Sample Set II-30: Techniques for Teaching Reading to Beginning Literacy Learners

Pre-literacy Reading Readiness Skills Development: Pre-alphabetics

Adult English language learners who have little or no literacy in English may have little or no literacy ability in their native language. They may come from countries that have no written alphabet, or where an alphabet is just being developed, such as with Somali Bantu. If there is a written tradition in their country, the alphabet may be written from right to left, as is the Arabic alphabet; or the writing may not be alphabetic, as with Chinese languages (Burt, Peyton, & Adams, 2003). This means that, before they can receive instruction in alphabetics skills including phonological processing and decoding, learners may need to develop pre- literacy concepts and skills. These include distinguishing same and different objects and shapes, how to hold a pencil and paper, copying shapes and patterns, and understanding directionality (i.e., top, bottom, left, and right).

Distinguishing same and different objects
  1. Hold the same ordinary object in each hand (e.g., pen or cup). Say, "These are the same." Have the students repeat "same" several times.
  2. Hold one object in one hand and another in the other (e.g., pencil in one and book in the other). Say, "These are different." Have the students repeat "different" several times.
  3. Repeat "a" and "b" a few times, varying the objects (e.g., eraser, notebook paper, stapler).
Have the students say "same" or "different" according to what you hold up. Distinguishing same and different shapes
  1. Cut out two circles, two triangles, and two squares.
  2. Hold up the two circles and say, "These are the same." Say "same" several times and have the learners repeat.
  3. Hold up a circle and a triangle and say, "These are different." Say "different" several times and have the learners repeat.
  4. Repeat steps b and c, varying same and different shapes. Have the students say "same" or "different" according to what you hold up.
Holding a pencil and paper
  1. Demonstrate how to hold a pencil.
  2. Have the students practice holding their pencils correctly.
  3. Demonstrate how paper is placed on the table at a slight angle.
  4. Give each student a piece of paper and have them place it correctly on the table.
Understanding directionality
  1. Hold up a piece of paper.
  2. Point to the top of the paper and say, "This is the top." Repeat "top" several times. Have the students repeat after you.
  3. Point to the bottom of the paper and say, "This is the bottom." Repeat "bottom" several times. Have the students repeat after you.