LA 6.07Alphabetical Order

1. 1

   Lay the alphabet strip on the mat. Point to each letter, say its name, then its sound: "a, /a/. b, /b/."

2. 2

   Say the letter names in order together, pointing along the strip.

3. 3

   Take out the first five loose letters, mix them, and place each one under its match on the strip.

4. 4

   Turn the strip over and invite the child to put the same letters in order, then check against the strip.

5. 5

   On a later day, lay out three word cards with different first letters and read each one.

6. 6

   Say, "We can put words in order by their first letter." Find each first letter on the strip and lay the words in the same order.

7. 7

   Invite the child to order the rest of the word cards and check the first letters against the strip.

What catches the child’s eye

• The long strip with every letter in its place
• Classmates' name cards falling into order

Extensions, easiest to hardest

1. Ordering all 26 letters without the strip, then checking
2. Ordering classmates' name cards
3. Ordering the labels from a set of classified cards
4. Finding a word in a simple picture dictionary