Using Alliteration Flashcards to teach Phonics

Phonics is a method of teaching beginners to read and pronounce words by learning to associate letters or letter groups with the sounds they represent.

Students' first impressions of the letters and the sounds they make are very important, as first impressions are often the lasting ones. It is thus very important for teachers to introduce the letters in a fun, interesting and memorable way. I created a set of alliteration alphabet flashcards to help students, not only learn the lower-case letter and its sound, but also two words beginning with that letter. For example, the flashcard for the letter Aa has a lower-case 'a' on one side, and a picture of an 'angry apple' on to other side.

The alliteration of the letter 'a' in angry apple helps students to hear the sound that the letter 'a' makes, clearly. In my teaching, I found that the students learn the two words 'angry' and 'apple' just as easily as they would learn one word 'apple'. After finishing the alphabet, my students have learned 52 words as opposed to the 26 featured in normal sets of flashcards.

The alliteration also forms a rhythm that helps students to produce and remember the sound and the words.

The word combinations for the letters are also unusual, humorous, and interesting. This maintains the students' interest, as well as stimulating their imagination. I encourage the students to mime the object that is presented on each card. The students say the sound of the letter and the word combinations as they mime. This TPR method helps to internalize the sound and the words.

Using the alliterated flashcards results in students being motivated to learn the alphabet in a positive, fun,interactive way, that gives students a solid foundation to the most basic of language learning steps.