An extremely effective technique for
memorizing the letters of the alphabet!
The 1st step in teaching children to read is to achieve complete memorization of the names of the 26 letters of the alphabet. This should be accomplished during the Kindergarten year and should be a primary focus of the Kindergarten teacher. The reason why letter names should be memorized first is because the sound made by each letter can be heard when you say the letter name. Therefore, once the letter name is memorized, it is only a small step forward to memorize the letter sound. For example - b says "buh" (you can hear the buh sound at the beginning of the letter name). An example of the sound being heard at the end of the letter name is "S". S says "sss" - (the sss sound in this case is heard at the end of the letter name). There are only three letters in which the letter name doesn't contain the letter sound - h - w - y.
While the TampaRead's ReadingKey program contains our unique "cartoon
characters" for providing an excellent visual stimulus for memorizing the
letter names - below is an additional memorizing trick that teachers and
parents can use that dramatically improves the speed of the
letter/memorization process.
This technique is called our Alphabet Letter Memorizing Trick and uses a
very special repetition procedure. While the sheets below are
designed for one-on-one student practice, teachers should write the
letters in the same order across their boards for classroom practice.
During the day, teachers can call on students to attempt saying the
letters. Write the name of each student on the board who
successfully completes the task for a fun and motivational activity.
Timing how fast students can say the letters provides additional
motivation.
Pick the letter to the right you would like to practice.
Two formats available - 1 row format has 30 letters in one row for most
students
3row format has only 7 letters per row for students with moderate learning
problems