“Research shows us that children, who know the names and shapes of letters when formal reading instruction begins, are more likely to experience success in learning to read than children who have had little experience with the alphabet. Children must become familiar with the symbols that are used in print; they must understand the special code that is used in their written language.” – A. Bishop, R.H. Yopp, H.K. Yopp, 2000, Ready for Reading: A Handbook
Attending to the Features of Print
Children need to know that letters have features such as sticks, curves, circles, and tails. They need to know the orientation of each letter. As well as knowing each letter name, the children also need to understand that each letter has two forms (upper case and lower case). – Pinnell and Fountas, 2006
The Reggio Emilia philosophy of education advocates fostering children’s intellectual development through a systematic focus on symbolic representation, including movement, words, drawings, painting, sculpture, collage, dramatic play, and music, which leads children to impressive levels of communication, symbolic skills, and creativity.