How to Learn the Sounds of the Alphabet

Learning to recognize letters and sounds is the beginning of learning a language.

You must know alphabet sounds to read proficiently. Even though there are sight words you can memorize, learning to sound out words phonetically will enable you to read almost anything. Children usually learn letters and sounds in kindergarten and first grade beginning with initial, medial and ending sounds of words. Short vowels are taught first, then long vowels and blends. This method is used even if you are in upper grades or an adult learner.

Instructions

1. Learn letter names. Knowing the names of each letter will help you establish letter/sound correspondence, the awareness that individual letters are represented by specific sounds. Additionally, a letter name will often provide a clue to its sound, like "m", "s", "t" and "b."

2. Associate an object with each letter. Then say its name. For example, "A" is commonly associated with "apple." Say "apple" several times. Listen to the "aaaa" sound at the beginning of the word. Find as many items as you can that begin with the targeted sound and letter.

3. Draw pictures that begin with each letter sound. Write the letter above and below the picture. Keep drawings in a binder or notebook and use them to review sounds often. Use alphabet flash cards with letters and pictures; memorize the pictures on the cards so you can associate them with the specific letter and keep them handy for practice.

4. Listen to correct pronunciation of sounds. Listen when you hear each sound and repeat it. Listen to books on CD to hear the correct pronunciation of sounds and fluent reading.

References

• Succeed To Read: Teaching Alphabet Sounds

Resources

• Mrs Jones: Learning Letter Names And Letter Sounds
• Kid Zone: Learning Letter Sounds
• GenkiEnglish: On line Sound Activity