Original caption
“A says /a/” or “A spells /a/”? I’ve started hearing “A spells /a/” more and more with newer structured literacy programs, and I have to admit, I don’t love it. I understand the reasoning behind it. A grapheme can be described as the letter or letters used to spell a phoneme. But when I’m introducing letters and sounds to preschoolers, I still prefer “A says /a/.” Letters represent sounds, and at this age I want the language I use to be simple, consistent, and easy for children to understand. When we’re actually spelling words, we can talk about which letters we use to spell the sounds we hear. So for now, I’m sticking with “A says /a/.” I have a feeling there are going to be some strong opinions on this one! Which language are you using?#Inverted