Alphabet sound knowledge is a crucial part of the emergent reader diet. When children learn letter names and sounds along with phonemic awareness, they are able to begin decoding words in text and that's our ultimate goal, right? You are probably wondering, where do I start?

Assessment

I use this quick assessment to help me target exactly what letters my kiddos need to know. Data is so important when it comes to teaching because we need to know exactly what to teach them (so we don't waste time teaching the wrong thing) and what they need to know (so that we target instruction for them). Once instruction begins, I continue to assess them weekly. The assessment and chart below can be found here as well as the bottom of the post.

Letter name/sound student recognition chart.

Letter Knowledge Components

Letter Recognition: meaning the shape and size of the letter as well as understanding what a letter is and is not.
Letter Naming: the ability to name a letter (upper or lower case)
Letter Sound Knowledge: Knowing the letter and its corresponding sounds.
Letter Writing: The ability to write letters using the correct formation.

When and Where to Start

Once students have been tested, it will be very easy to see what they need. You will inevitably have students on a broad continuum. Some students will not know what a letter is, while others will be reading simple CVC words. It is important to try to group students based on this knowledge. Taking a look at your data will help you determine this.

Instruction

Instruction will look very different depending on where each group is. Here are some samples and notes for each component.

Letter Recognition:

use students' names
draw their attention to environmental print
read books
letters vs non-letters sorting

Letter Naming:

Identify upper letter names through exposure, boot camp, or whole group. I do not spend time explicitly teaching uppercase letter names in small group.
Identify lower letter names while simultaneously teaching letter sounds.
Teach no more than four letters/sounds at a time
Ensure that letters that do not look similar

Letter Sound Knowledge: This is where the focus should be.

Teach no more than four letters/sounds at time
Ensure that letters do not look similar
Use materials that encourage manipulation

Letter Writing:

Include letter writing in all of the above components.
Use catchy letter formation chants
Follow the same stroke cues (always start from the top)
Make it multisensory

Why Some Students Struggle

If letter knowledge is not going the way you planned, don't beat yourself up. There are a number of reasons why students may not be progressing as quickly.

Students who truly struggle to read often have difficulty in phonological process, problems with working memory and long-term memory, visual memory issues, speech, and language, etc.