question.

4.To adjust the volume, slide the VOLUME CONTROL SWITCH to the left for low volume or to the right for high volume.

5.To turn the learning toy off, press the ON/OFF button again or just close the keyboard.

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LEARN	LETTERS

ALPHABERT THE READY TO READ ROBOT™

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 1 - LEARN LETTERS

This activity introduces letter identification. Your child will also learn a word that begins with each of the 26 letters of the alphabet. For the letters A, E, I, O, and U, two words will be taught to represent both the long and short vowel sounds of those letters. The friendly robot will say, “This is the letter__.” Then the friendly robot will tell your child the name of an object that begins with that particular letter.

Learning Benefits for Your Child-The Learn Letters activity is presented to introduce your child to the 26 letters of the alphabet. Your child may explore at his or her own pace by choosing which letters to press. There are no specific instructions telling your child which button to press. This free exploration is very inviting and encourages your child to take risks by pressing letters he or she may not be too familiar with.

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Press the Learn Letters activity button. You will hear a sound effect followed by “Let’s learn the letters.

Press a button.”

2.Press a letter button to hear the letter identified followed by an object that begins with that letter.

For example, press the letter “p” button and you

will hear “This is the letter P. P is for plant” and the corresponding object animation will appear on the LCD screen.

How Can You Help?

•Encourage your child to find the beginning letter of his or her name as well as other names of family members. Ask your child to think of his or her friends’ names or favorite toys, animals, etc. and guide your child in finding the beginning letters of those words on the letter buttons.

•Write some letters of the alphabet down on paper and encourage your child to find the matching letter on the learning toy. After your child presses the letter and hears the name of the letter, ask him or her what letter it was.

•Allow your child plenty of free time to explore this activity. Have your child touch and trace the letters of the alphabet on the learning toy. He or she should say the name of the letter while tracing it. Have your child say, “The name of the letter is___.”

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ALPHABERT THE READY TO READ ROBOT™

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 2 - ALPHABET ORDER

This activity strengthens alphabetical order skills. Your child will recognize that the letters of the alphabet are arranged in a certain order. He or she will have opportunities to tell which letter comes before or after certain letters. Your child will be asked specific questions such as, “What letter comes before the letter B?”

He or she will then have the opportunity to look at the letter buttons and find that letter.

Learning Benefits for Your Child- The Alphabet Order activity is designed to familiarize your child with the alphabet. Your child will also be taught the concept of before and after. This activity provides opportunities for your child to identify letters of the alphabet on his or her own.

ALPHABET	ORDER

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Press the Alphabet Order activity button. You will hear a sound effect followed by “Let’s learn before and after.” Then the learning toy will ask a random question, for example, “What letter comes before the letter d?”

2.When a correct letter button is pressed, you will hear a positive response. For example, when you press the letter ‘c’ button, you will hear “The letter c comes before the letter d. Great job!”

What letter comes before the letter “d?”

The letter “c” comes before the letter “d.”

3.When an incorrect letter button is pressed, you will hear an encouraging response. For example, when you press the ‘n’ button, you will hear “Uh-oh. Let’s try again!” and the question will be repeated.

4.When the Help button is pressed once, the question will be repeated. If the Help button is pressed a second time, the answer will be identified.

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ALPHABERT THE READY TO READ ROBOT™

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 2 - ALPHABET ORDER (continued)

		How Can You Help?
		• While your child is playing this activity, encourage him or her to look at the
		letters while making his or her decision about the answer. Have your child tell
		you why he or she is choosing a certain letter for his or her answer.
		• Your child should understand what the terms “before” and “after” really mean.
		To help your child grasp this concept, practice this skill with your child. You
		may wish to use objects that your child is familiar with (i.e. colored blocks,
		small toys). Lay three or four objects in a line and talk about before and after
SOUNDSOF LETTERS		in regards to those particular objects.
		• Talk about “before” and “after” in regards to events that have occurred
		throughout the day. For instance, ask your child, “What did you do before
		lunch?” or “What do we usually do after dinner?”

ACTIVITY 3 - SOUNDS OF LETTERS

This activity teaches sounds of the consonants and vowels. Your child will hear the correct pronunciation of each letter sound. He or she will recognize that the vowels A, E, I, O, and U can make two different sounds, both long and short, and consonants C, G, and Y can also make more than one sound. Every time your child presses a letter button, the friendly robot will tell your child the sound(s) that the letter makes.

Learning Benefits for Your Child-The Sounds of Letters activity introduces your child to the sounds of the letters of the alphabet. Your child will hear the correct pronunciation of each letter. He or she will learn that some letters even make two sounds. There are no specific instructions telling your child which button to press.

This free exploration is very inviting and should encourage your child to take risks by pressing buttons that may be unfamiliar to him or her.

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Press the Sounds of Letters activity button. You will hear a sound effect followed by “Let’s learn the sounds of the letters. Press a button.”

2.Press a letter button to hear the sound(s) of each letter. For example, when you press the letter ‘k’ button, you will hear “K says kuh, Kuh is for king.”

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ALPHABERT THE READY TO READ ROBOT™

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 3 - SOUNDS OF LETTERS (continued)

How Can You Help?

•Encourage your child to say the letter sounds along with the learning toy. Your child could practice by saying, “The name of the letter is B. The sound of the letter is buh.”

•This skill takes lots and lots of practice. Remember to remain positive and praise your child when he or she can tell you the sound of a given letter.

•In everyday situations, have your child tell you what letter a certain object begins with. Repeat the word slowly for your child by really stressing the beginning letter. Have your child tell you what sound that letter makes.

ACTIVITY 4 - SOUNDS OF WORDS

This activity introduces your child to sounding out words. Your child will be able to hear every letter sound within a given word when completing this activity. When your child presses a letter button, he or she will hear the friendly robot slowly sound out the word for that given letter. Your child will be able to look at the letters of the word as it is being sounded out.

Learning Benefits for Your Child-The Sounds of Words activity is designed to help your child learn that letters make sounds and sounds put together make words. This activity provides many opportunities for your child to press any button he or she desires to hear a word sounded out. Your child may press a certain object button as many times as he or she desires. This activity is another free exploration activity to acquaint your child with the sounding out process.

SOUNDS OF WORDS

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Press the Sounds of Words activity button. You will hear a sound effect followed by “Let’s see how the sounds of letters make a word. Press a button.”

2.Press a letter button to hear each individual sound of a word. For example, when you press the ‘j’ button for ‘jam’ you will hear, “juh, ahh, mmm” followed by the word “jam.”

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ALPHABERT THE READY TO READ ROBOT™

ACTIVITIES

ACTIVITY 4 - SOUNDS OF WORDS (continued)

3.An object animation will appear on the LCD screen that corresponds with the object button that was pressed.

How Can You Help?

•Encourage your child to sound out the words with the friendly robot. Remind your child to look at the letters within the word while he or she is sounding out the word.

•Using the object words from the learning toy, write each of the words on cards.

Have your child try sounding them out on his or her own. If your child does it correctly, have him or her illustrate the word on the back of the card. See how many your child can recognize.

•Using the cards mentioned above, lay two words out in front of your child and say the name of the word slowly for your child. Allow him or her to decide which word you have said. Check the back of the card for the correct illustration.

MISSING	LETTERS

ACTIVITY 5 - MISSING LETTERS

This activity strengthens spelling skills. Your child must decide which letter is missing in order to complete the word. He or she must rely on the knowledge of letter sounds in order to complete this activity. Using the objects from the learning toy, your child will be asked to tell which letter is missing in order to complete the word. Your child may refer to the letter buttons for help.

Learning Benefits for Your Child- The Missing Letters activity provides opportunities for your child to spell words correctly. The main objective is for your child to recognize that there is a letter missing from the word. It also teaches your child how to correctly spell some short words.

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS:

1.Press the Missing Letters activity button. You will hear a sound effect followed by “Can you find the missing letter? Let’s try!” You will then hear a question, for example, “What letter is missing in the word block?”

What letter is missing in the word “block?”

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