Alpha Bricks
the foundation for
developing the ability to read
What do the standards say? (CCSS & GDOE)
In Kindergarten...
Students will engage in conversations to describe, follow, and understand topics and stories
K.1.2: Demonstrate an understanding of the organization and basic features of print: (d) Recognize and name all upper- and lowercase letters of the alphabet
In Grade 1...
Students will demonstrate comprehension by discussing ideas and providing details from a text
1.RL.3: Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details
1.RL.9: Compare and contrast the adventures and experiences of characters in stories
Why is Letter Recognition important?
Research has shown that letter recognition has become synonymous with reading achievement. A child with an automatic, accurate recognition of letters will have an easier time learning about letter sounds and word spellings than a child who does not know the letters of the alphabet. When educators discuss the importance of children possessing knowledge of letters of the alphabet, they are often discussing different things. Some may only mean that students will learn to recognize and name the letters of the alphabet. Others will include learning how to write the letters, while still others consider matching sounds to letters as a component of letter knowledge. Despite this confusion on the definition of knowledge of letters, educators agree upon its importance. Instruction on letters of the alphabet is “clearly important because one of the beginning reader’s biggest responsibilities is to figure out how our alphabetic language works.”
The Alphabetic Principle
In written English, words are composed of patterns of letters that represent the sounds of spoken English words. For more information on the Alphabetic Principle, click here.