This is a G…and so is this! Building Alphabet Awareness in Young Readers
Think about how many fonts you have access to on your computer. Between books, magazines, posters, and signs, how many more fonts do you see in one day? While these types all look different, there is enough of a similarity between them to make it possible to recognize one letter across multiple fonts (at least until you get to Wingdings — does anyone really use those?).
In order to be capable readers in the world around them, children eventually need to be able to recognize letters across a variety of fonts as well. While I would always recommend first introducing letters in a simple font, as a child becomes familiar she can examine a variety of fonts to find what salient qualities makes a “T” a “T” and a “B” a “B”, no matter how many extra curls are attached. [Read more…]
Does Your Alphabet Chart Need to Be Recalled?
This is a repost from June 30, 2010.
I’m issuing my own product recall on alphabet charts, and yours might be included!
Now I Know My ABCs, Next Time Won’t You READ With Me?
Alphabet books are a great way to reinforce alphabet knowledge, one important piece of emergent literacy. One of the beautiful things about exposing children to the alphabet through books is that it provides a rich, meaningful, and varied context in which to place these otherwise abstract characters. Learning letters is ultimately about reading, so what better place to learn about letters than in a book? Here are more than a few of my favorite alphabet books, and what I love about them.
Combining the concept of letter form and sound, Now I Eat My Abc’s creates letter forms from foods beginning with the same letter. The photos are bright and appealing and use everything from asparagus to quesadillas to zucchini. It just might get your kids to learn their letters and try new foods!
Next Time Won't You Sing With Me? Sharing Alphabet Knowledge with Preschoolers
If you were to ask anyone on the street where you should start “teaching” children to read, I’d be willing to bet the most common answer would be “the alphabet”. True, the alphabet is a pretty basic part of reading, and certainly important, but it’s just a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Nonetheless, let’s start there!
Next Time Won’t You Sing With Me? Sharing Alphabet Knowledge with Preschoolers
If you were to ask anyone on the street where you should start “teaching” children to read, I’d be willing to bet the most common answer would be “the alphabet”. True, the alphabet is a pretty basic part of reading, and certainly important, but it’s just a small piece of a much larger puzzle. Nonetheless, let’s start there!
Does Your Alphabet Chart Need to Be Recalled?
Book Activity: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
If there is one book that I think every child should own……OK, I could never decide on just one book, but if there was a short list of books that every child should own, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault would definitely be on that short list! It is not only a great way to introduce the letters of the alphabet, but it also differentiates between uppercase and lowercase letters, all in a rhythmic, rhyming fashion, which makes the whole experience so fun it’s nearly addictive. Plus, all that rhyme and rhythm is great for building phonological awareness (read more about that peculiar sounding term here).
Before reading this book with children, it’s a good idea to practice the text first, so that you can read it aloud smoothly and with the right “em-PHA-sis on the right syll-A-ble”, as my mom always says. Also, while reading this story, it’s really helpful to point to each letter in the illustrations as it is introduced in the story, reinforcing to the child the letter shape and letter name.
A Culture of Literacy: Teaching Preschoolers the ABC's and More
Ask your average parents what they hope their child will learn in preschool, and most have learning the ABC’s somewhere in their tops 5 goals. Many preschool teachers respond to this by implementing a “letter-of-the-week” curriculum. One week may be the letter “M”, so we eat marshmallows, draw maps, read books about monkeys, and write letters to our moms. While this certainly gives a lot of exposure to the letter “M” and invites a variety of activities and learning opportunities, it creates a very incoherent curriculum. Children learn by making connections. It is a little difficult to make a quick connection between a white, sweet, gooey marshmallow and a folded up map of the nearest bus stops. (Though my own children could probably make some great connections between “monkeys” and “Mom”!) Additionally, when the primary focus is on the almighty “letter-of-the-week”, it is easy to lose sight of other important literacy goals or to begin teaching them in isolation as well. That is not how reading happens. The whole purpose of reading and writing is to obtain and convey meaning. Therefore, reading and writing should be taught through coherent, meaningful experiences.
A Culture of Literacy: Teaching Preschoolers the ABC’s and More
Ask your average parents what they hope their child will learn in preschool, and most have learning the ABC’s somewhere in their tops 5 goals. Many preschool teachers respond to this by implementing a “letter-of-the-week” curriculum. One week may be the letter “M”, so we eat marshmallows, draw maps, read books about monkeys, and write letters to our moms. While this certainly gives a lot of exposure to the letter “M” and invites a variety of activities and learning opportunities, it creates a very incoherent curriculum. Children learn by making connections. It is a little difficult to make a quick connection between a white, sweet, gooey marshmallow and a folded up map of the nearest bus stops. (Though my own children could probably make some great connections between “monkeys” and “Mom”!) Additionally, when the primary focus is on the almighty “letter-of-the-week”, it is easy to lose sight of other important literacy goals or to begin teaching them in isolation as well. That is not how reading happens. The whole purpose of reading and writing is to obtain and convey meaning. Therefore, reading and writing should be taught through coherent, meaningful experiences.