This page describes how I implemented the Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge (EAK) strategy in combination with name writing in greater detail. These lessons took place in 15 minute small groups of approximately 4-6 students every other day for six weeks. During this time students read a leveled reader text, completed a short lesson on letters based on the EAK strategy, and worked on writing their name.
Goals
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Improve or extend student knowledge of letter names
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Improve or extend student knowledge of letter sounds
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Improve students' name writing abilities
Enhanced Alphabet Knowledge (EAK) Strategy
The EAK strategy focuses on many different aspects of how to teach alphabet knowledge skills. Students are taught using short lessons that teach one letter a day. These lessons show both the uppercase and lowercase letter, as well as introduce the sound they make. Next, students are shown the letters in text. Finally, students work on forming the letters on their own. The most important aspect of the EAK strategy is including as many ways as possible for students to interact with the letter name and the sound it makes. When combining all aspects of letter recognition into one short lesson using the EAK strategy, it has been shown to have a significant impact on student learning.
What
Name Writing
The EAK strategy also focuses on name writing. The research on this strategy focuses on first teaching students the letters of their name before moving on to less familiar letters. The order of letters was therefore taught based on each individual group. For example, one group has two students with the first letter A in their names. In that group, I taught the letter A first. By teaching students the first letter of their names then continuing with other high frequency letters, it is more likely students will remember each letter. During the name writing portion of each lesson I would ask students to write their first name. If they were not able to independently, I would show them their name, then ask them to write it multiple times. After mastering their first name, students would then move on to their last name.
Goal Setting
After taking the pre-assessment I sat down individually with each student. During this time, I helped each student set letter and reading goals based on their data.
After a couple of weeks of instruction I sat down with each student individually again and had a discussion about the goal they set. During this time students could choose to change or keep their goal.
Why
I chose to conduct my study in a small group setting because in the kindergarten setting small groups are much more appropriate for a variety of reasons. First, with the young age of students in kindergarten their attention span is much shorter than that of an adult's. Since small groups are much quicker than when a lesson is taught whole group, it helps keep students engaged for the entire lesson. Also, since many students come into kindergarten at a variety of levels, small groups allow for students to be grouped based on similar levels. This helps learning be more accessible and on level for each student. Finally, because of the COVID-19 pandemic each student was required to wear a mask for the entirety of the school day completely blocking their mouth. With that being said, I was not able to tell during whole group instruction which students were or were not participating and saying the letter names and sounds. Therefore, small group instruction allowed me to have only a few students near me at a time so I was able to hear if all students were or were not participating.
I chose the strategies mentioned due to much of the research surrounding the area of alphabet knowledge. The study conducted by Jones et al. (2013), states the importance of teaching short lessons that identify the letter and sound, show the letter in text, and work on forming the letter typically focusing on one letter a day. The research conducted also focused on the importance of students making connections to the letters taught and their names. That is why the EAK strategy incorporates name writing into the lessons, because students are then more likely to be engaged and are then better able to connect their knowledge into real-world situations. Most of the studies outlined in my research stressed the importance of combining all aspects of alphabet knowledge (letter names, letter sounds, letter writing, and name writing) to help students learn letters quickly and effectively.
The strategies I chose were best for my population of students for several reasons. First, the small groups that I chose to complete this study with were mostly comprised of English Language Learners (ELL). These strategies are best for ELL students because it gives them multiple ways to interact with the content being presented. Also, having students find the letters in the text and connecting the letters to their names would help these students make connections to the content and the real-world. Especially with ELL students, making these connections helps them see the importance of the content and helps them see what it will be used for. Finally, these strategies were selected for my groups of students because it gave them multiple opportunities to practice writing, saying, and finding the letters. This repetition helped my students get many chances to be exposed to the letter which is shown to help ELL students. Within the use of multiple forms of interacting with the letters, goal setting with individual students, and gradual release of the lesson, I addressed the diverse learning needs of all my students.
I chose to use the data collection method of pre and post tests because it was a way to see exactly where my students were at in a quick summative check. This was a fitting method for my students because it was very teacher directed which helped my younger students. This also helped me easily see what information my students knew before and after the study was conducted. I then used this data to help my students set individualized goals. I created a sheet where I highlighted if students could identify the uppercase and lowercase letter, write the uppercase and lowercase letter, and say the sound the letter makes for each letter. This allowed students to see exactly where they were at based on the assessment. After showing the student this sheet I helped them to set a letter goal, usually about letter identification or letter sound knowledge. I then helped them set a reading goal, usually about sight words or sounding out words.
The second data collection method that I selected for this study was anecdotal notes. I chose this data collection method because it allowed me to be making observations of students in the moment. This helped me to get a more clear picture of how students were doing on a day to day basis. I also chose this method of data collection because my students would have struggled with having multiple forms of formal tests because of their age.
The final data collection method that I selected for this study were exit tickets. I chose this data collection method because it allowed me to check all my students’ learning quickly and simultaneously. This was also a way for me to look quickly at where all my students were in the moment to see if they learned the content or if they may have needed a repeat day of the information. I also chose these methods because there was no reading involved since my students were younger and many of them were ELL.
Culturally Responsive Teaching/Differentiation
In order to ensure I was using culturally responsive practices to positively impact student learning, I made sure all students received equitable access to education. For this study, I decided to do this by grouping students based on their ability level. These groupings were based on the Measures of Academic Performance (MAP) test. This test measures students ability levels by adapting question difficulty levels based on whether the student is answering questions correctly or incorrectly. It then uses this method to find students' exact learning level. I looked at each of these levels and grouped students based on similar levels. This showed me that many of my students in the groups I chose to focus on could benefit from more support with their alphabet knowledge skills.
I also used many growth mindset phrases with my students. Growth mindset focuses on helping students see that making mistakes helps you learn, and it is something to be celebrated rather than fearful of. I had been doing this since the beginning of the year, but I continued to make it a focus during these small group times. Some typical phrases that I used with my students were, “This is helping your brain grow.” “It’s ok to not know, but it’s not ok to not try.” This helped to ensure that all students felt they were in a space that was safe and comfortable for them to learn in.
I made content accessible for all my students by modeling more with students who were struggling. For example, if all my students but one at the table were struggling to write a letter, I worked with that one student and modeled writing the letter more. I then moved into having them trace the letter I wrote if they were still struggling until they were able to write it on their own. I also made flash cards for students and sent them home so they could practice the letters at home on the days they were not in school. Prior to sending home the flashcards I made a note to my parents about the flashcards. The note had English on one side and Spanish on the other since many of my students' parents speak Spanish. The note communicated what the flashcards were, my expectations of how to use them, and some ideas of games parents could play with their students to help them practice their letters. Finally, I allowed for my student who is deaf to sign the letters instead of saying them when necessary. This student typically would sign and say the letter names or the sounds they make, however, sometimes the student would prefer to sign the letter rather than say it. This allowed the student to communicate in whatever form she felt most comfortable in. The student had a sign language interpreter who helped her practice the signs as well as voicing the letters. The interpreter was there during instruction as well, showing the student the signs for the letter name and sound.
Collaboration with Stakeholders
When planning my study I collaborated with multiple internal stakeholders. First, I collaborated with my grade level teammate on multiple occasions. During these times I asked for support with any lesson ideas she had in relation to teaching alphabet knowledge. I also asked for support in grouping my students based on their MAP scores. Another individual that I talked to while preparing for this study was my building reading specialist. While conducting research I talked to her about what best practices are when it comes to teaching letter names or sounds first. Finally, I also collaborated with my building principal while working on preparing for my study. He and I ended up having multiple conversations relating to our students’ needs when it comes to alphabet knowledge. He and I identified phonics skills such as these to be a large area of need for all our students in the building.
When planning for my study I also collaborated with multiple external stakeholders. The main external stakeholder that I collaborated with was my associate. She and I spoke on multiple occasions regarding the students that would benefit most from my study, what forms of data collection to use, and what would be the best way to structure my lessons. Another external stakeholder that I collaborated with was a fellow educator. She and I are different grade levels, because of this we collaborated on ideas that could be shared between our grade levels such as data collection methods. Finally, I collaborated with professors to discuss my literature review and how I can implement this information to best help my students.
