Abstract
When children complete preschool with strong alphabet knowledge, there is a higher likelihood that they will read at a level of proficiency or above by third grade. Third-grade reading proficiency is highly predictive of school success factors, including continued reading fluency and high school graduation rates. This research compares two different teaching strategies to determine the most effective way to teach the alphabet to preschool students. When considering the pace in which the alphabet is taught, some classrooms teach a letter a week whereas other classrooms teach one letter a day. Multiple studies were analyzed to determine the best approach to take in regard to the pace of instruction, group size, order of alphabet instruction, and review cycles. Current literature suggests teaching a letter a day in small groups is more beneficial to students because lessons can be differentiated on what each student needs, and information is repeated multiple times until mastered.
Included in
Effective Methods of Alphabet Instruction for Preschool
When children complete preschool with strong alphabet knowledge, there is a higher likelihood that they will read at a level of proficiency or above by third grade. Third-grade reading proficiency is highly predictive of school success factors, including continued reading fluency and high school graduation rates. This research compares two different teaching strategies to determine the most effective way to teach the alphabet to preschool students. When considering the pace in which the alphabet is taught, some classrooms teach a letter a week whereas other classrooms teach one letter a day. Multiple studies were analyzed to determine the best approach to take in regard to the pace of instruction, group size, order of alphabet instruction, and review cycles. Current literature suggests teaching a letter a day in small groups is more beneficial to students because lessons can be differentiated on what each student needs, and information is repeated multiple times until mastered.