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.
