Alphabetic+Principal


 * Hayla Britton**


 * Recommendation for Alphabetic Principal:**

Many children struggle to identify and recognize letters as they begin and continue their education in learning how to read. The idea that the symbols representing letters also represent sounds which make up words is a complex one that is difficult for some students to grasp without intensive intervention. One intervention which is supported by Dilorenzo, Rody, Bucholz, and Brady (2011), proposes using the letter shape to teach sounds. For example, the letter “b” could be represented by a bat and ball drawn together to form the letter “b”. The picture represents both the letter shape and sound associated with the letter symbol. Methods such as this employ the use of multisensory education and allow students to feel comfortable and more able to process information in their own individual learning styles. Students engage in physical motions coinciding with individual letter sounds as well as pictures, sounds, and, manipulatives. //Itchy’s Alphabet// is a purchased program which integrates these letter mnemonics with other phonemic awareness and writing skills. This program has been shown to greatly increase student’s ability to recognize initial letter sounds (Dilorenzo, Rody, Bucholz & Brady, 2011). As a result of exposure to this method and program were that students ability to segment words into individual letter sounds showed an increase as well.


 * Scenario:**

A kindergarten classroom contains many students who struggle with letter/sound acquisition. Students are unable to identify many letter names, confusing similar letters with one another. Further, sounds associated with those letters are proving difficult for the students to remember and generalize to work objectives. The teacher encounters the program, //Itchy’s Alphabet// and feels it could increase alphabetic principal skills in her students. Though research has shown this program effective, the teacher does not have the funds necessary to purchase the entire program. Rather, she purchases the alphabet cards specifically to address the issues affecting her classroom currently. In keeping with research attached to this program and others like it, she also decides to implement letter manipulatives, hand motions attached to sounds, and other songs she downloads for free from educational websites. She focuses on one letter a week, introducing the purchased letter card illustrating the letter shape using pictures familiar to students and also representing the initial letter sound. Students participate in supplementary activities such as, drawing their own letter pictures, making letters with clay and playdough, sorting objects according to sounds, and singing letter sound songs. A few months into the program, the teacher decides to assess student ability to identify letters and their sounds. Students are showing improvements in both areas and are relating their letter sounds to pictures used on the letter cards. The students enjoy the pictures and interactive activities and are improving skills.

References Dilorenzo, K., Rody, C., Bucholz, J., Brady, M. (2011). Teaching letter-sound connections with picture mnemonics: Itchy’s alphabet and early decoding. //Preventing School Failure, 55(1),// 28-34. [] [] [|www.itchysalphabet.com]