Techniques for Promoting the Ability to Track Print in Connected Texts

Model directionality and one-to-one word matching by pointing to words while using a big book, pocket chart, or poem written out on a chart. As you repeatedly lead the children in this reading, they can follow along and eventually track the print, and also make one-to-one matches on the connected text independently.

They can also practice by using a pointer (most children love to use the pointer because then pleasure becomes associated with the reading) or their fingers to follow the words. In general, children will happily vie to be the point person. Even before Vanna White, the joy of “signifying letters” existed and has tremendous appeal for children.

Copy down a brief, familiar rhyme (perhaps from a favorite book or song) and post it in the room at a child’s eye level, so the child can independently walk around and read it. Copy down a brief or familiar rhyme or poem on individual word cards. You can challenge the children in small groups or independently to reassemble and display them on a pocket chart. As children “play” with constructing and reconstructing this pocket chart, they will develop an awareness of directionality, one-on-one matching of print to spoken words, spacing, and punctuation.

Model interactive emergent writing with the class. While discussing and writing down the weather, deliberately ask and have the children suggest where the first word in that report should go: the top or the bottom of the felt board? Will the first letter be upper case or lower case? What goes at the end of the sentence?

Create with the children sing-song repetitions/rules for using capitals, periods, commas, etc. Encourage the children to begin reciting these sing-songs as soon as they identify specific concepts of print in connected texts.

Model for children how, when pointing at words, they can start at the top and move from left to right. Tell the children that if there are more words to the sentence they are reading under the first line of print, they must go back to the left and under the previous line. Young children enjoy practicing this kinesthetic “return sweep.” You might want to teach them to identify the need to do this by saying “don’t fall asleep at the page” or “time to get to the ‘return sweep’ stage!!” Post this saying and encourage them to sing-song as they joyously take
ownership of their reading.

Have even beginning readers “read” through the text to find letters they recognize in the story. Share some of the text that includes these specific letters to whet their appetite for more reading.
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Strategies for Promoting Letter Knowledge and Letter Formation

Engage the children in a “tale trail” game. Use a story they have already heard or read. Ask the children to circle certain letters and then re-read the story, sharing the letters they have circled.

Give the children plenty of opportunities to do letter sorts. Pass out word cards which have the targeted letter on them. Ask the children to come up and display their answers to questions about the letter. As an example, consider the letter “R.”
• R as the first letter—rose, rise, ran,
• R as the last letter—car, star, far,
• R with a t after it—start, heart, part, smart
• Two Rs in the middle of a word—carry, sorry, starry

Play "What's in a Name?" Select a student's name. As an example, consider "William." Copy the name down on a sentence strip. Have the children count the number of letters in the name and how many of them appear twice. Allow them to talk about which letter is upper case and which letters are lower case. Have the students chant the name. Then rewrite the name on another sentence strip. Have the strip cut into separate letters and see if someone from the class can put the name back together correctly.


As you read a book with or to the children, ask them to show you specific letters or lower case or upper case letters. Read the text first and encourage as many children as possible to come up and identify the letters. Use a big book and have felt letters available for display as well. If grade-, age-, and developmentally appropriate,
have the children write the letter they identified themselves. (Or, for even more fun, construct the letter using pipe cleaners, craft sticks, or colored markers, using different colors for upper and lower case letters.)

Play “letter leap” with the children and have them look carefully at the room to identify labeled items that begin with a specific letter by “leaping” over to them and placing a large lettered placard next to them. Children who have advanced in letter formation can then be challenged to “leap” through the classroom when called upon to literally “letter” unlabeled objects.
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