WHY? Numerous studies have shown that students learn letter sounds faster and have better recall when using mnemonic letters. Mnemonic letters are simply those which have an embedded picture that integrates the image of the key word into the shape of the letter. The key word must be in the shape of the letter (not just in the middle of it) in order to help students connect the sound (the first sound in the key word) with the shape of the letter.
One of the first studies to compare a pictorially embedded (mnemonic) alphabet with a typical alphabet where the keyword picture is shown beside the letter, was Ehri et al. (1984).1 They found that students in the pictorially embedded alphabet treatment group were more than twice as likely to recall both the picture and the sound for each learned letter than the group which used an alphabet with the keyword picture beside the letter. The results were also the same on the post test at the end of the training.
These results have been replicated in several other studies (Roberts & Sadler, 20192; Shmidman & Ehri, 20103), but most recently and notably, by Theresa A. Roberts (2021)4. While Ehri’s study in 1984 did not include children lacking proficiency in English, Roberts 2021 study included 30-40% emergent bilinguals and still had similar success. In fact, Roberts found that a focus on repetition of the pictorially embedded alphabet letters, letter articulation, and letter formation were more effective in letter and sound learning than when a poem or story about the letter was included. This is because emergent bilingual students had difficulty focusing on the letter story and the letter sound as well. It was information overload.
Another finding by de Graaff et al. (2007)5, is the importance of fading the pictorially embedded mnemonic. The embedded picture is ultimately a scaffold and although it is helpful for students in learning letter sounds and shapes, we ultimately want students to simply look at a letter and say the associated sound. As such, it is important to faze out the picture scaffold.
You can learn more about the research behind pictorially embedded mnemonic alphabets in this excellent webinar by ONlit which also explains the rationale behind the images they chose for their alphabet cards.
HOW? There are many different pictorially embedded, mnemonic alphabets available such as Itchy’s Alphabet, Spelfabet, and ONlit to name a few. The reality is that there is no one ‘perfect’ mnemonic alphabet as some images may be unfamiliar to your students and some pictures may not represent the appropriate sound in your dialect. All these aspects must be considered. As our primary staff considered the various options available, we decided to use the ONlit alphabet. The free Youtube videos that include letter name, sound, embedded picture, and letter formation were perfect not only for instruction, but for home review with caregivers. As well, the ONlit alphabet cards have the pictorially embedded letter on one side and the plain letter on the reverse. This makes it easy to fade the scaffold of the pictorially embedded letter and transition to letter sound recall with a plain letter, which is our ultimate goal.
1. Gather with your primary teachers and learner support team and choose a pictorially embedded alphabet that you will all use. It is important to offer consistent letter learning keywords and routines for our students.
We unwittingly make letter sound learning more difficult for children when we use different picture cues in different classrooms in the same school. Let’s all get on the same page to facilitate letter learning for our students!
2. Print large copies of the pictorially embedded letters to post on your wall and also another set that you can use for review. We need to provide many opportunities for students to practice recalling letter names, sounds, and picture keywords. In order the facilitate this review, you will want to have a second set of the pictorially embedded letter cards with the plain letters on the back. This set should be convenient for you to manipulate, so it can be a large or smaller size according to your preference. Keep in mind however, that all students should be able to see your cards well for whole class review purposes.
3. Aim to review all taught letters with the whole class 3 times a day! Repetition of taught concepts is essential, especially when it comes to letter shapes and sounds which are ultimately completely arbitrarily assigned. Imagine trying to learn 26 letters in an entirely new alphabet where the letters simply look like random squiggles. You would need lots of review and practice and so do our students!
4. Review the pictorially embedded letter cards in multiple ways: picture, letter name, letter sound. Students must be able to name the picture since it is the first sound in the picture keyword that helps them remember the sound the letter makes. Students also need to know the letter name for easy reference to the letter when spelling, and the letter sound for reading. If students need to know all three attributes, then we need to practice all of them! And of course, students also need to learn letter formation, so it is important to integrate this in your daily review as well.
Print this Explicit, Systematic, Spaced Letter-Sound Practice sheet for your reference on the different ways to review with mnemonic alphabet cards.
Thank you to C. Jones for her collaboration with me on this piece!
HOT TIP: Fold the Explicit, Systematic, Spaced Letter-Sound Practice sheet in half and post on a board near where you sit at the front of the class. Review all taught letters 3x a day using two of the routines on the chart each time. Keep in mind where your class is in their letter learning. Do they need to practice the pictures? The sounds? The letter names? Formation? Provide the practice that they need.
HOT TIP: Place a sticker, such as the Paw Patrol one I used in the video, on a blank card and put it at the front of your deck. Use it to focus the students’ attention before you begin letter review.
5. Leverage home support by sending home QR codes which link to the letter you taught today. One of our goals this year was to connect parents with what their children were learning in school, however in many cases our parents had limited English. The ONlit videos are perfect for parents to review with their children at home and the added advantage is that parents with limited English can learn English letter sounds and formation to support their children as well. I made QR codes to facilitate this school-home connection. Print the labels and put them in student planners each day a new letter is taught. (If labels are not available at your school, you can also just print on plain paper, cut into 30 pieces and glue into student planners.)
**Printing Instructions: Ensure you choose ‘Actual Size’ in the print dialogue box when printing. Otherwise, the labels will not print properly. These labels are formatted for Avery 5160, but other brands make comparable sizes as well (30 labels per sheet).
6. Ensure that all caregivers know how to access the letter videos via QR code. On the first day or two of letter learning, print an extra set of labels and put one in each student planner and on their shirts! As caregivers come to pick up their students, have them scan the QR code with their phone and visiting the ONlit letter video when they pick up their child. This ensures that parents are aware of the purpose of the QRcode. Thank you to K. D’Angelo for this thoughtful addition!
Following the above methods, we saw exponential growth in letter sound knowledge in our students! The key was not only using research-based materials such as mnemonic letters and ensuring that all teachers supporting students were using the same resources, but also incorporating additional practice times 3x a day.
There were some students who needed even more opportunities to practice. For my next post, I will write about an evidence-based practice strategy for students who require practice more than 3x a day.
References
- Ehri, L. C., Deffner, N. D., & Wlice, L. S. (1984). Pictorial Mnemonics for Phonics. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 880-893. ↩︎
- Roberts, T. A., & Sadler, C. D. (2019). Letter Sound Characters and Imaginary Narratives: Can They Enhance Motivation and Letter sound Learning? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 46, 97-111. ↩︎
- Shmidman.A., & Ehri, L. C. (2010). Embedded Picture Mnemonics to Learn Letters. Scientific Studies of Reading, 14, 159-182. ↩︎
- Roberts, T. A. (2021). Learning Letters: Evidence and Questions From a Science-of-Reading Perspective. Reading Research Quarterly, 56, 171-192. ↩︎
- de Graaff, S., Verhoeven, L., Bosmoan, A. M. T., and Hasselman, F. (2007). Integrated Pictorial Mnemonics and Stimulus Fading: Teaching Kindergartners Letter Sounds. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 519-539. ↩︎
