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Language and Communication knows alphabetical order  This resource has been viewed by a moderator.


Pupil knows the order of letters in the whole alphabet

Early years skill:not specified
Early years typical range:not specified
P-scales/Curriculum skill:English Reading
P-scales/Curriculum level:L1c
TAP skill:Reading
TAP level:TAP52
Pre/Nat. Curriculum Area:not specified
Pre/Nat. Curiculum Standard:not specified
Using an alphabet rainbow to learn alphabetical order

Two sets of plastic or wooden lower case letters.

Keep the two sets in separate bags.

An A3 landscape chart of the letters set out in alphabetical order and made into a rainbow arc using WordArt

1. Check that the child knows all the letter names. Teach any they are unsure of.

2. Point to the chart and ask the child to read the alphabet with you.

3. Give the child one set of letters and ask them to make their own rainbow using the chart as a guide:

4. Ask the child to close their eyes and tell you the order.

5. Set out the the letters the child is able to recite in alphabetical order with the second set of letters, for example:

6. Select the next few letters which the child does not yet know the order of from the second set of letters, for example:

7. Ask the child to match the target group of letters with the first set, saying the name of each letter as they do so. For example:

8. Take the target group again, jumble them up, ask the child to put them in order again, saying the names as they do so.

9. Ask the child to close their eyes and put the letters one by one in their hand (in order) and ask them to identify the letter. Repeat, faster and faster.

10. Repeat steps 1-9 daily until they know the target set.

Once the child is confident with this set of letters:

11. Add these letters to the known ones and introduce the next group of letters.

Other exercises:

12. Ask the child to close their eyes and point to where they think a particular letter is in the array e.g. m.

13. Repeat 12 using a simple dictionary, high frequency word chart set out in alphabetical order, phone book, index of a topic book, library classification chart etc.

Use a record sheet. Make a plan with all the adults working with the child to teach the remaining letters.

Make sure the child points with you.

Do this daily.

In this way you will identify which bits they know e.g. a-g. Keep a record of this by colouring in an A4 copy of the chart.

This is the 'target group'. If a-g are already known, the target group may be h i j k.

Remember that l,m,n,o,p is a tongue twister.

This helps to show why it is important to know alphabetical order.

The alphabet rainbow can be used to teach spellings and phonically regular patterns - letters are pulled out of the rainbow to build words.
