Why Worry About Alphabetical Principle?

Alphabetical Principle

Alphabetical Principle is most often associated with phonics. Though it is a phonics skill prior to the National Reading Panel’s recommendations, alphabetical principle was considered as part of phonics. The National Reading Panel scaffold phonics by listing phonemic awareness and alphabetic principle as key reading skills.

Alphabetical principle is defined as associating symbols with sounds. It is most often considered letter(s) sound correlation. Students who have alphabetical principle are able to identify letters or clusters of letters connect them to sounds following linguistic rules. Along with not only identifying and being able to say the sounds, students need to become fluent in blending those symbols into words. By the end of kindergarten students should be able to blend any three-letter, closed syllable combination. Students who are able to accomplish this task have been shown to be on or above grade level in upper grades.

Once a student has become accomplished in phonemic segmentation they are ready to tackle alphabetical principle. Matching the sounds to letters is the first step in the process. Once students know the majority of the sounds of the letters they are ready to begin blending those sounds into words. It is key at this point that they stick with closed syllable words, keeping the vowel sounds all short. Once the students have mastered blending closed syllable words they are ready to begin learning how the vowel sounds change by the position they are located within the word.

Kindergarteners and first graders can be some of the greatest illusionists. They may learn words as sight words and appear to be readers without fully mastering the alphabetic principle skill. The objective is for the students to understand the rule that closed syllable words have a short vowel sound as well as the sounds of the letters. Therefore, to fully know if students understand this rule nonsense words are used. By using nonsense words students are forced to focus on saying the sounds and use the blending rule. Students who are able to master the ability to read nonsense words correctly will have a strong foundation in their reading skills.

As with all instruction there are different levels and stages students pass through. First they learn the sounds and then how to blend sounds together, to finally being able to blend automatically and just say the word. Through observation of students reading nonsense words you are able to identify their stage of understanding. If the student is unable to say any or few of the sounds of the letters in the words, they need instruction on sound identification. Students who are able to say the sounds in all the words are ready for blending instruction. Often you will find students who say all the sounds then blend the words. They are at the point of understanding, but have not yet mastered the blending skill. The goal is to have the student decode the nonsense words silently and read the word. When they are able to accomplish this and are fluent they have mastered the skill. 

Grouping Sheet      Video: Example of one way to AP to students.