UNIT 3 - LETTER RECOGNITION & FORMATION

The phonetic iconicity of letter names means that acquisition of letter names could potentially serve as a bridge to literacy. ... Children apparently used the name of a letter such as b to help remember the letter's sound in a way that they were not able to do with letters like w.

Multi-sensory instruction involves tasks that allow children to use their senses to practice and master skills. The use of playdough, noodles, sand, and shaving cream are all forms of multi-sensory instructional practice to teach letter formation.

Letters and their sounds are assessed at the kindergarten level because they are predictors of later success in reading. Many parents assume that their children know the alphabet because they can sing the alphabet song. However, this is not an indication that a child knows the letter names or sounds.

Both ABC Bootcamp and our textbook cite research about learning letter names, sounds, and formation. Although they differ in the order in which letters should be taught; they agree that sounds, names, and formation of letter can all be taught simultaneously. In fact, this method often provides students with a rich learning experience that is proven to promote mastery.

In order to assess student mastery of letter names and sounds, students should be assessed three times per year with the order of the letters changing each time. The letters should also be a random assortment of upper and lower case letters. Teachers can practice this fluency by giving students strings of letters to practice together each day. When checking for automaticity, tests are timed for 60 seconds.

There are many ways to immerse students in a rich learning experience with letters teaching the standard RF.k.1.d. (alphabet awareness)

The following are only a few:

multi-sensory activities

alphabet books

alphabet songs

alphabet puzzles

fluency practice

sorting activities

letter writing

interactive games

Handwriting is taught according to letter formation. For example the categories of letters from Handwriting Without Tears is

A. Vertical and Horizontal

B. Curved

C. Diagonal

These letters are grouped according to the kind of strokes used to form them, taught in the order above due to fine motor skills required for the different categories.