Teacher to Teacher

Teacher to Teacher

Shuling Yang, Natalia Aledsandrovna Ward, LaShay Jennings, Rachel Waldroff, and Edward J. Dwyer

Developing Understanding of the Alphabetical Principle Among Beginning Literacy Learners

Introduction

We have worked with students in a variety of literacy learning environments and have found that fostering learning to apply knowledge of phonetic principles is very difficult for some students. A strategy we have found helpful is working with letter tiles and a blank grid. We have found that working with a physical product that involves manipulation of letter tiles is enjoyable for students and fosters learning based on the alphabetic principle as defined by McGee and Richgels (2012); the alphabetic principle is “a guiding rule for reading and writing whereby both processes depend on the systematic use of sound-letter correspondences” (p. 376).

Review of Literature

The International Literacy Association (ILA, 2019a) emphasized the importance of focused, explicit, systematic, and authentic instruction in learning letters and the sounds associated with those letters in a position statement titled Meeting the Challenges of Early Literacy Phonics Instruction. Authenticity, in this context, involves students applying their ability to identify letters, learning the sounds typically associated with letters, and recognizing how letters combine to make words in an alphabetic language like English. ILA researchers stressed how such learning must take place during engaging activities where the utilization of developing competencies is evident. In this light, Gill (2019) determined that “… to grow into fluent readers and writers, children need several years of systematic instruction to learn the intricacies of English orthography” (p. 39). In addition, ILA (2020) researchers proposed in a literacy brief titled Phonological Awareness in Early Childhood Literacy Development that phonological awareness, defined as “sensitivity to the sound (or phonological) structure of spoken words” (p. 2), provides the foundation for attaining competence in phonemic awareness, which is the ability to hear individual phonemes within words. ILA researchers further proposed that the ability to hear phonemes, the smallest units of sound in the English language, is critical for learning to read, and that students who enter first grade without the ability to hear and identify phonemes in words have great difficulty in learning to read. ILA (2019a) researchers in a position statement titled Meeting the Challenges of Early Literacy Phonics Instruction determined that sustained practice is essential for developing phonemic awareness competencies as opposed to short term study undertaken with the assumption that that the target material will be or has been learned sufficiently. We propose that working with what we call the Word Builder Grid provides opportunities for engaging, authentic, and academically sound learning strategies. We propose that the strategies suggested engage students in activities that provide opportunities for enjoying interacting with letters and building words while strengthening phonemic awareness and recognition of letters of the alphabet.

Producing the Work Builder Grid and Tiles

Developing readers need to become thoroughly familiar with all of the letters in both uppercase and lowercase forms. The Word Builder Grid can be used to foster letter naming competencies and, especially, for distinguishing between the uppercase format and the lowercase format of the same letter. For example, a student might have difficulty remembering the graphic presentation of certain letters. Saying the names of a letter and physically placing the letter on the grid over the same letter reinforces learning. Once learning uppercase letters has been mastered, or almost mastered, we encourage students to place the uppercase format of a letter on the grid over the lowercase format of the same letter and vice versa. The uppercase and lowercase letter grids with a single tile on each grid are presented in Figure 1. A letter grid with words is also presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Letter pages in page protectors and grid for letter matching and word building.

Instructions for making the Word Builder Grid and tiles are as follows. Print two sets of uppercase and lowercase letters in grids with 1.5” x 1.5” boxes and one blank letter grid that is the same size. Print three each of uppercase and lowercase vowels in the same sized boxes. The extra vowels are needed for word building. Copy the grids with the letters on 110” or 60” cardstock, and cover the uppercase and lowercase grids that will be used to make tiles with clear laminate such as Contact™ or Duck™ or use a laminating machine. Arial 72 pt. font works well. Color coding is very helpful. The extra set of vowels can be on white cardstock while the other pages are printed on colorful cardstock. Regular copyweight paper can be used for the templates that will be in page protectors but is too flimsy for making tiles. The blank grid can be copied on white cardstock and placed in a page protector. An alternative that we like is mounting the blank grid on a piece of plastic sign board. The 24” x 18” signs are typically used to promote events and political candidates. They are usually held up by wire frames that are stuck into the ground. Each sign can be used to produce four 8.5” x 10” grids. We cover the grid with clear laminate. The plastic sign grid (Figure 2) is easier for students to work with and they can easily slide the letter tiles off the grid and pick them up

because of the .25” thickness of the grid boards. Sturdy cardboard can also be used to make the grids.

Figure 2: Grid made from a plastic sign board.

The uppercase and lowercase letter tiles are made by cutting out the boxes on the laminated cardstock. A short black line can be placed at the bottom of the box of the lowercase letters b, d, m, n, p, w, and z and the uppercase letters M, W, and P to indicate direction. This helps students to avoid confusion when matching letters. A zip-lock bag containing the tiles is presented in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Upper case and lowercase letter tiles in a bag for storage.

Extra consonant and vowel letter tiles can be kept in a plastic container with little drawers that is designed primarily to hold nails, bolts, and screws. We stick a letter on each drawer to indicate which letter tile is stored in the drawer

Place the same number on the back of every tile in each set of tiles. This is helpful for keeping track of the sets of tiles. When students are working at tables, it happens that sets of tiles get mixed together. Having a number on the back of each tile makes it easy to keep track of letter tiles in the classroom. In addition, every student has a Word Builder Grid set to take home and keep at home for practice with siblings, friends, and anyone else who wants to work with the student in learning. Having their very own set of materials at a minimal cost is advantageous for encouraging students to study and fosters what Chen and Myhill (2016) proposed are activities that encourage engagement in authentic literacy tasks. The students physically and mentally construct words which leads to competence in reading and writing. Teachers provide guidance on the school web page and on printed directions that accompany the kits when the students take them home. Young children love possessions! We make a nameplate for each Word Builder Grid with the student’s name printed boldly, placed on a colorful cardstock frame, and covered with laminate. The nameplate can be placed in the bag with the tiles or in one of the page protectors.

Strategies using the Word Builder Grid

The Word Builder Grid provides teachers, coaches, parents, and other interested persons with a set of materials that can be productively used in a variety of instructional environments. In light of research undertaken by Hruby (2009), use of learning materials such as the grid provide learners a physical product that they can manipulate to foster the development of neurological patterns for encouraging long term memory. Jackson (2008) determined that students benefit from physically working with concrete materials because there is a sense of permanence. Jackson proposed that the sense of permanence is lacking when students’ study is overwhelmingly visually oriented. Consequently, we see the grid as a means to encourage physical as well as visual input relative to learning. Picking up the pieces and placing them on the grid provides both physical and visual input. In addition, students are invited to say the words they build aloud. Using the grid can complement word and letter study practices in a wide variety of formats. Many students in kindergarten, first, and second grade need continuing support for learning letter names, sounds associated with letters, and how letters are used to make words and how words are used to compose sentences. Not surprisingly, we have found students in grade three and beyond who can benefit from support for learning using the Word Builder Grid. This is especially relevant when working with English Language Learners. Perhaps the most enjoyable experience we have encountered is guided cross-grade support. For example, nothing in school seems to delight fourth grade students more than to help their first-grade friends learn literacy competencies using the Word Builder Grid and other engaging literacy-oriented activities. As mentioned above, phonological awareness competencies are essential for learning the relationship between sounds and the letters that represent them in words. Phonological awareness is the gateway for enhancing phonemic awareness, the ability to distinguish phonemes within words (International Literacy Association, 2020). The Word Builder Grid provides a platform for studying how phonemes in words contribute to learning how to pronounce words, consequently, strengthening understanding of the alphabetic principle. For example, we can place the word “cat” in the grid but with empty boxes between the letters. Students work with a reading coach and attempt to pronounce each sound/letter in the word “cat.” The student can then physically move the letters so that they are adjacent and make the word, “cat.” In addition, blending

individual phonemes in the manner suggested above can be used for assessing phonemic awareness. This approach, we have found, is much easier to work with and assess knowledge of phonemic awareness than having a test administrator pronounce a word and then ask the student to make the sounds associated with each letter. In addition, the grid can be helpful for introducing onsets and rimes to students who are ready (Figure 4).

Figure 4. Grid with the letters that can be merged to make the word big. More advanced students can begin to study onsets and rimes as presented in the top grid.

In addition to working with the grids in studying phonemic awareness, we invite students to place a large copy of a letter over their neck in a hang tag format (Figure 5). For example, a student might have the letter c, another might have the letter a while a third student has the letter t. The students demonstrate, sometimes with help, the sound associated with their letter. At first, they stand apart and then as they pronounce the letters, they physically move closer together to blend the letters to make the word, “cat.” Students are generally competent in recognizing letters when this type of activity is undertaken. We review letter names during the initial phase of this activity and reference each letter in a printed format on a wall chart.

Figure 5. Letter hang tags

Conclusion

We like the Word Builder Grid because of ease of use and how quickly students adapt to practicing with the materials. Consequently, limited time is needed for transitions or for organizing activities. We see students actively engaged in what Galloway and McClain described as “joyful language play” (p. 306). We want as much time as is feasible for reading aloud to students, engaging in reading texts, and working with such strategies as echo reading, choral reading, and experiencing stories being read aloud. In addition to stories read aloud in the classroom, we experience stories read aloud by actors from the Screen Actors Guild (n.d.) at storylineonline.net in school and we encourage parents to do the same at home. Creative teachers can use the Word Builder Grid in a variety of engaging learning environments to complement other literacy learning strategies. Teachers can modify the formats presented depending on their goals and the evident needs of their students. The strategies presented address many state and national literacy learning standards. We especially like that the Word Builder Grid can be readily available for all students as a basic right, as discussed in ILA’s position statement titled Right to Supportive Learning Environments and High-Quality Resources, for [l]earning spaces, including building materials, furniture, displays, technology, and instructional materials [that are] supportive of the physical, social, and learning needs of all students within the class or school community …” (ILA, 2019b, p. 4). In addition, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (2019) in a position statement titled Advancing Equity in Early Childhood Education proposed that the best instructional materials and practices must be made available to all young children to encourage the elimination of “patterns of inequity” (p. 15). We have found that large numbers of the kits can be produced by college students in literacy classes and students who are involved in service learning projects. In addition, parent and grandparent volunteers are often eager to provide additional support. Creative teachers can use the suggestions presented herein with their students in a variety of contexts. Children must believe that they can become good readers and good writers, but they must also appreciate that becoming highly literate is important.

References

Chen, H. & Myhill, D. (2016). Children talking about writing: Investigating metalinguistic understanding. Linguistics and Education, 35, 100-108. https://doi.org/10.1016/).linged.2016.07.004

Galloway, E.P. & McClain, J.B. (2020). Metatalk moves: Examining tools for collective academic discourse learning. Reading teacher 74(3), 305-313.

Gill, S. R. (2019). Sounding it out is just the first step: Supporting young readers. Young children 74(1), 38–42.

Hruby, G.G. (2009). Grounding reading comprehension in the neuroscience literatures. In S.E. Israel & G.G. Duffy (Eds.), Handbook of research on reading comprehension (pp.189223). Routledge.

International Literacy Association. (2020). Phonological awareness in early childhood literacy development: A position statement of the International Literacy Association. Author. literacyworldwide.org Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/defaultsource/where-we-stand/9457_Phonological_Awareness_1-2020_Final.pdf

International Literacy Association. (2019a). Meeting the challenges of early literacy phonics instruction: Literacy leadership brief. Author. literacyworldwide.org. Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-meetingchallenges-early-literacy-phonics-instruction.pdf?sfvrsn=8847b88e_6

International Literacy Association. (2019b) Right to supportive learning environments and highquality resources: A Research Brief of the International Literacy Association. Author. literacyworldwide.org Retrieved from https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/defaultsource/where-we-stand/ila-right-to-supportive-learning-environments-high-qualityresources.pdf

Jackson, M. (2008). Distracted: The erosion of attention and the coming dark age. Prometheus.

McGee, L.M. & Richgels, D.J. (2012). Literacy’s beginnings: Supporting young readers and writers (6th ed.). Pearson.

National Association for the Education of Young Children. (2019). Advancing equity in early childhood education. Author. Retrieved from NAEYC.org/equity

Screen Actors Guild (n.d.) storylineonline.net.

Shuling Yang is an assistant professor of literacy at the Clemmer College of East Tennesse State Univeristy. She can be reached at Yangs2@etsu.edu.

Additional authors—Natalia Aleksandrovna Ward (WardNA@etsu.edu), LaShay Jennings (jenningsjl@etsu.edu), and Ed dwyer (Dwyer@etsu.edu) are also instructors in the Curriculum and Instruction Department at East Tennessee State University. Final author Rachel Waldroff (zreh14@etsu.edu) is a graduate student in the literacy program at East Tennesee State and teaches special education classes in Memphis, TN.