Teaching Letters
I have learned so much about how we should teach the alphabet. Let’s start with the 6 things you should do when teaching a letter. These 6 things can be taught and reviewed every time you teach the letter.
- Letter name
- Uppercase & lowercase (yes, teach them both at the same time)
- Shape of the letter
- Sound & mouth position
- Target picture(s)
- Writing
Mouth shape has been a game changer for me. Now I show my students what their lips, tongue, and teeth are doing when they make a letter sound. This has been so helpful for my kids in learning to say the sounds correctly.
Writing the letter can and should happen often – even in preK!
Target pictures should change and having a variety of pictures is helpful.
Teach Letters & Sounds FASTER!
Research shows that using embedded mnemonics can actually helps kids remember letters and sounds faster! Of course when I read this, I had to create something to help you use this with your students/child. With the help of an amazing illustrator, we have created cards, posters, and books that have these embedded mnemonic pictures. Writing resources with these images is coming soon!
Embedded Mnemonics Alphabet Adventure
Not only is this my first published book, but it is also the first & only alphabet book with embedded mnemonics!
Click the link on the right to learn more about the research behind embedded mnemonics and why they are effective for teaching the alphabet.
I used these very images with my 4K and Kindergarten students and I noticed that kids were remembering letter names and sounds much faster. My husband uses them in his tutoring sessions and noticed the same results.
Learn more here ——>
Letter of the Week?
Did you know teaching a letter of the week is rooted in tradition? There is no research supporting this and many studies have found this is not an effective way to teach letters.
I know its easier to focus on a letter each week but research shows that teaching a letter of the day has more benefits! If you teach a letter of the week, it takes 26 weeks just to get through the alphabet. There is research showing that repeated and distributed practice is important in early learning. Teaching a letter of the week does not provide this.
Teaching a letter of the day allows you to get through the alphabet in 26 days and the provides the opportunity to cycle through the alphabet 5-6 times throughout the year!
I have developed 5-6 scope and sequences for teaching the letters. This is available exclusively in the SoR 101 Membership!
What Does the Research Say?
There is a lot of research supporting teaching the alphabet in preschool and also supporting teaching letter NAMES! While there is still a lot of research to be done, we can gain a lot of insight on best practice for teaching the alphabet by following the current research!
Teaching Letter Sounds
Teaching kids the letters sounds is important in order for them to be able to read and write. So it is super important that we teach them the correct sounds! Check out this video to learn more!
