An Integrated Approach to Learning the Alphabet

Research says...

“The ease with which children acquire foundational skills in two domains of early literacy—code-focused skills (letter knowledge and phonemic awareness) and meaning-focused skills (oral language and comprehension)— shapes their future reading development” (Ortiz et al., 2012).

A–Z for Mat Man® and Me teaches the alphabet in a joyful, interactive way. The instructional design integrates skills so that children are working toward reading comprehension.

Letter Learning Connected Text Meaning Making

Letter Learning Our approach ensures that students understand the alphabetic principle by connecting to related early literacy skills so they grasp how letters, sounds, and words relate to meaning. The books and lessons • explicitly teach the letter’s name, sound, and form • develop grapheme-phoneme correspondences • incorporate letter formation from

Handwriting Without Tears® • provide the foundation for hearing sounds in words and recognizing words to decode

Cultural Diversity: We want all children to see themselves reflected in the books from their earliest reading experiences. Our books and lessons • feature characters in common situations children experience • broaden children’s understanding of diverse cultures and topics

Connected Text The Student Letter Books tie learning together. Each book was written to connect code-based foundational skills and meaning-based comprehension skills so that reading is purposeful. The books are the heart of both Letter Learning and Meaning Making lessons. The books have • multi-criteria text in that they include a mix of target letter-sound words, decodable words, sight words, and story words • stories with characters, settings, and plots that are worth thinking about and talking about • shared reading opportunities to get children to attend to print, letters, words, and ideas Meaning Making Our approach recognizes that oral language is critical for early readers, and children benefit from talking about story elements in text. The books and lessons • build off the knowledge students’ bring to texts and invite them to join meaningful conversations • strengthen children’s attention to story elements • develop their oral language as they discuss the stories • center on a social-emotional habit that connects to the plot

Ortiz, M., Folsom, J. S., Al Otaiba, S., Greulich, L., Thomas-Tate, S., & Connor, C. M. (2012). The componential model of reading: Predicting first grade reading performance of culturally diverse students from ecological, psychological, and cognitive factors assessed at kindergarten entry. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 45(5), 406–417.