Are you looking for strategies to help students learn the letters of the alphabet? If so, keep reading.
1. Establish a system of reinforcers, either concrete (e.g., computer time, helper for the day, etc.) or informal (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.), to urge the student to learn the letters of the alphabet.
2. Give the student an alphabet strip at their desk to use as a reference when reading or performing tasks.
3. Every day, have the student print those letters of the alphabet they do not know.
4. Select a peer to work with the student on one letter of the alphabet daily (e.g., tracing the letter, printing the letter, identifying the letter in words in a paragraph, etc.).
5. Get the student to read and write friends’ first names that include letters the student does not recognize.
6. Present letters to the student as partners (e.g., Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd, etc.).
7. Get the student to say the letters of the alphabet in sequence. Repeat by rote several times a day.
8. Show the alphabet to the student on flash cards. This is an appropriate learning experience for a peer tutor to conduct with the student each day.
9. Find a letter the student does not know. Get the student to find the letter in all the words in a paragraph or on a page of a book.
10. Place each letter of the alphabet on an individual card. Get the student to collect and keep the letters they know with the goal to “own” all the letters of the alphabet.
11. Begin by teaching the names of letters in the student’s first name only. On occasions where the student has learned the letters in their first name, go on to the last name, parents’ names, etc.
12. Provide the student a word that begins with each letter of the alphabet (e.g., apple, bad, cat, etc.). Go over several of the terms each day, stressing the letters of the alphabet being learned.
13. Take every chance throughout the day to emphasize a designated letter for that day (e.g., find the letter when speaking, writing, reading, etc.).
14. Utilize daily drills to help the student memorize the alphabet.
15. Refrain from placing the student in awkward reading skills (e.g., reading aloud in a group, identifying that the student’s reading group is the lowest level, etc.).
16. Try using one of our many apps designed to teach literacy skills and help students with reading issues:
10 Apps That Teach Your Child to Read
7 Must-Have Apps to Make Learners Love Reading
7 Must-Have Phonics Apps and Tools
9 Reading Apps and Tools for the Elementary Classroom
The Tech Edvocate’s List of 24 Literacy Apps, Tools & Resources
