Episode 7 The Alphabetic Principle
Today we are talking all about the alphabetic principle!!! Don’t forget to snag lesson #2 from my brand new alphabet curriculum for free below!
What is it?:
Having knowledge of letters and the sounds that make up those letters.
Rollanda E. O’Connor states that the Alphabetic Principle is “how phonemic awareness and knowledge of letter/sound correspondences come together in the practical application of reading and spelling.”
Why is it important?:
With knowledge of the Alphabetic Principle, students are able to decode words they see into words they can read. They are able to realize that any word that we say can be broken up into letters and groups of letters from the alphabet. Therefore, when they have a full grasp of the alphabet, they have the ability to encode (write and spell) and decode (read).
Through phonemic awareness, students break down sound orally and later on apply it to print.
Teachers may assume that phonemic awareness, along with the alphabetic principle, would lead directly to reading and spelling. Unfortunately, this isn’t always true.
Students sometimes have a difficult time bridging the gap between the two.
Students have difficulty understanding that letters and letter patterns represent spoken language.
The Scoop for Teachers:
Because of this struggle, we must establish the Alphabetic Principle as early as possible.
Students do not in fact have to learn all the letter names and sounds before reading words. They only need a handful of letters and sounds and they can begin to blend and segment these phonemes before instruction can begin.
We begin this instruction through assessments.
Assessments:
Assessments help guide our instruction, form groups, and let us know where to start.
Keep it simple:
Use checklists for each student (link here/ attachment) that assesses uppercase and lowercase letters and sound.
Keep assessments near your table for progress monitoring - one per student.
Once all students are assessed, you can begin to group students together in small groups based on need.
Don’t stress about this! Make the best decision you can, and use this as a guide:
Group students by their lowercase letter knowledge and in ranges:
Group #1: 0-7 letters
Group #2: 7-15 letters
Group #3: 16-22 letters
Group #4: 22 letters and up
See what each group missed, and then place them on that phonics continuum.
It’s okay for students to review what they already know.
What and How to Teach:
Teach letter sounds a few at a time with frequent review of these letter sounds as you move forward.
Avoid teaching letters or sounds that look or sound similar.
Teach letters that occur frequently in words that students will see first (b, s, m, t, a).
Always teach short vowels before long vowels.
Teach letters explicitly.
Track your data.
Cycle through the alphabet several times (review is KEY!)
Additional Resources & References:
FREE Resources:
FREE Spin It, Say It, Write It
Lesson #2 (over 50 pages) of my new alphabet curriculum
Letter Sound Resources:
References:
10 Simple Letter Sound Recognition Activities
Teacher Prerequisites for Teaching Letter Sounds
