Monday, September 20, 2010

Sandpaper Letters & Sand Tracing






1. Choose two letters that contrast in shape and sound. The letters  you choose should be very different so that they are easy to distinguish. For example, you might select "t" and "s." The letters should be placed in front of the child so that they can be easily viewed and touched.  




2. The letters should be traced in the direction that they will be written. Trace one of the letters with your pointer and index finger while saying the sound of the letter. Do this a few times so that it is clear to the child what you are doing. The student may start making the sound with you.  




3. Have the child trace the letter, just as you did. While he is tracing, continue to make the phonetic sound of the letter. The student may also start making the sound, but if he does not, that is okay. Once he has  done the first letter, do the same thing with the second.





4. Next test the child's recall. You can do this by placing both letters in front of him and then instruct him to, find the 't' (or 's') and feel it.  Repeat this step as many times as necessary. 



5. Now you are going to add in phonetic sounds. Place both letters in front of the child and have him feel each letter while he is making the proper sound. Let him switch back and forth or continue with one letter for a while, as he prefers. The important thing is that he is clear about what sound goes with what letter.    




6. This lesson can continue over subsequent days. Each day, you can add a few more letters. Your child should be working with an expanding repertoire of letters during each lesson. If he appears to be overwhelmed or gets confused, you can slow down and focus on the letters she already knows until he is more comfortable & confident.



7.  Once they are comfortable and confident in their letters and tracing them on the board itself.  More one to tracing the letters in the sand.  This lets them visually & independently transfer what they have been practicing on the board into the sand.

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