There are multiple ways to teach the alphabet to English Language Learners however what is the best practice for Ells? English is not a phonetic language; therefore you must start with teaching students Phonemic Awareness and then the letter sounds. The best practice is listening practices, reading aloud Dr. Seuss books are great for rhyming, games, songs, and lots of repetition. Students must speak English first before they can start reading in English.
Below I will describe the steps of my best practice in teaching reading to ELLs backed up by the science of reading and years of experience.
5 Steps to follow when teaching ELL’s to read
Step 1. phonemic awareness activities (the ability to hear and manipulate the different sounds in words)
Step 2. identifying letters in upper and lowercase
Step 3. match the sound to letters ( start with beginning sound and expand to middle & ending sounds)
Step 4. blend the letter sounds
Step 5. segmenting sounds
Step 6. sight words (some you can sound out some you can’t, always start with rightwards that would allow ELL’s to make a basic sentence; I see, I can, I am, etc.)
In kindergarten, it makes sense to start with students’ names and family names. Focus on letter sounds more than on letter names. Knowing sounds will give access to read words by sounding them out. Most importantly, repeat, repeat, and repeat the same content in different ways. I would play letter Bingo, letter memory, a letter board game, sort the beginning sounds worksheets, alphabet chart games, find the letter worksheets, alphabet playdough mats, and letter crafts.
An important thing is for ESL to have a clear exposure to the letter sounds. Make sure you give your students lots of exposure in the classroom by hanging Alphabet posters, Rhyme Posters, displays of beginning sounds, letter books, letter games, letter crafts, etc.
There are so many songs, dances, or charts on YouTube that you can find to teach the alphabet. I love the videos of Bounce Patrol and in particular their letter sound videos and Alphabet sound song.
Happy teaching!
