How is alphabet knowledge taught and learned?
Alphabet knowledge is often learned well before children enter formal schooling. Some families recite the alphabet, read together, and do other early literacy activities that help their children gather information about the alphabet. For other families, these sorts of activities are not part of their daily routines. Because of these early experiences, a class of children entering school has a wide range of skills when it comes to alphabet knowledge. When a child begins kindergarten, his teacher will check how many letters he recognizes, usually by showing him random letters, one at a time, and recording his response. Once a teacher gauges how much her students know about the alphabet, she can plan effective teaching strategies. Because of early reading expectations in kindergarten, the traditional kindergarten “letter of the week” strategy is no longer enough, as that takes up almost one-third of the school year (Johnston, 2004). Students should be taught the alphabet in meaningful con
