Why alphabet knowledge is important

In order to have true fluency in letter recognition, children must be able to identify letters and say their names in and outside of context and in and out of sequence. In addition, research has shown that learning letters and playing with letters frequently leads to an interest in their sounds and in reading.

Many letter names share an auditory link with their sounds, thus effectively doing double duty as it helps bridge the gap between phonemic awareness and letter recognition to other phonics skills. There are a couple of important strategies to utilize when teaching letter recognition in preschool. When planning letter recognition activities in the preschool classroom, keep in mind the following. There are several guidelines to follow when determining an instructional sequence for teaching letter recognition.

Keep in mind that the suggestions below refer only to letter naming and letter identification, not to teaching sound spellings. Take all the guesswork out of it and grab the free download of my literacy scope and sequence for preschool. This scope and sequence will show you exactly what literacy skills I teach my preschoolers and in what order for the entire school year. Grab your FREE copy by clicking the image below.

Ever wondered what it feels like to cut your preschool lesson planning down to a fraction of the time while still being an effective teacher? Grab my preschool literacy lesson plans! They systematically lay out daily activities so you never have to go searching for the right activity to teach your preschoolers. And you can grab just the literacy centers, too. These feature more than ten letter recognition, beginning sounds, and letter formation printable centers!

Today's suggested meal:. Follow Us On Facebook. Food, Fun and Facts! Children should be well on their way to alphabet mastery before preschool age and should certainly be at least introduced to the letters before the age of three.

What is the alphabet and why is it important for our children to learn it? The alphabet is simply a collection of letters and sounds. Most of us cannot even remember a time when we did not know our letters so it sounds almost absurd to worry about how to teach it to our children.

Yet, the ABCs are the building blocks of language. Children's early writing progresses from making marks and scribbling to drawing, and eventually to forming letters.

Children's developing writing reflects their understanding of how written language works. Explore resources related to the development of these skills in young children, as well as strategies parents and families can use to support them.

This summary introduces alphabet knowledge and early writing, key literacy skills. Review research around why alphabet knowledge and early writing matter and the roles language and culture play. Annals of Dyslexia , 40 1 , 51— National Reading Panel. Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction No. Stanovich, K. Matthew effects in reading: Some consequences of individual differences in the acquisition of literacy.

Reading Research Quarterly, 21 4 , — Wagner, R. The nature of phonological processing and its causal role in the acquisition of reading skills. Psychological Bulletin, 2 , — The alphabetic principle is a critical skill that involves connecting letters with their sounds to read and write. Explicit phonics instruction and extensive practice are important when teaching children to learn the alphabetic principle.

Read presentation slides summarizing ways to enhance alphabetic principle instruction in core reading contexts. This minute webinar overviews the five big ideas of reading, discusses tips for supporting your child's literacy development at home, and explains how schools assess and monitor your child's progress.

Topic: Beginning Reading, Assessments. Watch this introductory video to a seven part series on promoting foundational literacy skills in accordance with Common Core State Standards. Topic: Beginning Reading. Department of Education. Improving Literacy Briefs.