Letter and number reversals

Several parents have asked about letter and number reversals.

The best way to address the issue of reversals is to have children practice correct formation and to give them strategies for preventing mistakes in the first place.

Habitually repeating an error causes it to become well-established, just as habitually repeating a correct response causes it to become well established. 

Have an alphabet chart handy for kids to look at as they write

If a letter is difficult to form, practice writing it in many places (on paper, on a whiteboard, on a sidewalk with chalk).  Model how to make the letter and then coach as you your child writes it.

Have your kids practice on an iPad or iPhone using an app like LetterSchool http://letterschool.com/

The most commonly reversed letters are b and d.  Teach children to “make your bed” as they read and write to check if a letter is a b or a d.  I like this trick because it uses your hands and you always have your hands with you (as opposed to a chart).  

Kids can use their hands to make a “bed” and check on the direction of the letters b and d.

The best thing you can remember is that young readers and writers are trying to get a lot of new information under their control and lapses such as letter reversals are common. 

number formation song 

Syllables

Syllables

After students understand that sentences are made of words and words are different lengths, the next important concept for students to understand is that words are divided into syllables, or word parts.

Syllable awareness is one component of phonological awareness. Students gain the ability to hear phonemes that comprise words and to explore speech sounds as syllables.

Why Is It Important?

Students who have well-developed phonological skills generally learn to read with more success. These abilities are important in learning about the language and provide the foundation for learning the  letter sound connection. 

How to Teach What a Syllable Is

It is important for students to recognize syllables in words. When they are able to say one syllable at a time, spelling becomes much easier.

“All words have syllables. A word might have one, two, or even more syllables.”

“Reading has two syllables: read (clap)—ing (clap).”

To demonstrate, clap as you say each syllable.

“Blue has one syllable: blue (clap).”

“Pumpkin has two syllables: pump (clap)—kin (clap).”

“Now you try. Clap your hands for each syllable in the word pig.”

Have your student  practice these words:

Ghost             Halloween           treat            costume      candy     jack-o-lantern

Another way to teach syllables is to have students put their hand under their chin to count the number of syllables in a word.

Counting the syllables in family member’s names is also fun!

Helping with writing at home

Provide lots of writing materials, different color paper, cards, notebooks, markers, and colored pencils.  Remind your child what they can write about.

Have your child practice labeling a picture even with just the first letter of the word at first.  Move on to trying to use the letter sounds to write the word. 

Later have them start writing simple sentences with sight words we have worked on: 

I see a __________. 

I like my _________. 

I can ___________. 

Remind your child to use spaces in their writing.  One way I do this is to use a spaceman (a spaceman glued onto a popsicle stick).   This is a fun  way to remember to space after a word. Soon they will remember to use spaces on their own.  You can use anything to remind your child to space after a word. 

Once your child has been writing sentences for a while, remind them what good writers do.  

The more your child writes and has fun with it, the better they will become !  

Welcome to my first Kindergarten blog.   Come back weekly for ideas and tips.

Writing in Kindergarten 

Young children begin to extend their oral language skills to reading and writing. They can identify most upper and lowercase letters and understand that letters represent specific sounds in spoken words. This letter sound knowledge helps them to sound out words in print and write out words based on their sounds. 

One way to help children at home is to have them keep a writing journal at home.  This can simply be blank pages stapled together.  Talk about the seasons or the upcoming holidays to have a dialogue and a starting point for writing.  Let your child try to write the sounds they hear in the words or label the beginning sounds of the words.   The chart shows the different stages of writing.  The more your child practices, the better writer they will become.