I NS T RU C T I O N
Developing Prereading
Skills in Students:
Alphabet
Knowledge and
Letter/Sound
Correspondence
by Jeanine Woods
Many of us who enjoy reading and have an interest in the
Kumon Reading Program are excellent readers ourselves. It
may be difficult for us to remember a time when we could
not read or did not understand the alphabet. If reading came
easily to you, then meeting students who are not familiar with
the letters of the alphabet or the sounds that they make can be
surprising to you. It is important to remember that knowledge
of the sounds and shapes of the letters of the alphabet does
not come naturally to all students. Alphabet knowledge and
letter/sound correspondence are skills that must be learned,
and along with other prereading skills, such as phonemic
awareness and print concepts, they are vital to making
students successful readers.
Alphabet knowledge is the ability to recognize and name the
letters of the alphabet (Shanker and Ekwall, 2003). A student
who has knowledge of the letters of the alphabet can name
them upon seeing them, point to them, match uppercase
and lowercase letters, and match letters that look exactly the
same. Alphabet knowledge, along with phonemic awareness
and print awareness, is a natural step towards developing
letter/sound correspondence, the understanding that letters
represent sounds. When students develop letter/sound
correspondence, they will be able to begin learning to sound
out words and eventually become fluent readers. These two
prereading skills are vital to literacy, and helping students
to develop both alphabet knowledge and letter/sound
correspondence is an important step in learning to read.
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It was once believed that learning the names of the letters
of the alphabet had no effect on learning to read (Gibson
and Levin, 1975, in Springer, 2005). More recent research has
suggested, however, that children who have knowledge of
letter names are more likely to learn to read and spell more
quickly than those who don’t. Many studies have found that
students who had high letter naming ability in kindergarten
also had high first grade reading achievement.
Learning the names of the letters of the alphabet helps
students as they are learning to recognize, spell, and write
words. Knowing the names of the letters of the alphabet
allows students to recall them easily while attempting to
write a word. (How do I spell cat? C-A-T) It also helps them
to think of options when they come to an unfamiliar word.
(What words do I know that start with a b and end with a
d?) Alphabet knowledge may also help students to recognize
printed words. (I know that word is stop! I see the letters S-TO-P!)
Until a student reaches 1st grade, alphabet knowledge is
correlated with, or related to, reading achievement (Foulin,
2005). Around that time in a student’s schooling, knowledge
of letter sounds becomes a better predictor of reading
achievement. To be able to read, children need to grasp the
alphabetic principle, the idea that letters represent sounds,
and learning first the letter names and then their sounds helps
them to grasp this important idea.
I N STRUC TI ON
Learning the names of the letters of the alphabet can make
it easier for students to learn their sounds. Since many letter
names include their sounds (b, d, p, f, r, s), students are better
equipped to remember these sounds. Additionally, letter names
serve as background knowledge for students to learn sounds
(Foulin, 2005). In other words, the more students learn about
print and letters, the easier it will be for them to learn letter/
sound correspondence. Alphabet knowledge helps students
to bridge the gap between letter sounds and print, and
contributes to their overall literacy.
To truly know the alphabet, students have to grasp several
concepts. First, they must know the shape of the letters and
learn to recognize them. This task is made more challenging by
the fact that letters can be written in both upper- and lowercase
and in many different sizes and styles. To be truly literate,
students must realize that letters and words are the same in
different fonts and even in different handwriting (Bradley and
Jones, 2004). Next, students must learn the names of the letters
and distinguish their similarities and differences. For example,
some upper- and lowercase letters do not look like each other
while others have similar shapes. Students then must build
the understanding that letters represent sounds. This includes
learning that one letter may represent two sounds, and two
letters, such as ch-, may represent one sound. Finally, students
learn to write letters. As you can see, learning the alphabet is a
complex process that involves several different skills.
As mentioned above, developing letter/sound correspondence
relies on a student’s knowledge of phonemic awareness. It
requires making a connection from the visual symbols of the
letters to their sounds. To make this connection, students must
first understand that words are made up of sounds (phonemic
awareness). Next, they need to develop the understanding
that the black marks on the paper are words (print awareness).
Students will also need to have an understanding of the letters of
the alphabet (alphabet knowledge). Once they are able to grasp
these concepts, students will begin to associate the sounds of
the letters with the visual symbols of the letters (letter/sound
correspondence). Finally, students will put those sounds together
to make words that match the words on a page (reading).
How does the Kumon Reading Program help students to
develop these two important prereading skills? Students
begin developing the print awareness that they will need to
master knowledge of the letters of the alphabet, along with the
phonemic awareness needed for letter/sound correspondence,
in 7A and 6A. As they begin the program, they begin working
with the Alphabet side only of the Letter Sounds/Alphabet
Chart. Students should not be asked to use both sides of the
chart at the same time because, as outlined above, students
who are learning the alphabet are just learning the names
and shapes of the letters. Understanding that letters are also
symbols that stand for sounds can be too difficult a concept
to introduce at this point. Students should continue to use the
Alphabet Chart through the end of Level 6A, and can add the
letter sound side after they have mastered the names of the
letters, or as they begin Level 5A.
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I NS T RU C T I O N
Students also practice letter/sound correspondence by
completing the 5A worksheets. Assistants must remember that
the learning focus of the first half of Level 5A is to learn the
sounds of the letters, and that students should not be asked
to sound out the example words for each sound. Writing
and tracing the letters on each worksheet helps students
to memorize the shapes of the letters. Because students
will already have some knowledge of letter names from
the Alphabet Chart, they will be able to make connections
between this knowledge and the letter sounds. This
information is also reinforced by the flashcards and flashcards
CDs. By the time they reach 5A 111, students will be able to
apply their knowledge of letter/sound correspondence to
begin blending words.
There are several things you and your assistants can do to
help students develop alphabet knowledge and letter/sound
correspondence in the Center.
and it may take students quite a while to grasp
it. Many students who struggle in this level were
moved on too quickly and did not have ample time
to practice the letter sounds. Be sure that the student
knows all the letter sounds before moving him or her
on to 5A 111.
•
You may want to see if alphabet books from the
Recommended Reading List are available in audio
format. Students can follow along with the book
while listening to the recording. This is a great way
for students to learn letters and their sounds in the
context of words and sentences.
•
Assistants can also point out objects in the room
that start with letters that the student is studying.
For example, if the student is working on 5A 63,
the assistant might say, “That letter is t. Table starts
with t!”
To be able to read, children need to grasp the alphabetic principle, the idea
that letters represent sounds, and learning first the letter names and then
their sounds helps them to grasp this important idea.
•
•
•
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Create a print-rich environment in your Center. In
addition to hanging the new poster-sized charts in
your JK room, hang other items, such as posters with
nursery rhymes and poems, funny sayings, and even
labels for items in the classroom (put the word wall on
the wall, for example). As the students are completing
their worksheets, assistants can point out letters on
the worksheets that are also found in the classroom.
An assistant might say, “Look, there’s a b on that
poster, just like on the worksheet!” Assistants can also
ask the student to point to the letter b on a poster and
should praise students who independently make the
connection between the letters on the page and in
the classroom. Assistants should also ask students to
think of other words that have the same beginning
sounds as the focus letter on the worksheet they are
studying.
In 7A, starting at 61, assistants should begin pointing
out that the words featured on a worksheet all start
with the same sound. Assistants should not expect
students to know this on their own or even to know
what the sound is yet. They can say to students
something like, “Bear, boat, bus and bee all start with
the same sound, /b/.
Remember that it is acceptable for students to have
many repetitions of Level 5A. The relationship
between letters and their sounds is an abstract one,
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•
In addition to matching letters to letters and letters to
pictures on the Alphabet Board, you can also allow
students to make words with the letters. Assistants
can assist students by helping them find the first
letter of their name or the names of people in the
classroom. You can even provide students with
another surface on which to place the letters, such
as a cookie sheet or the side of a filing cabinet. These
ideas will help students to enjoy their study of letters
even more.
•
Tell your assistants that it is fine if students scribble
on the 7A and 6A worksheets. Students learn to write
by scribbling first, and then begin to write shapes
that look like letters. This helps them to develop
motor skills and prepares them to begin writing
letters. As students develop the ability to hold a
pencil and trace, you can provide them with the
letter writing practice sheets to help them learn to
form letters properly.
•
See the specific directions for the Alphabet Chart for
suggestions on ways to use the Chart to improve
student’s alphabet knowledge.
I N STRUC TI ON
Parents can help their children develop these skills at home
with the following activities.
•
Parents should read as many alphabet books to their
children as possible. Besides helping children become
familiar with the alphabet, reading alphabet books
helps children to understand print, learn how books
work, and promotes an enjoyment of books, because
children do not need to understand a story or plot in
order to enjoy them.
•
Parents can play games with their children such as
asking them to find letters they know on boxes of
cereal or on signs outside. They can also play “I spy”
with letter sounds by saying, “I spy something that
starts with c.”
•
As a fun rainy day activity, parents can have children
make their own letter books. Parents can fold two 8
½ by 11 sheets of paper in half and put them together
to make a blank book. Children can choose a letter,
write it on the cover, and then cut out pictures from
magazines of things that start with that letter, as well
as the letter itself, and glue them on the pages.
•
Parents can allow their children to trace letters of the
alphabet in sand or salt in a shoebox. They can also
have them make letters out of play dough and trace
them. These types of activities are especially helpful if
the child reverses letters when writing them.
•
Parents can provide their children with magnetic
letters and can encourage them to use them on the
refrigerator or on a cookie sheet. Children can make
words, match upper and lowercase letters, or simply
say the letters while sticking them on the magnetic
surface.
•
Parents can also provide their children with a number
of different writing materials, such as different types
of paper, markers, crayons, letter stamps, etc. Remind
parents that their child may begin scribbling letterlike forms before they can write letters. This is not just
scribbling, but a stepping stone to being able to write
letters, words, and sentences.
Observe students in the lower levels and you will find
some for whom alphabet knowledge and letter/sound
correspondence come “naturally,” some who are completely
unfamiliar with these symbols and the sounds they stand
for, and some who fall somewhere in between. With time,
patience, and practice, all students can learn these skills and
become successful readers.
Alphabet knowledge helps students to
bridge the gap between letter sounds
and print, and contributes to their overall
literacy.
REFERENCES
Bradley, B. A., & Jones, J., (2007). Sharing alphabet books in early childhood
classrooms. The reading teacher, 60 (5), 452 – 463.
Dodd, B., & Carr, A., (2003). Young children’s letter-sound knowledge. Language,
speech, and hearing services in schools, 34 (2), 128 – 137.
Foulin, J. N., (2005). Why is letter-name knowledge such a good predictor of learning to
read. Reading and Writing, 18, 129 – 155.
Gunning, T. (2002). Assessing and correcting reading difficulties. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Shanker, J. L., & Ekwall, E. E. (2003). Locating and correcting reading difficulties. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Merril Prentice Hall.
Warner, L., & Weiss, S., (2005). Why young children need alphabet books. Kappa delta
pi record, 41 (3), 124 – 127.
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