SANDPAPER LETTERS: A MULTI-SENSORY APPROACH TO LEARNING THE ALPHABET In the multi-sensory approach, the child hears the sound, sees its form, feels the way it is written and says the sound. The child is also guided to listen for the same sound appearing in different parts of the word, that is, at the beginning, un the middle and at the end. And, with practice, he becomes aware of the sequence of sounds in words. A 3-Period Lesson is conducted with the sandpaper letters. THE 3-PeriosLesson The Montessori teacher uses the following script to introduce the 3-Period Lesson. Introduction The teacher tells the child, “Today we are going to learn two sounds with the Sandpaper Letters. Let’s go and wash our hands with soup and warm water.” This makes the hands more sensitive to touch and gives the child a muscular memory of the shape of the letter and the way it should be written. The teacher and the child then go to the shelf and select two letters that contrast in shape and sound and return to the table. The teacher sits beside the child and starts the 3-Period Lesson. First Period The teacher places one letter in front of the child and traces the letter lightly in the direction in which it is written using the first two fingers of his/her dominant hand, saying “This is”s”. Feel “s”.” then he/she gets the child to feel the letter in the same way and makes sure that he/she traces it in the direction in which it is written. (If the child does not say the sound at this stage, the teacher says it for him/her.) The same process is repeated with the second letter. He/She says, “This is”t”. Feel “t” and so on. Second Period The teacher checks whether the child has made the connection between the sound and the shape of the letter. He/She places both the letters in front of the child and says, “Write “s”. Do it again.” Then he/she asks him, “Write “t”. Do it again.” Next, he/she changes the position of the two letters and asks the child to write and say the letters again. When he/she finds that the child is sure of the sound, he/she continues to the Third Period. If the child makes a mistake at this stage, the teacher takes the child back to the First Period and simply starts again. Third Period The teacher checks if the child can pronounce the sounds correctly. Placing one letter in front of the child, he/she tells him, “Feel the letter. Say the sound.” The process is repeated with the second letter. Conclusion Once the teacher knows that the child can pronounce the sounds correctly, he/she ends the lesson by giving the child an idea of how the letters come together in words. He/She asks : “Can you hear “s” when I say “sun”, when I say “blossom”, when I say “miss”? “Can you hear “t” when I say “truck”, when I say “button”, when I say “mat”? Then he/she sends the child off with this thought, “If you can think of more words with “s” and “t” in them, come and tell me.” (For a sample list of words where the sound of a letter appears in the beginning, the middle and at the end, please refer to the Table.) Note: If the child already knows the names of the letters, the teacher can explain to him that each letter has a name and a sound. Since he knows the names, then she only needs to teach him the sounds. At no time should the child be exposed to both the name and the sound in the same lesson. Note : When a space is empty it means that for that particular letter no word was found that contains the sound in the position.
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THE SANDPAPER LETTERSThe Sandpaper Letters teach the sounds and shapes of the English Alphabet. Every letter of the alphabet is given a sound value. These sounds as are represented by the letters of the English Alphabet (consonants and vowels) are the smallest and most precise sounds in speech that a human ear can hear. The phonetic sound of a letter is the clear sound most commonly used in words. We refer to the letters of the alphabet by their sounds not by their names because sounds help the pronunciations of the words, while names are only used in reciting the alphabet. One does not teach the names and the sounds together because this will confuse the child. It would also be difficult for the child to remember both names and sounds. Only after the children have mastered the sounds, then the names of the letters are introduced. The Sandpaper Letters apparatus enables the child to acquire a muscular memory of the shapes of the letters in preparation for writing. INTRODUCTION TO THE SANDPAPER LETTERS
Sandpaper Letters are used to teach the 26 phonetic sounds of the English Alphabet. The sandpaper letters representing the sounds are mounted on cards. The vowels are on pale blue cards and the consonants on pale pink cards. Only the finest sandpaper is used. There is sufficient space on either side of the cards for both right-handed and left-handed children. The printed letters usually have the same font as those that the children see in books. |
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