What do we mean by Alphabetic Principle?
Alphabetic Principle is the understanding that written language is composed of letters that represent sounds. It's the foundation of phonics instruction, which teaches learners the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) in spoken language. Essentially, it's the idea that letters represent the sounds of spoken language and that these sounds can be blended to form words. Mastering the alphabetic principle is crucial for learning to read and write proficiently.
Teaching the alphabetic principle effectively will involve employing multi-sensory approaches to support, accessibility, engagement, motivation and meaning. Additionally, incorporating assistive technologies and adaptive resources can help scaffold learning and promote understanding.
“Students who are at the emergent reading and writing level need explicit instruction around the alphabet and sounds to improve their alphabet knowledge and phonological awareness. Using words to teach letters and sounds integrates the skills and teaches their application from the beginning.”
Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities“Letter knowledge is often one of the earliest skills that students use in recognising and writing unfamiliar words. "Letters and sounds" are often listed together because as well as learning the letters, students also need to develop the alphabetic principle. They need to understand the different sounds that individual letters and groups of letters can make - and use this alphabetic principle to begin to spell words and to decode words”
Teaching (and Learning) The Alphabet: Playing with Letter Shapes and Sounds
Jane Farrall, 2016Foundations in Literacy Instruction