Sandpaper Letters

Introduction

A lot of oral work has to be done before these are presented. It is important to help the child realize that sounds make up words. Help him or her to hear the sounds. (S)He is already acquainted with the sound boxes and the bells, and his or her auditory sense is already developing. Therefore, when (s)he actually comes to the sandpaper letters (s)he is already conscious of sound and listening to sounds. This makes the task much easier for the child to distinguish sounds in words.

Preparatory Oral Games

Before the sandpaper letters are presented oral games with sounds are played, e.g.“I spy with my little eye, something beginning with the sound ‘c’.”

Material

    • Smooth papered cards in red and blue; letters cut out in sandpaper and stuck on the right hand side of the card. Also, the connecting tail on the right and left side of the letter should NOT be including, though you generally cannot buy any that do not contain the tail, as you see in this picture.
    • The space on the left side allows room for holding the letter still with the left hand. 
    • The size of the letters depends on the script being used.
    • Vowels are on blue cards; consonants on the red cards. A fine sandpaper is used.

Direct aim

To make the children conscious of sounds in words for reading and writing.

Point of interest

Listening for sounds.

Control of error

The child’s ear, the teacher and the feel of sandpaper.

Age of interest

3-4 years

Teacher’s presentation

To: Individual

Preparation: The child should first dip his fingers in tepid water and dry them. This improves the sensitivity of the fingertips and also keeps the material clean.

  1. Choose any three letters and isolate them.
  2. The letters are presented in any order. (except for ‘q’ which should be kept until the end and is presented with ‘u’). It is useful to present one vowel with two consonants which are very different in shape and sound. Separate b-d and p-q. Make sure the letters face the right way for the child. Sit on his right side. Put the letter nearer to the child.

To: Group Lesson

  1. Ask the children to be silent and to listen very hard.
  2. “Can you hear the ‘d’ in desk? The ‘d’ in board?” Stress the fact that they must be very quiet and that they must listen very hard. Have the specific sound in different places, i.e. at the middle, end, or beginning. Do not play for too long at a time, and dramatize! Use variations such as – finding objects with ‘s’ in them. Employ movement as much as possible.

Three Period Lesson

  1. First period: With the three isolated letters, place left hand firmly in space on card. With first two fingers of the right hand trace the letter slowly, lightly and gracefully, starting at the correct place. Then give the sound. Repeat several times, saying the sound each time. Ask the child if he would like to do it.
  2. Second period: Mix the letters. Using the phonetic sound, ask for a letter and ask the child to trace it and give the sound again. If the child gives the wrong sound go back to the ‘first period’.
  3. Third period: Ask the child to identify the symbols. Continue to present the whole alphabet in the same way. When presenting the ‘q’ explain that it must always go with the ‘u’.

Sound Games with Sandpaper Letters 

These games may be started before the alphabet is fully presented.

  1. Gather a group of children who know the same letters.Tell them that you are going to hold up a letter and anyone who knows it is to put up his hand and not say anything. Ask a child who has his hand up to come and feel the letter and name it. He may then take it back to his seat. This game may be reversed. Ask who has got the ‘t’ and ask him to place the letter in its place.
  2. Hold up a letter and ask the children not to say anything yet. The teacher then asks a child if that particular sound, e.g. ‘t’, can be heard in e.g. ‘mat’. Again mix the positions of the sounds. The teacher does not actually say what the sound is. The children have to be able to recognise it themselves. The children can also be asked to give examples of words that the sound is in,this also helps vocabulary enlargement.
  3. Spread out the letters in a prominent position. Say a short phonetic word slowly and distinctly, e.g. ‘V – a – n’. Ask the child when he hears the first sound, to go and feel the correct letter and to place it on the table, saying what it is. Ask another child for the second sound and another for the third sound. This helps them to understand more fully that sounds go to make up words.

Notes

    • Keep the games as lively as possible and play them often.
    • It is important to watch the children when they feel the letters, to ensure that they are not feeling them wrongly and so laying down an incorrect muscular memory.For further interest, blindfold a child and ask him to recognise a letter.

Direct aim

A direct preparation for writing.

1) The child gains a muscular memory of the alphabet.

2) He has begun to associate sounds and symbols.

Indirect aim

Indirect preparation for the moveable alphabet- analysis of words into their sounds.

Point of interest

The tracing of the letters.

Control of error

In the material and the child’s sense of touch: In the Directress for the sound. With some children it is helpful to have a mark on the letter showing where to start.

Age of interest

2½ -5 years (the earlier the better). There is a first period of sensitivity at 2½ years, followed by another strong one at 4 years.