Letter-Name Alphabetic

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

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.

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.