Playing with letters and language

Partners in Promoting Learning: Helping your child with reading skills Module 2

Playing with Letters and LanguageWelcome to the second in a series of modules discussing ways that you can help your child with his or her reading and language skills. In this module we will be talking about how to help your child learn about the alphabet and how to play with language through rhymes. 1Learning the alphabetResearch shows that one of two essential skills for early reading is knowing the alphabetSKnowing Letter SoundssssKnowing Letter NamesessResearch shows that knowing the alphabet is one of two skills necessary for early reading. Knowing the alphabet includes two components 1) knowing names of letters and 2) knowing the sounds of letters. 2Ways of teaching the alphabetSinging the ABC does not equal knowing the alphabetA B C D

A B C D E F

Singing the ABC song does not equal knowing the alphabet. It is possible to know the ABC song and not be able to label letters of the alphabet. When teachers test letter knowledge they test alphabet names in random order. 3Ways of teaching ABCsAlphabet booksParents use alphabet books to teach pre-reading skills

Alphabet books teach lettersAlphabet books increase reference to printOne way of teaching the alphabet is to use alphabet books. Alphabet books also encourage parents to refer to print more than other books.

4Ways of teaching ABCsRead alphabet books aloud to childrenPoint out lettersEmphasize initial sounds

FFFour FFFluffy FFFeathers

Children whose parents read alphabet books aloud to them have better alphabet knowledge. Also if parents point out the letters and the initial sounds of the words that match the letters when reading alphabet books, this helps their children develop prereading skills. 5Alphabet booksPicking the right alphabet bookSome alphabet books do not provide good/ consistent matches for letter soundsBut how do you know what to look for when picking a good alphabet book. Some alphabet books do not provide good or consistent matches for letter sounds. 6Alphabet booksPicking the right alphabet bookSome alphabet books do not provide good/ consistent matches for letter soundsBad Letter-Sound MatchesC

CheetahCowFor example, c is for cheetah or c is for cheese do not teach the best and most consistent letter-sound matches. 7Funny Kids Song with examples of bad letter-sound matchesCrazy ABCs By: Barenaked Ladies

Funny kids song with examples of bad letter-sound matches.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQLv7zrJk9U8Alphabet booksLetter Sound okBut Confusing WordsO is for octagonI is for impA is for airplaneT is for treeHow can children learn letter-sound matches if they do not know the words?Some letter sound combinations work better but if you dont know what o stands for, you probably dont know the word octagon. Other combinations are more confusing because of the surrounding letters such as the a in airplane or the t in tree. 9Characteristics of good alphabet booksKey letter in large printApple vs ApplePrint for key letter should be about the same size as pictures(even then, pay less attention to the print than the pictures)10Characteristics of good alphabet booksKey letter in simple printA vs. AA vs. A

Print for key letter should be about the same size as pictures(even then, pay less attention to the print than the pictures)11Characteristics of good alphabet booksA is for apple

B is for bedC is for cat

Few wordsSimple objectsMost common letter-sound match

The pages should have few words.The pages should have simple objects.The objects should incorporate the most common letter-sound match. A is for apple. Not a is for airplane.12Characteristics of good alphabet booksCommon, unambiguous objects as focus

B is for bedThe objects should have unambiguous names. B is for bed. Not b is for baboon. Or is it a monkey?13Other tipsTry to personalize the letter soundsChilds nameParent (Mom, Dad)Find a match with your childs nameAlisonCarlCindyYou might want to try to personalize the letter sounds using your childs name. This works better if your childs name starts with C and is Carl than C is for Cindy. Other examples are M is for Mom, D is for Dad. 14Other tipsCommon to confuse similar looking letters bd"When children are in kindergarten andfirst grade, it is common to confusesimilar looking letters like "b" and "d".This is normal and no one should beconcerned."15Playing with languagePoetry Nonsense rhymes There once was a lady named Sue, who had nothing whatever to do`Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, Did gyre and gimble in the wabe.

Who has seen the wind? Neither I nor youAnother way of playing with language is learning about rhyming. Poetry and nonsense rhymes are a good way of learning to listen to the sounds of language and learning new words.

16How children learn language?Figure out what kind of word it is from context.Real word context

The dog had a bone.Children use several strategies to figure out what the new word is. They use real word context to figure out the word. What is the adult is pointing to or talking about? 17Show me the corroflont

The new word usually goes with the new object. 18JabberwockyTwas brillig, and the slithy tovesDid gyre and gimble in the wabe:All mimsy were the borogoves,And the mome raths outgrabe.

Whats happening here?How do you know?

Children also use language context. A word that behaves like a noun must label an object.A word that behaves like a verb must label an action word.

19How can poetry help?Learn to play with languageLearn new wordsListen to sounds of language, not just meaning

Learning to play with language can help your child. Learn new words.Listen to sounds of language and not just the meaning.These skills are valuable steps in acquiring pre-reading skills.

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