One of the most important skills for successful reading is alphabet recognition. Teaching kindergarten students recognize letters of the alphabet is not as challenging as you may think. These steps will help.
Instructions
Teaching and Reinforcing Letter Recognition
1. The order in which letters are introduced is flexible. Every research-based reading program will suggest a different order.
A strongly recommended order is:
--Most commonly used letters first: a, b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, r, s, t, w, y
--Vowels: a, e, i, o, u,
--Consonants used less often: q, v, x, z
2. Begin by showing the child the targeted letter, upper and lower case. Then show the corresponding picture. Keep this in a prominent place, preferably a poster on the wall or a chart on the refrigerator. Be sure the child understands that the letter "A" corresponds with the picture of the apple (or whatever picture you have chosen) before moving on to the next letter. In the classroom, one or two letters are introduced in the beginning. After eight or 10 letters are introduced, the pace is increased to three or four letters per week.
3. After the child has begun to recognize the letter and picture you have introduced, expand this concept with other types of media. Take advantage of every indirect "teachable moment." If you are reading a book that has the targeted letter in the title or in the text, point it out, emphasizing that letters are everywhere. This can be done with magazines, newspapers and even television ads.
4. Letter recognition is an ongoing skill. Although it may only take four months or fewer to introduce all 26 letters with a corresponding picture, do not stop after "z." Continue to point out letters in various printed texts. Practice is the key for mastery of this skill.
Once letter names have been taught, place alphabet cards on a table out of order and have the child put them in the correct sequence. You can also have the child match the letter with the picture cards. These assessments are helpful, even when letter sounds are being taught, because of the frequent reinforcement.
Remember that this skill can be taught easily and with few materials. If you don't have an alphabet strip or chart, make one with white paper and markers. Pictures can be cut from magazines or newspapers. A little effort now will be worth it later. This is an essential skill that needs to be mastered at the pre-k and Kindergarten age to ensure the child will be a successful reader.
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