The Elementary Spelling Book, being an Improvement on the American Spelling Book · Alphabet · Part 1: The key to the sounds and the alphabet
4. The alphabet and the names of the letters
Goal: Your child knows all twenty-six letters, capital and small, in print and italic, and can say each letter's name.
You'll need
- The book, open to this table
- A slate, small whiteboard, or paper and pencil
What's in the book
A chart of the alphabet in Roman capitals and small letters and in italics, with the name of each letter, followed by the double letters (ff, fi, fl, ffi, ffl) and the sign &, which the book says "is not a letter, but a character standing for and."
The lesson, step by step
Sing or say it
Say the alphabet together in order. If your child knows a tune for it, use the tune first, then say it plainly.
Read the chart
Go down the chart. For each row, your child points to the capital, the small letter and the italic letter, and says the letter's name. The italic letters look different (italic a and g especially). Point them out.
Out of order
Point to letters at random, capital and small. Your child names each one. Make a short list of any that are slow.
The double letters and &
Show the double letters (ff, fi, fl) and explain that old printers joined these letters together. Then read the note:
This is not a letter, but a character standing for and.
Write them
Your child writes the small letters a to z on the slate. Help with any that are reversed (b and d, p and q are common).
Wrap up
Play "I spy" with letters on the page: "I spy a capital R." Your child finds it.
Afterwards
Say the alphabet daily, and name ten letters out of order, until every letter is instant. Do not start the tables until the letters are known.
Tip
Webster expected children to know every letter by sight and name before spelling. A few minutes a day for a week or two is usually enough.