Summer Training Series - Alphabetic Principle

RSI4EDU.com trained teachers this summer in the Alphabetic Principle - Increasing understanding in #phonics and #beginningreaders.

A primary goal of beginning reading instruction is to prepare students to read texts fluently so they are able to construct meaning as they read.  Increasing students’ understanding and use of the Alphabetic Principle is crucial to facilitating the process of learning to read.  

Alphabetic Principle Defined:

The ability to associate sounds with letters and use these sounds to form words.  The understanding that words in spoken language are represented in print.  Sounds in words relate to the letters that represent them (Liberman & Liberman, 1990).

The Alphabetic Principle includes such skills as; letter-sound correspondence, regular word reading, reading in texts, irregular word reading, and advanced word analysis skills.  One of the greatest areas of the Alphabetic Principle that students struggle with is vocalizing each sound within a word and blending it to a whole word.  Students need overt (explicit) instruction in applying the phonological strategy of saying words slowly then saying them fast - when engaged in whole word reading.  Below is a progression of regular word reading as provided by Harn, Simmons, & Kame’enui (2003).

Want to increase your teacher’s knowledge and instructional capacity in teaching beginning reading? Contact RSI4EDU.com to inquire how our experts can support your school initiatives.

References

Harn, Simmons, & Kame’enue (2003). Institute on Beginning Reading. Retrieved from http://reading.uoregon.edu/.

Liberman, I. Y., & Liberman, A. M. (1990). Whole language vs. code emphasis: Underlying assumptions and their implications for reading instruction. Annals of Dyslexia, 40, 51-76.