The document outlines a workshop on letter knowledge presented by Darla Casella, focusing on teaching children about letters, their sounds, and shapes. It emphasizes the importance of early literacy skills, including recognizing letters, understanding their differences, and making learning interactive and fun through games, crafts, and music. Recommendations for children's books and activities are provided to enhance letter knowledge and shape recognition.

1. Early Literacy in Action:
Letter Knowledge
Presenter: Darla Casella, Children’s Librarian
Mockingbird Branch Library
A Workshop Presented By
The Children’s Department
Of The Abilene Public Library
February 12, 2015
Abilene, Texas

2. What is it?
Letter Knowledge is
knowing that…
• letters are different
from each other
• the same letter can look
different
• each letter has a name
and is related to sounds

3. Children who have strong
letter knowledge skills…
• Know the names of each letter of the
alphabet.
• Can identify each letter by its sound.
• Understands that letters have uppercase and
lowercase forms.
• Can link sounds together.
• Can identify shapes.

4. Introduce Shapes
Young children learn by touching and exploring.
– See
– Touch
– Mouth

5. Why Important?
• Introducing shapes is the first step to being
able to distinguish differences in alphabet
letters.

6. Teach Animal Sounds
• Help children hear the differences in sounds.

7. Why Important?
• Hearing the differences in sounds enables
children to hear the different letter sounds.

8. Play with Patterns
• Watch for patterns around you as well as
those used to teach.

9. Why Important?
• Learning patterns develops an eye for detail,
which will help children learn their alphabet
letters.

10. Use Flash Cards
• Make homemade flashcards, cutting the
letters out of sandpaper.

11. Why Important?
• Rubbing fingers over the texture of the letters
helps the brain recognize and remember
shapes of the letters.

12. Play Games
• Make learning fun. Play and learn with songs
and music.

13. Why Important?
• Children are more likely to learn when taught
in a fun manner.
• Most children learn easier when learning is set
to music.

14. Read Alphabet Books
• Read, read, read!

15. Books To Encourage Letter Knowledge:
Letter, Pattern, Shape
• For Babies and Toddlers
– Color Farm by Lois Ehlert
– Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert
– Eating the Alphabet by Lois Elhert
– So Many Circles, So Many Squares by Tana Hoban
– Hello Day! by Anita Lobel
– Dinosaur Shapes by Henrietta Stickland
– Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh
– Bear Sees Colors by Karma Wilson

16. • For Preschoolers
– Little Green Peas by Keith Baker
– Dr. Seuss’s ABC by Dr. Seuss
– Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban
– Eye Spy Shapes by Debbie MacKinnon
– Chicka, Chicka, Boom Boom! by Bill Martin
– Mommies Say Shhh! By Patricia Polacco
– Mister Doodle: C is for City by Orli Zuravicky and
Giuseppe Castellano
Books To Encourage Letter Knowledge:
Letter, Pattern, Shape

17. CRAFT
• Make an alphabet shape book.
*Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Song – http://youtu.be/vtB5iGHgNVY