A teacher is Michigan is working with a doctor in Florida who believes that if children learn to write all the letters of the alphabet fluently and independently in Kindergarten, they will be better readers down the line. The K teacher reports that she's been having the kids do the letter writing 3 days a week since September, and they are getting bored. So, I made up a few pairs of sentences that between the two, include all the letters of the alphabet. The teacher reports that she will begin to use them to keep the interest of the kids up there. The six pairs of sentences, for anyone else who wants to use them, at at http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/language/AlphaSentence.html
Thanks for good tips on
By jasonglades (not verified)Thanks for good tips on writing letters. They can also be applied in paper writing as well.
Paper Writing
By anneJason,
The project described here is on paper writing. Dr.Z suggested a trial using a class that did the same on the keyboard, and there is an online "game/activity" that lets kids do that called AlphaRomp http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/language/AlphaRomp.html
You can also find more details about the project with the dr. in Florida on Kinder-Write http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/prof/index-KinderWrite.html
If you have input into a Kindergarten class for next school year (kinda late to start a project so close to the end of the year, but maybe not), you may want to participate either as a paper project, and send your results either to this forum, or to Dr. Rose's mailing list on Yahoo, or participate using the keyboard, and share your results either on this forum, or directly to Dr. Zenhausern digitaldrz@gmail.com
Anne
Control Group
By drzHow about having a group of kids practice the letters on a keyboard. Would they also be better readers?
Handwriting or typing
By anneBob,
It is the Bob Rose project, and he just wants to work with the handwriting. As far as I can tell, the is only one teacher actually following his program. She is excited that her kids this year seem to be taking to reading better than most - not sure if its from the frequent handwriting or not.
An alternative
By drzMaybe the kids are responding to an innovative teacher. I think there is no doubt that more would happen if the kids used a keyboard. When you think of it what a waste of time printing letters. Rote he wrote!
Maybe...
By anneWith the addition of the moodle courseware software to ESF, I am thinking along different lines on what it can be used for. Tammy said she has not taught the alphabet or beginning reading with an online course. I wonder what it would involve? Certainly, in such an undertaking, it would be more necessary for children to know where the letter of the alphabet are on a keyboard rather than to be able to print them on paper. I made an online activity for the letters of the alphabet on the keyboard called AlphaRomp http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/language/AlphaRomp.html and I wonder how that would figure into a beginning alphabet and beginning reading online course.
What else would we have to include?
Anne
Writing to read
By drzSuppose a student was told to type various letters randomly as a way to familiarize them with the keyboard as a start. When the student hit a particular combination eg c a t an appropriate picture would appear. Would that be a horror in flash? I think I can do it in excel, but not sure.