Authentic Alphabet
Here is a structure you can apply to children’s
emerging interest to meet EYLF Learning Outcomes:
Learning Outcome 4.3 Children transfer and adapt
what they have learned from one context to another.
Learning Outcome 5.1 Children interact verbally and
non-verbally with others for a range of purposes.
Learning Outcome 5.2 Children engage with a range of
texts and gain meaning from these texts.
Introduction
The educational aims
“It becomes Authentic when it becomes a part of
children’s everyday life experience and in context to
their world. It is authentic when experience with
literature is used for a purpose and all its various
Educational aims of this exercise are to expose your
children to the written word to form the foundations of
reading and writing. Through this activity your child will
see letter and word formation in action. With educators
sounding out the letters, syllables and words, you will
teach Authentic Alphabet.
aspects are brought together in the act of reading and
writing”. (J Schickendanz 1999)
from objects in children's everyday environment and
The exercise has two very important parts. Firstly a
written language has now been connected to the oral
language we take for granted. Secondly the sounding
out of the phonic segments is teaching your child
Authentic Alphabet skills, and this is how children learn
to read, write and spell.
are a key element in literacy learning. Authentic
Flow Chart of Educational Event EYLF LO 4.3 & 5.2
When children learn the Authentic Alphabet, they learn
through their natural curiosity and are able to identify
the phonemes that make up the words they are
learning to read and write. These letter sounds come
Alphabet will expand children’s web of knowledge and
vocabulary at the same time.
What
Washes
With
Water?
What Does
Water Pass
Through?
The Exercise
Use an interest that has developed with the children.
We will be using “What Needs Water”. This is a great
Water
way for children to examine his or her environment and
think about how it works. By labelling objects that use
What
Needs
Water
For Life?
or need water, they create an association between
objects and the written form of their names.
What
Holds
Water
Your World As An Adult
Authentic Alphabet is a major foundation for literacy
skills such as reading and writing. Foundation skills
Step 1. Explore your centre and identify objects
that require, need, use or store water.
learned here greatly assist with spelling and lateral
thinking, and these are very important skills that
Create name tags
should improve children's confidence as they take
on the world.
Step 2. Create name tags for the objects.
Say the name of the object
Say the sounds of the letters
Say the sound of the syllables
Step 3. Say the sounds of the words.
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Aut he nt ic Alpha be t - Wha t Ne e ds Wa t e r ?
Carry out these 3 steps with the children
What you need
Paper
Pencils
Tape or
ors
Sciss
St e p 2
St e p 1
Explore your centre with the children and identify objects
that require, need, use or store water. Be adventurous and
really think outside the square. You may like to use the
following areas on the diagram to start this process.
Bucket
Washing machine
Dishwasher
Pipes
Gutter
Taps
EYLF LOC 4.3 & 5.2
Shower
What
Washes
With
Water?
What Does
Water Pass
Through?
Bathroom
Toilet
Bath
Kitchen Sink
Water
Plants
Vase
What
Needs
Water
For Life?
What
Holds
Water
Ice Tray
Jug
Animals
Tea/Coffee
38 page
Bottle
Cup
Needs
Water
To Make
Kettle
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k
blue tac
s
label
e
m
a
s.
te n
Crea se object
e
for th
St e p 3
Refer to the name labels in your daily life and say the word to the children broken down into its
sounds or phonic segments.
For example gutter
Bucket becomes
/ g / u / t / t / e / r / for single letter sounds
/ b / u / c / k / e / t / for single letter sounds
Start by helping children to identify shapes of
letters and link these shapes to sounds, so the
letter 'g’ becomes the sound 'geh'. Write the letter
out so that your child understands that the letter
and the sound are the same thing.
1
2
g u t - t e r for the syllable
b u c - k e t for the syllable
After sounding out each individual letter in a word,
you can chunk the word into its syllables, so that
children learn that individual letter sounds
combine to form new sounds. Say the word
naturally so that the child can hear the natural
syllable breaks.
Clapping your hands for each syllable often helps
children to understand and remember this
process.
Repeat this activity for a week, then reinforce
once per week from then on to ensure that
learning is not lost.
Practise the movement of the letters in a sand pit,
or use a paint brush and water on the footpath or
draw on big paper.
From here, it is an easy step to teach your child to
read phonetically. Start slowly - one letter at a
time, but building on as you go.
Use fridge magnets and ask the child to find the
letter that makes the sounds ‘geh’ for gutter.
Gradually you can build up whole words.
You don't need to give children structured alphabet learning. Usually this type of
learning has no context to children's curious minds and they become bored as it
has no relevance to their lives. Alphabet books don't make good reading, and
research has proven that children don't learn reading and writing through simply
memorising ABCDEFG etc . They learn by sound associations.
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