The Alphabetic Principle

English is based on the alphabetic principle. This means letters are symbols that represent sounds. Most letters have one sound. Some have two sounds and the vowel letters have several sounds. There are twenty-six letters in the alphabet. Five of those twenty-six letters are vowels. Sometimes the letter y is used as a vowel. Every word must have a vowel. Words are made up of syllables. When first learning to read, most words read are one syllable: cat, has, man, was and so forth. Every syllable must have a vowel. Prospective readers must master the alphabetic principle in order to learn to read and spell. Phonics, the study of the sound/symbol relationship, is the key to helping prospective readers crack the alphabetic code for mastery of reading and spelling.

Words are made up of syllables that can be broken up into tiny units of sounds called phonemes. The letter symbols represent these sounds. Students must learn the sound/symbol relationships and blending skills necessary to break the code of reading. Students who are taught the process of phonemic awareness, phoncis instruction, blending skills, syllable division, and the study of morphemes (units of meaning) are given the tools necessary for reading and spelling. Students who are exposed to a structured, sequential, multisensory approach to learning phonics and the structure of language have a greater chance of acquiring these necessary tools for reading and spelling. The goal of reading is comprehension. This goad cannot be achieved until the student is fluent in decoding.

Fisher Hill’s literacy series teaches the alphabetic principle using a very structured, sequential, multi-sensory approach to learning phonics and the structure of the English language. When using our four series, each with six workbooks, students need to begin with Book 1 from the English Reading and Spelling for the Spanish Speaker series. After completing Book 1, students are ready to practice their beginning reading and writing skills with English Reading Comprehension for the Spanish Speaker Book 1, English Writing Composition for the Spanish Speaker Book 1 or review vocabulary with English Vocabulary for the Spanish Speaker Book 1.

 

Visit our website at www.Fisher-Hill.com to familiarize yourself with these four series.