Why Success is the Greatest Motivator in Early Literacy

Success is one of the most potent forces in learning, especially for young children. It sparks excitement, builds confidence, and creates a foundation for future growth. As an educator, I've witnessed firsthand how early successes in letter recognition can transform struggling learners into motivated, engaged students. This is why I focus on creating opportunities for success right from the start. 

The Role of Success in Learning 

Imagine you're a child entering a classroom where everyone else seems to know their letters. Each lesson feels overwhelming, and every misstep makes you feel further behind. Frustration sets in, and school becomes a struggle. 

Now, picture a different scenario: your teacher introduces uppercase letters, starting with the easiest ones. You master one, then another. Your teacher celebrates every win, and you begin to believe: I can do this! 

These small moments of success build confidence and create a positive feedback loop. Students begin to associate learning with achievement, not frustration. 

How Success Drives Motivation 

Success is self-reinforcing. When students experience success, they develop a sense of competence that motivates them to keep trying. This is why I start with uppercase letters in my teaching: 

Visually Less Confusing: Uppercase letters like "I," "O," and "U" are easier to distinguish than lowercase letters such as "b," "d," and "q." Starting with simpler visuals reduces cognitive overload, giving students a better chance to succeed. 

Developmentally Easier to Write: Straight lines and simple curves in uppercase letters help young learners achieve writing success early on. For example, "E" and "F" use straight strokes, which are more natural for young hands than the loops required for "g" or "e." 

Creates Immediate Wins: The quicker students see results, the more likely they will stay engaged and excited about learning. For example, a student who learns "O" can quickly use it to spell their name or recognize it in a book, creating a sense of accomplishment. 

Turning Success into a Habit 

I use Mister Smith's Letter Recognition Program to foster success. The program, specifically designed for struggling learners, begins with uppercase letters and focuses on one letter at a time. 

Letter Recognition Program at TeachersPayTeachers, Amazon, or from Mister Smith Learning’s Website

Here's an example of how I structure lessons: 

1. Letter Introduction: I introduce an uppercase letter like "I" using the flashcard prompts on the back: It looks like my finger. My finger points at my eye (I). I will choose three or four letters at first from the “easy” letters, which are the ones with one star on the back of the flashcard.

2. Quick Win: I ask the student to identify the letter among a mix of others on the board. Their face lights up when they point to the right one. 

3. Celebrate Progress: When they identify or write the letter correctly, I give immediate, specific praise: "Great job! You found "I"! You're becoming a letter detective!" 

4. Reinforcement: The student practices writing the letter on a whiteboard, building muscle memory and confidence. 

5. Real-World Application: We find "I" in a book or classroom signs, connecting their learning to their environment. 

This simple, success-focused routine transforms hesitant learners into confident ones. 

Pro Tip: Celebrate every milestone! Whether mastering a single letter or completing a small group activity, recognition reinforces positive feelings about learning. Use stickers, stamps, or even a quick cheer to make their achievement feel special. 

The Ripple Effect of Early Success 

When children experience success early, it changes their outlook on learning: 

They approach challenges with a "can-do" attitude. For example, a student who once struggled with "A" now eagerly wants to learn "B" because they've felt the thrill of accomplishment. 

Their enthusiasm for learning spills over into other subjects. For example, a child who feels confident in letter recognition might tackle counting with the same energy. 

They become more confident contributors in the classroom. Students who were hesitant to participate are now excited to answer questions and share their progress. 

I've seen students go from refusing to pick up a crayon to proudly showing off their letter writing because they felt successful early on. Those initial wins give them the courage to keep trying, even when tasks become more complex. 

A Personal Story 

One of my students, Emma, started the year unable to recognize any letters. She was shy and hesitant to engage in class. Using Mister Smith's program, we focused on uppercase letters first, starting with "E" and "M." 

When Emma correctly identified "E" for the first time, we celebrated with applause and a sticker on her progress chart. Her eyes lit up. She could identify ten uppercase letters in two weeks and was excited to come to school every day. That excitement carried over to her reading and writing practice, and by the year's end, Emma was reading simple words confidently. 

The Magic of Success

When children experience success early, it sets the tone for their entire learning journey. They don't just learn letters—they learn to believe in themselves. That spark of confidence is where the magic begins. 

Whether it's identifying a single letter or writing their name for the first time, these small wins build the foundation for lifelong learning. As educators, our job is to create these opportunities for success, one letter at a time. 

Jerry Pinkney

Jerry Pinkney (December 22, 1939 – October 20, 2021) was an American illustrator and writer of children's literature. Pinkney has illustrated over 100 books since 1964, including picture books, nonfiction titles, and novels. Pinkney's works addressed diverse themes and were usually done in watercolors.

Pinkney was born in Philadelphia on December 22, 1939, to Williemae and James Pinkney. He was the middle child in a family of five siblings. Pinkney struggled in school due to dyslexia but excelled at drawing, even at a young age. During his youth, his mother encouraged him to develop his skills by enrolling him in art classes. Still, Pinkney's father did not consider art a sustainable career until he grew older.

In 2000, Pinkney received the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award from Kent State University, and in 2004, he was awarded the University of Southern Mississippi Medallion for outstanding contributions to children's literature. Pinkney received the Coretta Scott King - Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement 2016.

Jerry Pinkney's childhood and lived experiences influenced his work as a children's book illustrator in many ways:

Pinkney struggled with reading and spelling as a child, which he later realized was due to dyslexia. He believed his dyslexia made him see things differently and helped him become the artist he is today. Pinkney grew up in a supportive, all-Black neighborhood in Philadelphia. He attended an all-Black elementary school, and his junior high school was integrated. Pinkney was involved in the civil rights movement in the 1960s, believing art could be a voice for social justice. Pinkney drew to make sense of the world and cope with the stress of being a sensitive child. Drawing gave him a sense of calm, control, and confidence.

Video: CBS Sunday Morning Piece on Jerry Pinkney-Great Overview of who he was

From 2001: Children's book illustrator Jerry Pinkney (youtube.com)

Pinkney's work often centered on Black children and covered diverse themes and topics, such as African American history. His books appealed to a wide age range and conveyed powerful messages about social justice, resilience, and the history of the civil rights movement.

• Research: Pinkney researched the period and accuracy of details, such as the characters' clothing. 

• Live models: Pinkney used live models to establish character poses. 

• Adapting stories: Pinkney often adapted and updated classic tales, sometimes making them more diverse. For example, he illustrated a version of The Little Mermaid with brown-skinned characters and focused on friendship. 

• Collaborating with writers: Pinkney sometimes wrote his own texts and collaborated with writers. 

• Creating meaningful visuals: Pinkney's illustrations were inspired by his love of literature and desire to create visuals that expanded and revitalized the narrative. 

• Using watercolor and pencil: Pinkney worked primarily in watercolor and pencil. 

• Focusing on clarity: When working with children, Pinkney aimed for clarity with a direct correlation between text and art. 

Pinkney's beautiful paintings are created from pencil, colored pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor. His style is distinctive: his scenes are known for their vibrant color, finely crafted detail, and realistic portrayal of their characters.

Jerry Pinkney's textural and stylistic choices in his illustrations captivate children, drawing them into the stories he visualizes. Several critical aspects of his work explain this motivational impact:

Pinkney's illustrations are known for their intricate textures, often created with watercolors, pencil, and ink. This level of detail allows children to explore the artwork, noticing new elements upon repeated viewing. The layers of texture make the stories feel more immersive, inviting children to spend more time interacting with the illustrations.

His characters, whether animals or humans, are drawn with emotion and personality, making them relatable and engaging for young readers. The expressions he captures evoke empathy, curiosity, and understanding, encouraging kids to connect emotionally with the story.

Pinkney often uses a soft, warm color palette that feels inviting and soothing to children yet dynamic enough to sustain their interest. His use of color helps set the story's mood, guiding children's emotional responses and making the narrative more accessible.

In many of his books, such as The Lion and the Mouse, Pinkney uses wordless storytelling or minimal text, relying on visual cues to convey the plot. This empowers young readers to interpret the story independently, fostering creativity, critical thinking, and a sense of accomplishment.

Video:

A Children's Read Aloud: The Lion and The Mouse by Jerry Pinkney - YouTube

Pinkney's illustrations often depict African American culture and folklore, offering children, particularly from underrepresented communities, a chance to see themselves in the stories. His commitment to diversity helps inspire a sense of belonging and self-confidence in readers.

Video:

IT'S STORYTIME! | KIDS READ ALOUD | THE LITTLE MERMAID | BY JERRY PINKNEY (youtube.com)

Podcasts on Jerry Pinkney:

A Conversation with Jerry Pinkney - Episode - Free Library

Reach Out and Read: Jerry Pinkney: An Artist Against the Odds (libsyn.com)

For More Information on Jerry Pinkney visit https://www.justjerrypinkney.com/

The Lion and the Mouse

I will teach a second-grade class the text of The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney.

Frontload: I would begin by asking questions to connect to students' existing knowledge. For example:

What do you know about lions?

How could a mouse ever help a lion?

Show the cover and explain that it's a picture book without words that tells an old fable using illustrations. Because the book has no words, you must quietly create meaning in your mind.

I would give them the definition of a story's moral and ask my students to pay attention to the story's meaning.

Do a "picture walk," slowly flipping through the pages without reading (since there are no words). Ask students what they notice about the pictures.

I would ask them to predict what they thought would happen before we turned the next page.

I might ask what they think the characters are thinking and feeling on each page.

We would then have an interactive discussion with guiding questions.

"How do you think the mouse felt when the lion caught him?"

"Why do you think the lion let the mouse go?"

"What does this story teach us about helping others?"

"What was the moral of the story?"

Since the book does not have any words, as an activity, I would have my students pick an illustration and write what they think is happening on that page. For second-grade students, this would be about three to four sentences.

End the lesson by asking students how to apply the story's lesson to their lives.

I would pair this book with another book by Jerry Pinkney: The Little Mermaid.

I would have them watch an animated version of the book and have them compare and contrast what they liked about the book vs the video.

The Little Mermaid

I will be teaching The Little Mermaid by Jerry Pinkney to second graders.

Before the text: Introduce the Story

Start by introducing Jerry Pinkney as a famous illustrator and author, mentioning how he brings diverse characters to life in classic stories. Briefly discuss The Little Mermaid, explaining that Pinkney's version focuses on friendship and themes of self-discovery.

Ask Questions:

"What do you know about mermaids?"

"What kinds of adventures do you think they might have?"

During the Read Aloud

Read the book aloud, pausing to show the illustrations on each page. Engage the students by asking prediction questions, like "What do you think will happen next?" or "How do you think the characters feel right now?"

Talk about the illustrations: "What do you notice about the colors or how the characters are drawn?" "How do the pictures help tell the story?"

"Why do you think the little mermaid made the choices she did?"

"How does friendship play a role in this version of the story?"

After the story. Class Discussion: Comparing Stories

If the students are familiar with another version of The Little Mermaid (like the Disney version), have a short discussion comparing Pinkney's version to the other one. Ask:

"What is different about this story?"

"Which story do you like better, and why?"

"How does the friendship theme in Pinkney's story change how we see the Little Mermaid?"

Closing questions

"What lesson did you learn from the Little Mermaid's story?"

"How do you think Jerry Pinkney's illustrations helped us understand the story better?"

I would compare five versions of The Little Mermaid, both in books and videos, and compare certain parts that were different in each version.

I would have my students write about what version of the story they liked the most and why.

Big Blog Post on Coloring. Understanding How to Improve Preschool Fine Motor Skills. (Different Grasps, Grasp Solutions, Hand Dominance and Body Positioning)

Coloring

Coloring is exercise for the fingers. I consider it to be like running for adults. Some children find it enjoyable but others do not. They find it difficult, so they avoid it.

Coloring is not a frivolous time waster that you only do at the diner before lunch to keep your children occupied. Now, this is a great time to color, but should not be the only time that you color.

Early practice when coloring, can create good habits and it can create bad habits. 

Use Crayons

I only use crayons with preschool students. I like the resistance that they provide compared to pencils or markers. Pencils and markers "slip" across the paper too easily and don't require that much pressure. 

It is essential that you pay attention to how your child is holding their crayon when coloring and drawing.

Five things for Kindergarten Readiness: What I Wish Parents Would Focus On

Grasp

1. Fisted Grasp.

When a child grabs the crayon with his whole fist and colors this way. See pic. This is a very basic and lowest level of grasp. You cannot produce well crafted drawings or coloring with this grasp. 

2. Palmar Grasp.

This is when a child grasps a crayon and actually colors with his palm down. See pic. This is slightly higher developmentally then the fisted grasp but still allows for very little control over the crayon. 

3. Low tone, low strength grasp.

This grasp can be seen in preschool and kindergarten classes. We have now progressed to using the fingers but we are using all of them and they are spread out along the crayon. What is happening here is, the child is compensating and trying to create stability because their fingers are not yet strong enough to hold the crayon the correct way.

4. Four or Five Finger Pencil Grasp.

This grasp is still using all 5 fingers but they are towards the end of the crayon but we are moving towards what we want to see. 

5. Tripod Pencil Grasp.

This is what we have been working towards. When holding the crayon in this way we are able to use our fingers and keep our wrist on the surface to create a comfortable and dynamic approach when coloring, drawing or writing. 

It is important that preschool aged children begin to develop their finger strength and endurance in order to be able to hold their crayons and pencils over the next several years in which they express their knowledge on paper.

If your child is having difficulty making their way through these stages and developing a proper grasp there are a few modifications that you can make to help the process. 

Mister Smith's Letter Recognition Program

Grasp Solutions

One solution: 

Have your child use broken crayons. Yes. That's what I said. Break your child's crayons in half. (Gasp, cringe) Don't do it right in their faces like you are mad at them. Do try to do it with new crayons (cringe) not totally necessary but I find that children will digest the concept easier if they are new and broken in half. This will make it more difficult to use an improper grasp and make moving towards a tripod grasp easier because their other options are limited. They will be "forced" to use their fingers when coloring. 

Another solution:

For kid (and parents) that are 100% against breaking crayons you can wrap a rubber band around the bottom of the crayon (near the black ring). This will give your child a visual and a tactile reminder of where to have their fingers when coloring. I find this most helpful for students that have a low tone grasp. 

Another potential solution:

Have your child hold a coin against their palm with their ring and pinky fingers. This will occupy those 2 fingers and only allow their thumb, index and middle fingers to hold the crayon. I find that this is very effective but requires that the child find and place a coin in their hand every time that they color. 

Rubber pencil grips are for pencils. I am not a fan of putting them on crayons and if you work on the solutions above hopefully they will not need them by the time they move onto pencils. (And I don't suggest using pencils until halfway through kindergarten)

Hand Dominance

If you are working with your child on a consistent basis I encourage you to pay attention to what hand they use for coloring activities the most. I have heard that picking a hand dominance is established between 4-6. I have found it very, very rare that a child hasn't established a hand dominance by the time they were 4. 

You do not want your child switching hands. There are two major reasons why kids switch hands. First. Their coloring hand gets tired. They switch to the other hand that is not tired, even if it doesn't have nearly the same skill and control. Do not allow them to do this, instead encourage a short rest and a quick "hand shake" and then have them get back to work. 

Mister Smith's Lowercase Letter Recognition Program and Lowercase Book

The second reason they switch hands: When they are writing or coloring, they will get to the center of the page (if writing from left to right) they will then switch to their right hand to finish what they were doing. This is something that should be discouraged also. This is not a demonstration of ambidextrous behavior. In children older than 4 years old, this is more of an indicator of right and left brain hemispheres not communicating as efficiently as we want. We then would set the child up with midline crossing activities to help work on that underlying cause. You want to set your child up in activities where they naturally have to.

Example: child in prone position (on belly on the floor) with Connect 4 game in front of him/her. Ask child to only use right hand. Place all of the checkers that he/she will be placing to the left of his/her body to require them to reach across midline to accomplish this activity. 

Coloring in smaller areas

You can give a child a blank piece of paper and say draw something, but I can almost garuntee that this will only occupy them for

Do set your child up with achievable activities. They will not be able to color for extended periods at first, because their hand will get tired. They will not be able to attend that long because that is the nature of a young child. If you give a 3 year old a large area to color, they will most likely scribble all over the place. Too big of an activity will overwhelm your child. When available use coloring pages that excite your child. If they are into monster trucks, have them color monster trucks. If they are into fish, have them color pictures of fish. What they actually color does not matter, it is the fact that they are coloring and motivated to color that matters. 

I suggest starting with small areas. Either by using coloring pages that have small areas already set up or by segmenting a large area into smaller ones (like setting up a grid) by using a crayon. We often consider coloring a solo activity. I often color with my students. I color a spot, demonstrating proper grasp and coloring skills, and then they color a spot. This lessens the tiredness of the child’s hands and they will be able to attend to what they are doing. In addition, they are doing something directly with an adult and the finished product will look halfway decent with your help. This will help to improve their confidence. They will have something that they can be proud of.

Positioning

Coloring is a 2 handed activity. One hand holds the crayon and colors while the other hand holds the paper in place. Otherwise, the paper will move around and coloring will

The positioning of your child when coloring is often overlooked but important. My favorite position for children to color in is lying on their bellies on the floor (prone position). They will naturally prop themselves up with their elbows and color. This helps stabilize their upper arms and hands which will require that the wrist and fingers do most of the movements when coloring. Also another benefit is that this position will help improve core strength and endurance. Don't be shocked if they cannot hold this position for longer than a few minutes at first. 

The other position is sitting. You want your child's body to be straight and sitting up. You don't want them to be slouching. If you are noticing consistent slouching or that they keep their head very close to their work, this could potentially indicate that they have poor eyesight or that they have poor core strength. 

To sum things up. Have your child color. Try to take the information into account when your child is coloring and try to guide them in the right direction. Encourage your child to color. For it to be beneficial it needs to be fun for your child. It will help your child develop the skills they need to be successful in kindergarten.

Five things for Kindergarten Readiness: What I Wish Parents Would Focus On

When I work with preschool students, I tend to focus my energy on only a few areas. I like to keep it super simple. This focus will allow for strong growth in these areas and it will lead to improved, functional skills in kindergarten.

Just like anything in life, a balance in these five areas will produce the best results. Only letting your child play will neglect the skills needed for academics in kindergarten, while only focusing on pre academic work will be at the expense of play and socialization.

Why Mister Smith's Letter Recognition Program Works.

1.Playing

I know this is obvious, but sometimes people look at play as frivolous. For a child play is the biggest and most important “job” of childhood. This is how children learn and interact with the world. Many of the things they do through play will touch on the other four ideas that are presented below.

Allowing your child to play with other children will help develop social skills. Playing with other children is not always easy, but this allows your child to be in situations in which they can learn first-hand about conflict resolution, cooperation, teamwork, and competition. Developing social/emotional skills is a huge part of life. This is when we learn not to hit our friends when they take their toy back. This is where we learn to say please and thank you, or learn to deal with people that do not say please and thank you.

Playing outside with friends is great. Climbing, running, tag, hide and seek is so important.  This helps develop physical skills, balance and motor planning skills.  Playing inside your child can do board games, card games, trucks, dolls, action figures, Legos, blocks, obstacle courses, etc. Try your best to keep your child off of a screen and interact with a game or with others. These are the experiences that will happen in a kindergarten setting. Any kind of productive play will help your child practice for being a student in kindergarten. 

Letter Identification in a fun and effective way

2.Coloring

Coloring is exercise for the fingers. I consider it to be like running for adults. Some children find it enjoyable but others do not. They find it difficult, so they avoid it.

It is important that preschool aged children begin to develop their finger strength and endurance in order to be able to hold their crayons and pencils over the next several years in which they express their knowledge on paper.

Do set your child up with achievable activities. They will not be able to color for extended periods, because their hand will get tired.  They will not be able to attend that long because that is the nature of a young child. If you give a 3 year old a large area to color, they will most likely scribble all over the place. Too big of an activity will overwhelm your child.  

I suggest starting with small areas. Either by using coloring pages that have small areas already set up or by segmenting a large area into smaller ones (like setting up a grid) by using a crayon. We often consider coloring a solo activity. I often color with my students. I color a spot, demonstrating proper grasp and coloring skills, and then they color a spot. This lessens the tiredness of the child’s hands and they will be able to attend to what they are doing. In addition, they are doing something directly with an adult and the finished product will look halfway decent with your help.

More in depth blog post on coloring

3.Cutting

Cutting is necessary in kindergarten. Cutting requires motor coordination that needs to be practiced in order to get good at it. I suggest that you start with Playdough scissors. (This is not because I am afraid of child scissors because they are “safe”. You do not have to worry about them cutting their fingers, but they still cut hair, clothing, carpets, drapes, pets hair…you get the idea.) Playdough scissors will not allow you to cut paper, but they will cut Playdough. This will is a great way to start developing the motor skills needed to be successful with scissors. Cutting play dough builds strength. 

If you do let your child use children’s scissors always supervise them until you are confident they will make consistent good decisions. Start with snipping activities then move onto cutting straight lines. 

Uppercase Handwriting Pages Lowercase Handwriting Pages

4.Puzzles

24 piece puzzles are perfect for children from ages 3-5. Puzzles help with improving problem solving skills, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, sorting skills, attention span, and tolerance of quiet time (alone with their own thoughts). In addition puzzles increase confidence, development of persistence and grit, independence, memory, pattern recognition, practice bringing chaos into order (like cleaning a room) but with a distinct ending point and they are just good old fashioned fun.

A child can easily memorize puzzles if they only have one or two in the house. This minimizes the benefit of problem solving and gaining new skills. Do not teach children to use the side pieces when using 24 piece puzzles as there are 16 outside puzzle pieces and this does not narrow down their choices as it would if you were doing a 100-1000 piece puzzle. Give verbal prompts to help the child get started and if needed, allow them to struggle for brief periods. If you just do the puzzle for the child, they won’t learn anything. If they get so frustrated that they give up, then they learn how to give up instead of pushing through difficult things.
 

5.Reading to Your Child

Read to your children. This will expose them to places, things and ideas that you would not be able to expose them to otherwise. This will teach them how to listen, how to sit and enjoy a story filled with interesting information. This will help your children gain knowledge of things that they will need to know going into kindergarten. They should know their shapes, colors, letters (uppercase and lowercase), and sounds would be great too! Numbers, animals, basic household objects and tools, etc. The Mister Smith Letter Recognition Program is an effective and fun way for kids to learn their letters. 

In my preschool sessions, I mostly focus on coloring, cutting and puzzle work. Playing and reading is more of a family activity.
 

As someone who works with kindergarteners everyday, I can confidently say these are the skills parents should focus on to set their child up for success. I hope this helps frame the way in which you might help your pre-school aged student’s readiness.   

How to Use Mister Smith’s Letter Recognition Program in a Kindergarten Classroom.

A solid amount of kindergarten students will enter knowing a good amount of their letters and this is great. This will quickly allow them to participate and integrate themselves into the classroom curriculum very easily. 

As a teacher. This is what we want. 

As a teacher. This is not always what we get. 

We all know that we have a few students that will enter with only a handful of letters or no letters at all. 

This is where my Letter Recognition Program can be of the greatest help. 

First thing that we do is assess all of our students and see who is going to need extra help to get caught up and see who is doing just fine. We usually think knowing about 13 uppercase letters is a good cut off point (but this can fluctuate depending on the needs of your class). Anything below that number, they are a good candidate for using the program. (Free Letter Recognition Assessment Pages)

Another good thing to do early in the kindergarten year is read to the class the “Mister Smith’s Alphabet Book”. This will help introduce the concepts of the flashcards to the entire class. The students that already know all of their letters will still enjoy the book and the students that don’t know their letters will begin to look at the uppercase letters in a different light. 

Once you have established a group of “struggling learners” then we need to start introducing the flashcards to them. 

Ideally the kindergarten teacher will have help for at least a small portion of the day and these students can be worked with individually. I know that this is not possible in many classrooms and I would then suggest working with the Letter Recognition Program in small groups. 

I suggest 2 times a day for 10-15 min per student if possible, but one time a day will work. You can potentially send home the flashcards and have their caregiver work on them at home but this is not necessary.

The flashcards come with guidelines and the directions of how to teach each letter are on the back of each individual card. I would suggest that you read through the guidelines and read all of the teachings on the backs of the cards so that you are familiar with the concepts. 

Most students find the process of learning in this way very enjoyable and really enjoy being successful and building upon that success. 

Mister Smith's Lowercase Letter Recognition Program can be used next. This will teach your students how to look at the "tricky" letters and start recognizing them easily.

This will really help prepare them for the next step, learning their sounds with Mister Smith's Sound Cards. 

It is important that you keep good data on your students because you don’t need to re-teach letters that the student already knows and it helps to to help streamline the process and focus on the letters they need to work on the most. 

We have Mister Smith Name Cards which can be useful to help reinforce the concepts to the students at their desk. We also have uppercase letter wall posters which can be hung up in the classroom. 

We have had tremendous success with many struggling learners. If you have a few students struggling, this approach is worth a shot. I know that having a class full of strong learners and one or two struggling....those one or two can take up a very large portion of your headspace and this program can help you begin to make progress with those students. 

Thank you for listening. I hope you found this helpful. 

How to Teach Sequencing the Letters of the Alphabet

I love puzzles. They are great for teaching self organization and planning skills plus puzzles can be set up to challenge all different age ranges. I view alphabet sequencing as a functional puzzle.

Beginning Phase

When children are learning their uppercase letters with Mister Smith's Letter Recognition Program I also like to simultaneously teach the concept of sequencing the alphabet. 

The very first thing we need to work on is just singing the Alphabet Song clearly. At this point the student does not need to be able to recognize any of their letters, but this is where we can start correcting mispronunciations of certain letters (my son calls an s an x sometimes) and slowing down the L, M, N, O, P section. 

Once we get the song down we can move onto using letters and getting used to one to one correspondence with the letters. This will help the child to start putting one name to one visual symbol at a time while going in a left to right direction. Just these two concepts can be a little tricky for an early learner to catch on to at first. I find that the easiest way to do this is through alphabet "chunks" that imitate the same rhythm as the Alphabet Song. 

We would start by laying out the strips or "chunks of letters on the floor in a random order. Then we would start by trying to find the A, B, C, D chunk. If a child has the ability to do this then great. If not he or she will need to be guided through. 

Teacher: Oh here is the A. Come see! Help me with the rest.

Then going hand over hand with the student we would point and say them at the same time. A, B, C, D....and then let the child finish and see if they will naturally say the letter E as in the song. If they get it then you will act so excited. 

Teacher: You figured out the next letter! The letter E! Can you help me find it!

Once you find the E you can go through the process again. Hand over hand if need be or if they have the concept, he or she could try doing it themselves. 

The beginning phase would continue on like this with just a focus on one to once correspondence. When you say a letter, you point at a letter. That will help them understand that each symbol has a name and the Alphabet Song is not just a song. Plus we get to introduce the fact that we start at the left and move to the right when working with letters.

---

Next Phase: Letter Identification- then sequence

This phase requires knowledge of a solid amount of letters of the alphabet in order to be successful. They will also need to know how to use one to one correspondence and move from right to left. 

I like to spread out all of the uppercase letters of the alphabet on the floor and have the student start with the Uppercase letter A and progress from there. Then based on the child's skill, I would have them match the letters that are the easiest like O to o or X to x and progress to the more difficult matches. 

A few suggestions.

Unless the student is very good with all of the prerequisite skills needed, this should not be an independent activity. (see matching cards to make this more independent) I suggest that the student be supported but not given the answers. Encourage the student and give them hints if they get stuck. Praise them when they are successful.

• Benefits or what we get from this activity:

• This will help solidify uppercase and lowercase letter identification.

• Left to right practice.

• Functionally puts their letter recognition skills into practice. 

• Helps the student transition from the logographic stage of reading to the alphabetic stage. 

Have fun!!

Helpful Products:

Alphabet Sequencing Chunks from TpT

Letter Recognition Program and Alphabet Book Combo from TpT

Lowercase to Uppercase Matching Cards (student will be able to complete with more independence)