The Expert Dr. X

The Expert Dr. X is an expert on the life cycles of plants and animals. EXplore the many scientific words such as “expect,” “examine,” and “explain” that contain the letter x as you learn how plants and animals are born, grow, and develop. Look at Dr. X's mouth. She has 2 familiar letter-sounds in her mouth, “K S.” Have children make this sound sequence. Letter X is a “shortcut” letter. You can use this one letter for some words instead of writing “ks.” Write some words that follow this pattern, such as “six,” “mix,” “hex,” “Tex,” “box,” “fox,” “ax,” and “tax.” You can find the letter x in the middle of some words such as “Texas” or “maximum.” If the letter “e” is before letter x, it sounds like x's letter name, as in “extra,” “expect,” or “extend.” This is an extraordinary letter! Help your children become experts by finding the letter x's in the story and saying the exciting x words.