Learning to recognize letters is integral to early literacy. But how can you keep your students practicing until they are fluent? The ABC Match game meets this challenge by offering students the chance to match initial letters with pictures while also using their memory skills to remember which cards are where. Students work their way through three increasingly difficult levels, each with more pairs of cards. The game offers two modes of play, one timed and one not, as well as the option to hear the names of all the pictures. A print version of the cards enables students to play the game offline, either in the classroom or at home. For additional ideas on how to use this game outside the classroom, see Tips for Using ABC Match.

Visit this interactive tool at: http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/abcmatch/.

ReadWriteThink Lessons That Use This Tool

A is for Apple: Building Letter-Recognition Fluency (K-2)
This lesson, which is most appropriate for kindergartners, provides multiple and varied opportunities for students to work with letters. Students play games, work online, and create an ABC book to become more fluent at letter recognition.

A–Z: Learning About the Alphabet Book Genre (K-2)
Using a collection of alphabet books and websites, this lesson for second graders builds and extends students’ knowledge of alphabet books. After the class generates a sample book together, students work in flexible groups to write their own alphabet books and share them with an audience.

Name Talk: Exploring Letter-Sound Knowledge in the Primary Classroom (K-2)
Invites primary students to share their letter/sound knowledge in a small group and gives teachers an opportunity to assess knowledge in a meaningful context. Working with name cards, students share observations about their names and the names of their classmates. Extensions are appropriate for a range of primary-aged students.

Student of the Day: Create Sound/Letter Understanding With Names (K-2)
This lesson uses students' names and other concrete words to teach the conventions and terminology of print. Kindergarten and first-grade students explore each other's names, making comparisons between initial sounds, ending sounds, syllabication, and letter shape.

Using Songwriting to Build Awareness of Beginning Letter Sounds (K-2)
This musical lesson, focusing on beginning letter sounds, is an engaging way for students to practice using selected letters by creating verses to a song. Students think creatively to develop and sing song verses and then illustrate the verses to be included in a class songbook.