Teaching Alphabetic Order to Your Child & Students with Visual Impairments
- Aug 25, 2015
- 4 min read
Madilyn learned to sing the alphabet at a young age, around 4 years old and the same time children children without developmental delays are expected to start reciting them. I contribute this single milestone we could actually check off the list in part to the countless days that were filled with LeapFrog DVDs that played on "repeat" morning, noon, and night. But even though she loved the ABC's, talking (after having had a trach for the first 3 years of life), and language in general, she had no interest in reading Braille books or labels, nor anything else that didn't make sounds.
Now that she is 10 years old, we are trying to play catch-up in the general education curriculum areas. Whereas math is coming in towards the back with addition and subtraction being tough concepts for her to truly comprehend for long term memory, language arts and reading have picked up and we're starting to see some real progress!
We took the summer to really focus on getting organized for the upcoming school year and assessing what comprehension level she is at in each subject. When given material auditorily, she can learn on a third grade level in language arts areas like grammar, spelling and structure. However when it's time to read independently, this slows her down to about a K-1st grade level. To make the most of her learning abilities without giving up on the parts that are a struggle, we adapt longer reading materials to audio while keeping her reading Braille short sentences, vocabulary words, and similar activities. Sequencing has been a subject that just seems to click when it comes to language, but not as much in math, so we are taking advantage of her recently found interest in it with this "Alphabetic Order Activity" I developed. It also helps her work on her fine motor skills and spatial awareness by using the velcro board for arranging the words, but I help with these if she needs it so we don't take away from the focus of the activity- putting words in ABC order!
Teaching Alphabetic Order Activity for Kids
First, gather your materials after printing and assembling the cards as instructed in the "Teaching Alphabetic Order Activity Plan: Word Set 1" downloadable PDF for 2nd grade or 3rd grade, as appropriate. The "Word Set 1" packet includes a flash card for each letter of the alphabet for students to organize according to only the first letter of the word.
Materials
Some materials are optional depending on the student's reading medium and fine motor skill level for manipulating flashcards and materials.
Word Set Flashcards with Large Print & Braille (included in PDF)
Word List Sheet (included in PDF)
Perkins Brailler or Labeler, or Braille word stickers, or tactile paint/stickers
Adhesive-Backed Velcro or Magnets (optional for keeping cards in place)
Laminator or Laminating Sheets (optional for extended use)
Data Tracking Sheet (included in PDF)
Instructions
I began by discussing the concept of sequence and alphabetical order with Madilyn. We talked about before and after, 1st 2nd and 3rd, as well as how we find the first letter of the word and must remember it. (Madilyn struggles with utilizing her working memory so this helps.) We also sang the ABC Song together for a little musical fun!
First, set up the materials on a desk in front of the student. Depending on the student's abilities or preference, place the Group 1 Word cards to the side of the 1st 2nd 3rd Board, or on top of it. If you're using velcro or magnets, it may be harder for some students with spatial awareness issues to understand the concept of when they words are in order and out of order. We found not sticking the cards on the board at first but instead placing them in a stack under the board was best for Madilyn.
Using the Data Tracking Sheet and Lesson Plan Instructions, set up each of the five groups of words using the flashcards giving one group to the student at a time. It worked best for Madilyn to read all three words, saying the words aloud after she read the last one. Then, I asked her to tell me which letter each word began with and say those aloud (letters only). Then I asked her which of the letters came first in the alphabet. With her response, I instructed her to find the flashcard that started with that letter and put it in the 1st location of the board (at the top). This is where she needed a little guidance to get the card in place, but she is already getting better at it after practicing this activity for a few days! I then told her to tell me the remaining two words and the letters that began each of them. She would find the corresponding flashcard and put it in place. Once she had all three cards in place, I had her read back over them from 1st-3rd, in order. If she made a mistake, then we talked about what went wrong and corrected it before moving on to the next group of words.
Madilyn has been practicing this activity daily and progressing each day (I know because I've been using the Data Tracking Sheets!), both with the concept of alphabetic order and the spatial skills in putting the cards in their correct places on the board.
Once the student has completed this lesson, he/she should move on to "Word Set 2" followed by "Word Set 3" in which the second and third letters of the word must be considered. The "Teaching Alphabetic Order Activity Plan: COMPLETE SET" can be downloaded for a small fee on our Teachers Pay Teachers Store.
Below is a video of Madilyn working on this activity. It shows the entire process, so feel free to fast forward to areas you may have questions about or to the end to see how she did!
Be sure to check out our other activity ideas & downloads on our RESOURCES page!
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