What Are Ideas for Teaching Beginning Alphabetics?

In all of the resources presented, there is a myriad of ideas outlined for lesson plans to teach phonics. Let's take a look at some key ideas for teaching.

Alphabet Letters (BATT)

The teacher writes or names 3-5 taught letters for students to say or write.
The teacher writes 3-5 new letters (one at a time) from left to right and says names (more than once).
The teacher repeats new letter names, students say names and write or trace letters on alphabet strips or flashcards.
The teacher asks students to find taught and new letters, from top to bottom, within familiar visual or print text.

From Beginning Alphabetics Tests & Tools (BATT), the following are 3 phonics instructional approaches. No matter which approach you choose, all would include sequential, systematic, explicit, and multisensory instruction. All can be delivered in short, daily lessons offered over time.

1. Synthetic (meaning combining different substances or components) teaches individual letter-sound patterns, blending, and segmenting of recognizable words. For example, a teacher shows and says the consonants m, l, s, t, and short vowel a. Students practice saying the sounds and the teacher models how to blend (or combine) them into small words: am, Sam, tam, Al, Sal, as, mat, at, sat. Then he/she guides them in reading and spelling the same words.

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Synthetic Phonics Approach (BATT resource)

1. 1. 1. 1. The teacher writes 5-10 taught letter patterns and students say sounds OR the teacher says 5-10 taught sounds and students write letters.
      2. The teacher writes 4-5 new letter patterns and says sounds (more than once), asks students to identify those sounds in known words, and then writes and blends new words (or word families) using the patterns.
      3. Students say sounds for the new letters and blend the simple words (more than once); the teacher answers questions about meaning. The teacher and students read aloud short sentences or paragraphs with some taught and new words.
      4. The teacher and students read aloud short sentences or paragraphs with some taught and new words. Note that the teacher added sight words to the slide (and, I, on, the, am, you) for students to combine with target words to create and practice short sentences.

2. Analogy (meaning comparing things based on their similarities) teaches phonograms (or rimes) and their related word families (formed by adding onsets or consonant patterns at the front). For example, a teacher shows and says the phonogram -ab. He/she models how to add the single consonants c, d, g, j, l, n, t at the front to form similar relatives: cab, dab, gab, jab, lab, nab, tab. Then he/she guides students in reading and spelling the same word family.

Analogy Ex.PNG

Analogy Phonics Approach (TAP resource)

1. 1. 1. 1. The teacher writes a taught word family and students read OR the teacher dictates 5-10 taught words and students spell.
      2. The teacher writes and reads a new phonogram (or rime) and blends it with onsets (or beginning consonants) to form a new word family (more than once).
      3. Students say the new phonogram and read the word family (more than once); the teacher answers questions about the meaning.
      4. The teacher and students read aloud short sentences or paragraphs with some taught and new words. Note that the teacher added sight words to the slide (the, is, and, I, you, work, in, a) for students to combine with target words to create and practice short sentences.

3. Analytic (meaning separating something into components or parts) teaches analysis of letter-sound patterns in known words and application to unknown words. For example, a teacher shows and explains short vowel a and long vowel a-silent e headers, which include phonetic spellings, example words, and sometimes pictures. He/she models how to sort (or separate) by headers a list of 12-21 other words: mad, fast, page, name, same, hand, snap, came, grass, rake, made. Then he/she guides students in reading, sorting, and spelling the same words.

Analytic Ex.PNG

Analytic Phonics Approach (Use with teacher or publisher word sorts)

1. 1. 1. 1. The teacher explains 2-3 letter-sound patterns and reads the known header words from the board or cut-up sort page.
      2. The teacher writes or shows and reads new or unknown words and talks aloud sorting by letter-sound patterns.
      3. Students read and sort all the words by letter-sound patterns on their own or with a partner. The teacher dictates 10-15 words for spelling.
      4. The teacher and students read aloud short sentences or paragraphs with some taught and new words.

Additional activities for teaching the Roman alphabet and phonological awareness, phonics, and word recognition are pp. 37-40 in the BATT. BATT Resource-1.pdf

There is also an Appendix full of tools for teaching beginning alphabetics, including flashcards and word lists on pp. 43-70 in the BATT.

Automaticity Readings

Letters, Sounds, Words, Basic Sentences

1. The teacher selects a set of taught or troublesome letters, letter-sound patterns, or words.
2. The teacher presents them visually to students.
3. The teacher models quick and correct letter naming, sound saying, or word reading.
4. Students practice naming letters, saying sounds, or reading words quickly and correctly with the teacher or partners.
5. Students complete online phonics activities.
6. Teacher and students write/read basic sentences or read emergent texts and dialogues.

Sight Words, Phrases, Short Sentences

1. The teacher selects a set of taught, troublesome, or new sight or high-frequency words.
2. The teacher presents them visually to students.
3. Teacher models quick and correct word reading.
4. Students practice reading the words quickly and correctly with partners.
5. Students complete online sight word activities.
6. Teacher and students write/read basic sentences or read Fry’s Phrases and Short Sentences. Frys-Instant-Words_Phrases_Sentences-1.pdf

Click "Next" to look at approaches to teaching intermediate/advanced alphabetics.