"What is the best way to teach the sounds of letters to beginning readers?"
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Teachers
Ask: "What is the best way to teach the sounds of letters to beginning readers?" |
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Answer: |
The teacher shows the letter on a card that has the letter printed as it would appear in books. |
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The teacher writes the letter on the board, giving verbal instructions for the formation of the letter in the way we print it. The students write the letter while the teacher repeats instructions for printing the letter. |
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Everyone should say the sound of the letter as he or she writes it. |
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Writing, saying, seeing and hearing simultaneously helps the students remember what they are learning. |
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Do this activity rapidly every morning, adding additional sounds (about four or five per week). Start putting the sounds into simple, phonetically regular words, sounding out each letter as it appears in the word. |
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The children enjoy the oral recitation all together. If a child doesn't know the sound, he or she will learn from a neighboring child. |
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Remember: Don't drag out the review of the sounds. Do them rapidly for ten minutes each morning. The children know what to expect, it warms up their thinking and it is fun. Then write the words together. |
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| Do you have a tip to share with
other teachers? Write us and we might post it. |
| Teachers Tip Archive Vocabulary Development ("vid")- posted 8/22/00 Vocabulary Development ("aud")- posted 3/20/00 |