How to Teach Letter Identification to Struggling Students

Teaching Letter Identification to Struggling Students

Do you ever struggle with how to teach letter identification to your kindergarten students? Teaching letter identification can be challenging, especially for students who need extra support. That’s why I’ve created a systematic step-by-step guide on how to teach letter identification for struggling students. These letter identification lessons will help your students master letter recognition in just one week! These activities are perfect for small group instruction during literacy centers or RTI Intervention and should not last more than 15-20 minutes. These activities do not replace whole group instruction, but support students who need an extra boost

Some of the activities come in both color and blackline. If you choose to print in color, I recommend either laminating or using page protectors so you can use them over and over. I have included all of the activities for Letter Aa for you to try out with your students!

Here are the downloadable files that you’ll need for these lessons:

• Letter Aa Activities & Assessment
• Letter Identification Flash Cards
• Alphabet Letter Hunt Printables from A-Z
• Letter Identification I Have, Who Has? Game (Optional)

Monday: Introducing the Focus Letter

Objective: Introduce students to the focus letter and help them visually recognize its uppercase and lowercase forms.

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster to introduce the Letter Aa.
   • Start by displaying the colorful “I Can” Poster to introduce the letter of the week.
   • Discuss the shapes of both uppercase and lowercase versions of the letter. Encourage students to point out where they see the letter in the classroom.
2. Activity #1: Use the Letter Introduction Mat to locate the Letter Aa in various words.
   • Have students trace the focus letter with their finger. Then use a dry-erase marker to circle all of the Letters Aa in the words on the mat.

Closure: As a group, have students share words they know that begin with the focus letter. Then do a quick review of other letters they have learned using the Letter Identification Flash Cards  provided.

Tuesday: Identifying the Focus Letter in Text and Fonts & Roadrunner Read

Objective: Help students recognize the focus letter in various fonts and contexts.

1. Introduction: Use the “I Can” Poster with students to remind them of what letter you are focusing on today.
2. Activity #1: Use the Font Find to search for the Letter Aa.
   • Optional: Show your students this Find the Letter Aa video to prep them for their Font Find activity.
   • Ask students to find and circle every version of the letter in different fonts. You can use the print version or project it for whole-group work.
3. Activity #2: Use the Roadrunner Read to practice speed and automaticity.
   • Start introducing the Roadrunner Read as a quick warm-up, where students race to identify the focus letter among other letters. This helps with speed and fluency in recognizing letters.
   • The Roadrunner Reads typically review letters from previous weeks. They do go in alphabetical order, but I have included a few letters for the Letter Aa version. There is an editable version in the membership that you can create your own based on what order you teach your letters and sounds. This can vary if you used a standardized curriculum.

Tip: Make it a fun competition to see who can find the most letters in a certain amount of time. Let students use timers to see if they can beat their own time! Another fun addition is using a pointer stick as they read!

Closure: Do a quick review of other letters they have learned using the Letter Identification Flash Cards provided.

Wednesday: Roadrunner Read & Letter Formation Practice

Objective: Continue building recognition and start practicing letter formation.

1. Introduction: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • Start with a quick round of Roadrunner Read to get students engaged and ready for the day. Focus on building speed and accuracy in identifying the letter.
2. Activity #1: Have students practice writing the uppercase and lowercase Letter Aa with the Letter Formation Practice printable.
   • Optional: Incorporate chants or songs to reinforce the proper letter formation. Here are a few that I like!
     1. Letter Aa Formation
     2. Uppercase Letter Aa Formation
     3. Lowercase Letter Aa Formation
     4. Writing the Letter Aa
   • Have students practice writing the focus letter on the provided letter formation worksheet or use sensory materials like sand trays or whiteboards. As they write the word, have students say the name of the letter out loud.

Closure: Do a quick review of other letters they have learned using the Letter Identification Flash Cards provided.

Thursday: Letter Review

1. Introduction: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • Begin the day with another quick round of the Roadrunner Read to keep students familiar with the letter and improve speed
2. Activity #1: Letter Review Sheet
   • Students will review everything they’ve learned throughout the week with this worksheet, reinforcing letter recognition and letter formation.
3. Activity #2: Alphabet Hunt – Letter Aa Worksheet
   • Have students put their Letter Aa worksheet on a clipboard. Give them about ten minutes to walk around the room and write words that contain the Letter Aa on their worksheet. Have students circle the focus letter Aa in their words. Have students return to their seats and share their words with each other.

Tip: If students are having difficulty writing out words from the Alphabe Hunt, modify the activity by having students write a Letter Aa in the box for every word they find.

Closure: Do a quick review of other letters they have learned using the Letter Identification Flash Cards provided.

Friday: Letter Assessment & Fun Cumulative Review Game

Objective: Assess students’ mastery of the focus letter.

1. Introduction: Roadrunner Read (as a daily warm-up)
   • A final quick round of Roadrunner Read to get students in the zone for their assessment. I give assessments one-on-one, so plan on giving students an assignment to work on back at their seat. You could have them practice more of their Letter Formation Sheet or assign them the same activity as the rest of your class.
2. Assessment: Use the Letter Identification Assessment to test each student.
   • Assess each student’s mastery of the focus letter with the simple and easy-to-use assessment. This assessment is meant to be done in a one-on-one setting.

Optional Closure: Time permitting, you can pull the students back to your small group table and play a fun letter review game such as I Have, Who Has?.

I hope that these lessons have given you some tips and tricks on how to teach letter identification to your little learners. By breaking up letter identification activities over the course of a week, your students will get multiple chances to practice and master each letter. When you continue to use these activities for all of the letters of the alphabet, students become familiar with the activities – helping your students struggling with letter identification to succeed.

Want Access to Everything in the Letter Identification Intervention Set? Join the Membership!

• Letters A-Z Letter Identification Intervention Activities
• Editable RTI Small Group Lesson Plan Templates
• Editable Roadrunner Read Template
• CBM Assessments
• Small Group Letter Bingo
• 6 I Have, Who Has? Games
• My First Letter Book

Simply click the image below to GET ALL OF OUR ACTIVITIES!

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