Kindergarten - 2nd Grade
Ages 5-7
After you've slipped quietly into your child's room to exchange the envelope addressed to the tooth fairy under their pillow for a couple of dollars to keep the magic, you sit in the living room wondering where to stash the tiny tooth but not before reading the handwritten letter. You'll see a series of letters that may not appear to make any discernible word, but look closely enough and you'll find evidence of your child's literacy development in the Letter-Name Alphabetic stage.
This stage is where children are beginning to be formally taught to read. Their writing and spelling use clues from the letter names as cues to the sounds they want to represent: Tooth fairy might look like "TFRE." This stage is important because children's phonological awareness (ability to work with words, syllables, and sounds in spoken language) and concept of word in text (COW-T: ability to point to words in a memorized text) is at a critical development stage where they can reach maturity without obtaining a strong foundation and children only know how to read and write a few words. Parents should work with their children's teachers to help children master each step in this stage.
Characteristics of Letter-Name Alphabetic Writing
Early Letter-Name Alphabetic
uses letter name sound matches (Y for /w/)
represents prominent sounds, usually beginning and sometimes ending consonants; vowels generally missing
rudimentary concept of word in text
Middle Letter-Name Alphabetic
accurately represent single beginning and ending consonants in spelling
spell occurring short vowel words
firm concept of word in text
Late Letter-Name Alphabetic
spell many short vowels and most beginning consonant blends and digraphs correctly
spell many sight words, including some containing frequently occurring long vowel words (come, like).
full phonemic awareness
Characteristics of Letter-Name Alphabetic Reading
COW-T
Rudimentary-level students point to and track the words of a memorized text left to right using their knowledge of consonants as clues to word boundaries. They may get off track with two-syllable words, and when they are asked to find words in what they read, they are slow and hesitant.
Firm-level students can finger-point read accurately, and if they get off track, they can quickly correct themselves without voice pointing or starting over. They can find words quickly in text using their knowledge of letters and sounds when asked.
Sight Word Learning
Sight words are known words students can recognize automatically and consistently in text and in isolation. They provide a base for students to make generalizations about phonics principles and how the spelling system words, but sight word development still depends on their knowledge of letters and sounds. Students advance from Partial Alphabetic reading to Full Alphabetic reading when they start off only able to remember a few rules and sounds about letters then begin to know vowel and consonant sounds and can fully connect spelling to pronunciation and meaning from memory.
Book Recommendations
These books fall within the 50-280 Lexile range which is the 1st grade reading level.
Suggestions for Parents
Choral Reading (reading the words out loud together) will increase your child's confidence to practice as the spotlight is lifted from them. Their vocabulary will expand and hearing the words will become familiar to make predictable text easier to read.
Echo Reading ( repeating immediately after you read) provides the support children need as they cannot read very much without some kind of guidance and instruction. Repetitive patterns, rhyme, and simple language that make it memorable will help children anticipate what the words say.
Enrich simple text by rereading familiar stories that can be explored more such as Cat on the Mat by Brian Wildsmith. Discuss the range of emotions described in the book and offer more sophisticated synonyms to the words your child offers such as contented for happy.
Suggestions for English Language Learners
English Language Learners will often produce sounds for letters that follow their native language rules. Click HERE to view a Consonant Confusions chart for ELLs.
Allow your child more time in this stage as needed and refer to the chart found on the Emergent page for pronouncing letter sounds correctly
Use picture sorts that focus on the letters and their sounds that do not occur in your child's native language
Ask your child to read out loud, and repeat their words by enunciating the sounds they missed or confused.
Online Learning Games/Apps to improve literacy skills
"Set the stage for reading success with this delightfully interactive educational app. Kids will have a blast learning their ABC’s and building vocabulary with the adorable Endless monsters. Each word features an interactive puzzle game with talking letters and a short animation illustrating the definition. Before you know it, your child will be using words like gargantuan and cooperate!" -originatorkids.com
Click the icon to learn more.
"The program emphasizes exploration, play, and positive reinforcement—encouraging children to become confident and intrinsically motivated. Starfall is an educational alternative to other entertainment choices for children and is especially effective for special education, homeschooling, and English language development (ELD, ELL, ESL). It is widely used in schools that serve children with special needs and learning difficulties." -starfall.com
Click the icon to learn more.
"Monkey Word School Adventure is an early-reading app for preschoolers and young elementary-school-age kids. It's for kids who are ready to start recognizing letters and words. It is well-designed with young learners in mind, challenging kids age 4 to 7 by using technology that quickly adjusts the words to the appropriate level." -readingrockets.org
Click the icon to learn more.
References
Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Johnston, F. R., & Templeton, S. (2020). Words their way: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling Instruction. Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.
Endless Alphabet. (n.d.). Originator Kids. https://www.originatorkids.com/?p=564
First Grade Books for Ages 6-7 - Reading Comprehension by Series & Early Elementary Chapter Books. (n.d.). 1st Grade. https://shop.scholastic.com/parent-ecommerce/grades/1st-grade.html?p=1&n=20&f.lexileLevel=50-280
Monkey Word School Adventure. (2018, February 21). Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/literacyapps/monkey-word-school-adventure
Starfall Education: Kids Games, Movies, & Books K-3. (2002). Starfall. https://www.starfall.com/h/