EMBEDDED MNEMONICS
WHY EMBEDDED MNEMONICS?
Learning to associate two unrelated concepts, such as a letter sound and a letter shape, is called paired associate learning. It is cognitively demanding, but can be aided by the use of memory supports such as mnemonic letters.
Embedded mnemonics, that is pictures that remind the children of the letter sound, have been demonstrated to be a powerful memory tool for this kind of learning. Studies show that embedding a picture within the letter shape that reminds children of the letter sound has been shown to supports learners’ recall of sound-letter relationships. This then reduces the amount of repetition needed for kids to learn the letters and sounds, with less confusion, thus leading to better long-term memory, and greater ability to transfer or apply this knowledge in reading and spelling (Ehri, 2014; Ehri, Deffner, & Wilce, 1984; McNamara, 2012; Schmidman & Ehri, 2010). This approach to letter knowledge development not only helps all students, but will be of extra support to students who have difficulty with paired associate learning.
HOWEVER.....
Embedded mnemonics are a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of having students instantaneously know the letter sound upon seeing a plain letter. And so if the ultimate goal is to for learners to deveolop an automatic recognition and recall of letters and their sounds, it is imperative that mnemonic letters serve primarily as a scaffold and support, Early on students must increasingly see embedded mnemonics paired with plain letters in order to make the connection to words they see in their environments and in text. As students develop increasing automaticity with letter and letter sound recognition, the use of plain letters should increase, and the use of mnemonics decrease (based on students' readiness) (i.e., in playful practice, letter reviews, small groups, etc.).
Check out the playful practice opportunities suggested on page 90 of the TSTL to help embed letters and their sounds throughout the day.
THE OCDSB MNEMONIC ALPHABET
Mnemonic letters were created especially for OCDSB students, with the 50/50 context in mind.
During the 2022-2023 school year, each OCDSB Kindergarten class should have received a complete bilingual set of embedded mnemonic letter cards, which includes: a deck with upper and lowercase, a deck with uppercase only and a deck with lowercase only. Please see below for various digital sets.
Each letter and sound in the set matches an anchor word and an associated gesture. These are indicated on the backside of cards. In addition to the embedded picture within the letter shape, anchoring words and gestures further supports retention of letter names and letter sounds.
For example, for the letter C: the word is carrot/carotte and the action is holding a carrot and taking a bite. The image of the curved carrot helps students remember the shape of the letter.
Where possible, anchor words that are similar in English and French were chosen. When Kindergarten teams use the same mnemonics, the cognitive load for our youngest learners is reduced. Most of the mnemonics will be shared for English and French, allowing most letter names and sounds to be taught once (by either an English or French educator) and then reviewed only in the other language.
For example, the anchor word for the letter ‘B’ is the same (balle/ball). One educator can introduce the letter name, sound and formation in either English or French. All educators can now add ‘B’ to their review practice, noting the difference in letter name and pronunciation of the anchor word.
As needed, you will find two separate mnemonic cards for letters, including all of the vowels, due to the difference in letter sound and therefore anchor words (e.g., ‘O’ - octopus and océan).
Planning suggestions with bilingual Kindergarten in mind can be found in Section 8 on page 59.
For students who do not have familiarity with the vocabulary used within the embedded mnemonics (e.g. ‘panda’ for ‘p’), for example multilingual learners or children who have weak oral language skills, explicit teaching of the associated vocabulary either prior to or while introducing embedded mnemonics will be necessary.
Consider posting the upper and lowercase mnemonics in alphabetical order, at a level that students can easily see, while using the single letter cards for direct instruction and playful practice.
Throughout the TSTL are demonstrations of how these powerful tools can be implemented in instructional routines and can support playful practice throughout the day.
Digital sets of both mnemonic cards and plain letters can be found below. A modified set of mnemonics cards is also available below for blind and low-vision students.
Progression from Embedded Mnemonics to Plain Letters
Introduction with mnemonics
Students are introduced to, and then review, the letter name and sound paired with the visual mnemonic card and associated gesture. See Cycle 2 (page 63) for detailed ways to use the mnemonic cards.
Connecting the Embedded Mnemonic with Plain Letters
Students should see embedded mnemonics paired with plain letters early on in order to make the connection to words they see in their environments and in text. There are lots of playful practice opportunities to make these connections throughout the day. Examples can be found in Appendix B on page 90.
Pairing Letter Name & Sound with Printed Plain Letter to Automaticity
The goal is to move learners from the embedded mnemonics to plain letters. As students develop automaticity, begin placing increased emphasis on the plain letters (i.e., in playful practice, letter reviews, small groups, etc.). When first working with plain letters, students may still benefit from gestures to bridge their learning.
For students who are also learning ASL, pair the ASL sign with the letter name and the gesture with the letter sound.