Students need to automatically recognise and name the letters used to represent sounds in words.
Assessment task
This assessment can be used to identify whether a student is having difficulty in recognising and naming letters and identifying the sounds letters make in words.
The assessment includes four interrelated parts.
Part 1: Recognising letters and corresponding letter names with sounds
In this task students demonstrate their ability to recognise letters and correspond letter names with sounds.
Resources
These resources can be printed or downloaded to a tablet or other digital device.
Instructions
- Using the
Alphabet Chart, point to each letter one at a time in the order presented.
- As you point to each letter, ask the student to say:
- the name of the letter
- a sound the letter makes
- two words that begin with a sound the letter makes.
- Record the student’s responses on the
Letter and Letter-Sound Knowledge Profile noting:
- the student’s response (tick for a correct response and record what the student says for an incorrect response)
- the time the student takes to respond (use ‘R’ to record an automatic or rapid response and ‘S’ if the student is slow to provide the response).
Part 2: Identifying letters in a given text
In this task students demonstrate their ability to identify letters in a given text.
Resources
These resources can be printed or downloaded to a tablet or other digital device.
Instructions
- Access the
Sample Text provided.
- Using the
Alphabet Chart, point to each letter one at a time in the order presented.
- After pointing to each letter, ask the student to locate that letter within the
Sample Text.
- Record the student’s responses on the
Letter and Letter-Sound Knowledge Profile noting:
- the student’s response (tick for a correct response and record what the student says for an incorrect response)
- the time the student takes to respond (use ‘R’ to record an automatic or rapid response and ‘S’ if the student is slow to provide the response).
Part 3: Writing letters in lower and upper case
In this task students demonstrate their ability to write letters in lower and upper case.
Resources
These resources can be printed or downloaded to a tablet or other digital device.
Instructions
- Using the
Alphabet Chart, say each letter of the alphabet one at a time in the order presented.
- After you have said each letter, ask the student to write the letter in both lower and upper case. If necessary, give the student time to think about the letter before they begin to write it. For example, the student may need time to visualise the letter.
- Record the student’s responses on the
Letter and Letter-Sound Knowledge Profile noting:
- the student’s response (tick for a correct response and record what the student writes for an incorrect response)
- the time the student takes to respond (use ‘R’ to record an automatic or rapid response and ‘S’ if the student is slow to provide the response).
Part 4: Predicting a word in a sentence by using its first letter
In this task students demonstrate their ability to predict a word in a sentence by using its first letter.
Resources
These resources can be printed or downloaded to a tablet or or other digital device.
Instructions
- Access the
Word Prediction Task.
- Explain to the student that you're going to read a series of sentences to them and that each sentence will have a missing word.
- Read the sentences from the
Word Prediction Task to the student, pointing to each word as you say it.
- When you come to the missing word, let the student see the first letter of the word but do not say it. Ask the student to predict what the word could be, noting whether they suggest a word that begins with that letter.
- Record the student’s responses on the
Letter and Letter-Sound Knowledge Profile (for lower case letters only) noting:
- the student’s response (tick for a correct response and record what the student says for an incorrect response)
- the time the student takes to respond (use ‘R’ to record an automatic or rapid response and ‘S’ if the student is slow to provide the response).
Instructions
- Click on the links provided above to access the instructions for administering each part of the assessment. All parts of the assessment are to be completed to provide a comprehensive overview of the student’s letter and letter-sound knowledge.
- Record the student’s responses for lower and upper case letters on the
Letter and Letter-Sound Knowledge Profile (doc - 168.5kb).
Timing
The assessment can be administered over a few days. Each part of this assessment should take approximately 5 minutes to complete.
Analysing the results
Using the
Letter and Letter-Sound Knowledge Profile, review and analyse the student’s responses to identify what the student can already do and where they need additional support.
If the student requires additional support, the focused teaching strategies in this resource can be used to support their development within this area of knowledge. The strategies are presented in a developmental sequence to systematically teach aspects of letter and letter-sound knowledge.
See:
Focused Teaching Letter and Letter-Sound Knowledge Prep to Year 2 (ages 5-8).