1. Action Research By: Lindy Cooper
Action Research Completed in Mrs. Deer’s Kindergarten Class at Trace Crossings Elementary
By: Lindy Cooper

2. Alphabet Recognition

3. Why Alphabet Recognition is Important
Letter naming is a strong predictor of later reading success.
Learning letter names helps a child learn letter sound.
It helps students develop their understanding of the alphabetic principle.
(WETA Public Public Television, 2013)

4. Background Information for Each Student
Student R:
This student is an ELL who struggles with alphabet recognition because English is his second language
He is also very shy and timid to speak up in the classroom
Student A:
This student deals with a lot of home issues that effect the his ability to learn in the classroom.
These problems at home are the cause of a lot of emotional issues at school that make it hard for him to stay engaged and interact with others.
Student J:
This student was chosen because of speech problems that he has.
He has a stutter, which causes him to be afraid to speak up in class and participate in group activities.

5. Research Question
How can these students’ ability to recognize letters of the alphabet be improved in order to better their reading and writing skills?

6. Best Practices for Teaching Alphabet Recognition
Routine for teaching Individual Letters:
Select a letter from the deck of letter cards, and place it in front of the child. State what letter it is and name some things that start with that letter.
Ex: “This is the letter D. It starts a lot of words like dog, door, and dad. Can you think of a word?”
Present the student with a letter recognition page and ask them if certain letters are D’s.
Do a letter-sorting activity where the instructor tells the teacher to find certain letters out of multiple letter cards.
Do a picture/sound sort where the student is provided with a number of small pictures that begin with the target letter/letters. “Find a word that starts with the letter D.”
(Neal, 2008)

7. Best Practices for Teaching Alphabet Recognition Continued
Matching upper and lower case letters
Alphabet books (Ex: “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”)
Alphabet Flash Cards
Alphabet Games
Letter Songs (Great for ELL Students)
(WETA Public Public Television, 2013)

8. Marie Clay ID Recording Sheet

9. Baseline Data (Assessed 9/26/2013)
Student R’s Results:
Named 0/54 letters correctly
Student A’s Results:
Named 4/54 letters correctly
Student J’s Results:
Named 2/54 letters correctly

10. Strategies Start with the letters of the student’s names
Sing the letters of the student’s names to Bingo at the beginning of each meeting. (ELL)
Move onto other letters after the students have mastered the letters in their names.
Create a fun and comfortable learning atmosphere for the students
Examples of activities/resources used:
Alphabet Flash Cards
Super Simple ABC sheets
Alphabet Thief sheet
“I have, who has” cards
Christmas Tree Ornament Letters

11. Observations Student R: Very disengaged in the meetings
Guessed letters at random when I would ask him to identify letters instead of actually thinking about it or referring to the Alphabet on the wall.
Student A:
Absent a lot from school, which effected my data and his progress.
Work better in small group meetings than in full classroom time
Showed immediate progress in a little over a month.
Student J:
Really enjoyed doing Alphabet games
Showed the most immediate progress in a little over a month.

12. Ending/Posttest data (Assessed 12/5/2013)
Student R’s Results:
Named 46/54 letters correctly
Student A’s Results:
Named 41/54 letters correctly
Student J’s Results:
Named 53/54 letters correctly (got “b” and “d” mixed up)

13. Data

14. Reflection
These students’ ability to recognize letters of the alphabet was improved through individual letter instruction, alphabet flash cards, and engaging activities/games.
Just because a student starts out knowing the most, does not mean they will progress the quickest. (Student A)
NEVER assume a student can not learn. (Student R)

15. References
Neal, J., & Ehlert, D. (2008). Alphabet Recognition Made Simple. Intervention In School & Clinic, 42(4),
Public Television. (n.d.). Alphabet Matching. Reading Rockets. Retrieved December 5, 2013, from