For an English learner with limited letter recognition, what approach should the teacher plan?

Focusing on phonemic awareness before letters is an effective approach for an English learner with limited letter recognition. Phonemic awareness, which involves the ability to hear, identify, and manipulate individual sounds in spoken words, lays a crucial foundation for reading. By emphasizing phonemic awareness, the teacher helps the student develop skills that enhance their ability to decode words when they eventually start recognizing letters and associating them with sounds. This foundational skill prepares the student for more complex literacy activities and helps improve their overall language comprehension and reading fluency.

This approach is particularly beneficial because it allows learners to engage with the auditory components of language before they tackle the visual aspects, such as letter recognition. Utilizing sounds in a structured way can help solidify the connection between phonics and comprehension, leading to a more holistic understanding of reading that incorporates both sound and letter recognition in later stages.