This document describes the early literacy instruction for children in an Italian primary school. It discusses how in the first months of school from September to December, children learn to read and write the letters of the alphabet using a syllabic method. They first learn the five vowels and then combine vowels with consonants to build syllables and words. Special letters like C, G are introduced later. Throughout the initial learning period, only capital letters are used until children have mastered basic reading and writing skills, after which lower case letters are introduced.

1. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
Learning ABC in Italy
Our text book or how we teach
reading and writing
The 5 vowels
From letters to syllables
This is a short presentation of the first months of school. From September to December children learn to
read and write the letters of the alphabet. Italian letters can be read always in the same way or at least
almost all the times. So children build syllables with consonants and vowels , then they build words with
various combination of syllables.
Some years ago, some teachers used an other way: they start from a sentence to arrive at the letter . This
was called global method, today the syllabic method is preferred.
From January they begin to study some special letters such as C, G and their different sounds.
They study also some difficulties such as GLI, GN, CQ, QU, CU, SC…
Usually in these first months of school we use only capital letters, until all the children have learned the
reading and writing basic skills, then we present Upper and Lower letters. Finally they learn the join hand
writing.
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2. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
This is the cover of our text book “Giro giro mondo”
or “ turn turn world”
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3. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
This is the index of contents
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4. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
Before starting with teaching reading and writing the alphabet, we check the literacy level .
When children arrive at the primary school they are often at different literacy levels.
Here are some of the tests.
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5. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
istening skills: circle the words with the same beginning or ending sound
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6. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
Read and draw or read and choose
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7. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
Writing skills
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8. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
The five vowels
First we present the vowels, children learn to identify them, to write them and to read them.
Here are some pages for the vowel A.
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9. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
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10. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
After the vowels there are some pages of review.
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11. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
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12. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
From letters to syllables
Then we begin with consonants. Children learn to build plain syllables such as MA ME MI MO MU
and changing the order of the letters AM EM IM OM UM. More letters they know, more syllables
they have so they can build the first words (MAM+MA = MAMMA or MUM) they begin to write
them under dictation and to practice first reading.
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13. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
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14. Scuola primaria “4Martiri” - 10° ISC di Padova
When a group of consonants is finished there are some pages of review.
We use also photocopied sheets form other books or sheets that we prepare by ourselves.
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