CHAPTER

19

LEARNING
ABOUT LETTERS
AND WORDS

 To write messages the children

must come to terms with the
distinctive features of letters
which make any one letter
different from all others
-MARIE CLAY

 Letter knowledge is necessary, but it

alone is not enough to learn to read and
write.

Much other learning takes place as

young children become literate.
Children will be reading and writing
stories long before they can identify all
the letters of the alphabet.
As teachers, we still need be sure that
letter learning takes place.
Much different and hard to learn letters in
English.
A sound can sometimes be represented
by more than one letter.

 LETTER OF THE WEEK

Teachers now realice the severe limitations of this
practice. How do ASFG PK and K teachers feel
about this?
Sometimes children forget last weeks letter while
working on this weeks because they are looking
at one item a time.
This practice does not reflect how children learn
letters.
A much more effective practice is to help children
engage with letters, to learn how to look at them,
play with them, and put them togheter to make
words.

 Children tend to learn first the

letters in their names and in the
names of family members or
friends. Or they may learn the
letter that is at the beginning of
the name of a favorite restaurant
or store.
Children see letters in meaningful
places every day!

 Letter and word learning take place

during shared reading and writing.
Children also need specific teaching to
learn how to look at letters. Our HWT
program.
Children will learn great deal about
words as they attempt to read and
write. Concepts of letter and word and
how they are different.

ACTIVITIE
S
Let the children explore and play with
letters.

Tactile experiences with letters.

Letter charts. (simple alphabet)

Alphabet books. (class and individual

alphabet books)

Letter books.

word wall

Helping children notice words.