Alphabet Learning -- from MaryRuth Books

Alphabet Learning


This is the time of year when K-1 and intervention teachers are taking stock of the alphabet knowledge of their new students.  A couple of tips to remember as you collect your data.  Alphabet knowledge is more than just being able to name the letters.  Alphabet knowledge includes four interconnected elements.  Your students need many opportunities to explore these four elements with your guidance as well as independently.     These four elements are:

1. Letter-Shape Knowledge  (letter recognition)

• Children need to be able to discriminate the distinctive features of one letter from another.• Children must be able to flexibly recognize these features in various fonts, sizes, cases, and handwriting styles.• Children need to recognize the features of different letters when they are embedded in text.

2. Letter-Name Knowledge

• Children need to learn that each letter has a name and that each letter name represents two symbols (upper-and lower-case).• Children need to be able to identify letter names quickly.

3. Letter-Sound Knowledge

• Children need to learn that in written speech letters (alone and in combination with other letters) represent sounds.• Children need to gain speed and accuracy in developing letter-sound and sound-letter correspondence.

4. Letter Writing Ability (formation)

• Children need fluent, efficient actions for forming letters.• Children’s attention to detail when forming letters supports letter recognition.

Children need to gain knowledge of these four elements of knowledge so they can use this information while reading and writing sentences.

Always there will be challenges!

I whined today -- to anyone who would listen.  I whined about giving so MANY screening tests!  This year is no different than the past several years, mind you.  It's just that when I have been screening all day, nonstop, for more than 5 days in a row, I get so bleary-eyed and overwhelmed, I wonder if I will be ABLE to ever reach the end?  I use performance data from last spring to make my initial screening list -- but ALWAYS, each teacher has 3 or more to add once the kids have started school. 

Remember that old commercial (was it in the 80's?) showing a frying pan sizzling a couple of sunny-side up eggs?  "This is your brain on drugs!"   Well, today I felt like those eggs in the frying pan:  "this is MY brain on screening 35+ students over the past 7 school days!!"

OK -- enough whining about screening for reading support.  Once this part gets over and I actually get to the part I love, which is helping at-risk learners improve their reading skills -- I'll be sunny-side-up again!

School begins again . . .

Well, here we are on the 9th day of the school year!  My eyes are dry and tired, my fingers are stiff from writing, and the children's faces are blurring together -- yes, I am screening for my Title I Reading support classes!  I had hoped to be finished by today.  I WOULD have been finished by today if the "watch list" of students could stay the same as my first draft.  However, working with 7 sections of first grade often means several additions are made to my screening list as the first week or two of school progresses.  I am glad to screen any students of concern, in order to get some baseline data, and to help analyze a student's strengths/weaknesses in reading.  I have now screened at least 6 students in each class section (and 7 or 8 students ina couple of classes!).  I still have 4 students to begin testing tomorrow and about 8 students that need to finish up.  I told my husband I am now saying all the task directions by heart -- and I am getting worn out.    Once I complete the screening process, I have the task of comparing student performance in order to determine who is "most in need of assistance".  I use the Observation Survey developed originally by Marie Clay -- it gives me lots of good information about each student -- but it takes about 30 minutes per student to administer.  I comfort myself in the knowledge that I will have excellent information to help plan the reading instruction for these at-risk students -- and the time I am spending is well worth it!  I just hope my pencil hand holds up!