Symbol Courses
Symbol courses guide
Quick Instructionsπ
Symbol courses introduce the student to individual symbols used in the language, from letters to punctuation marks. The general procedure for conducting the symbol courses is the same as for all lessons. For details on that procedure, see the general instructions or the full instructions below. This section contains quick instructions for the intervention part for symbol courses.
- Symbols 1 and 2: These courses introduce lowercase and uppercase letters, respectively.
- For each lowercase letter that the student did not identify quickly and correctly by name and sound, the tutor should teach them the name and sound of the letter. For example, if the letter in question is 'c', reveal its answer and say: "This is the letter 'c' (say the letter name), pronounced '/k/' (say the common letter sound) as in 'cat'." The italicized directions are for the tutor and should not be read aloud.
- For uppercase letters, the student should identify the uppercase version of the corresponding lowercase letter. If they miss one, teach them to recognize it, for example, "uppercase m". The sound and example word are optional.
- For dictation lessons, the tutor should also show the student how the letter is handwritten and ask them to write it a few times.
- If the student continues to struggle with the same letters after a few attempts, the tutor can use additional multisensory supports to help them, such as tracing the letters with a finger or molding them with clay.
- Symbol 3 and onwards: These courses introduce other symbols commonly used in written language, such as commas, periods, question marks, and so on.
- For each symbol that the student did not identify quickly and correctly by name, the tutor should reveal its answer and read the description of the symbol, its uses, and the examples to the student. The tutor should point out the symbols in the examples.
- For dictation lessons, the tutor should say the name of the symbol and ask the student to write it down a few times.
- If the student continues to struggle with the same symbols after a few attempts, the tutor can use additional multisensory supports.
Full Instructionsπ
The first track of courses in Pictures Are For Babies introduces the student to individual symbols used in the language, from letters to punctuation marks. The general procedure is roughly the same for all the symbol courses. Specific instructions for each course are provided in the sections below. The general procedure is as follows:
- Each lesson contains multiple examples, which start as hidden. The tutor first looks at the lesson header to check if the lesson is a Reading or Dictation lesson.
- For reading lessons:
- The tutor clicks on the first example to reveal it and shows it to the student.
- The student should quickly and automatically identify the symbol by name and sound (in the case of letters). If the student does so, the tutor clicks on the "β" button to mark the example as correct, which turns into a "β".
- Repeat this process for all the examples in the lesson.
- After the student goes through all the examples, the tutor performs an intervention to teach the student about the symbols they missed. Instructions for this intervention are provided in the specific course sections.
- For dictation lessons:
- The tutor clicks on the first example to reveal it and reads it aloud to the student.
- The student should quickly and automatically write the symbol on a piece of paper, notebook, or some other writing surface. If the student does so, the tutor clicks on the "β" button to mark the example as correct, which turns into a "β".
- Repeat this process for all the examples in the lesson.
- After the student goes through all the examples, the tutor performs an intervention to teach the student about the symbols they missed. Instructions for this intervention are provided in the specific course sections.
Symbols 1 and 2π
The first symbol course introduces lowercase letters, and the second introduces uppercase letters. The procedure is the same, with different criteria for mastery:
- Lowercase: The student quickly and automatically identifies the letter by name and sound. The tutor can prompt them by asking "What is this letter?" and "What sound does this letter make?". An example word is optional; the correct name and sound are sufficient.
- Uppercase: The student quickly and automatically identifies the letter as the uppercase version of the corresponding lowercase letter. For example, upon seeing 'M', they can say "uppercase m". Because students have already mastered lowercase letters, the sound and an example word are optional.
When making consonant sounds, the tutor should clearly enunciate the sound without adding an extraneous vowel sound at the end. For example, when saying the letter 't', the tutor should say /t/ and not tuh (/tΙ/). The IPA transcriptions use General American English as a reference; tutors should use the sounds of their own dialect. The vowels use their short sounds, as in 'cat', 'pet', 'sit', 'hot', and 'cup'. Each letter's answer provides a tutor script using this format:
This is the letter 'a' (say the letter name), pronounced '/Γ¦/' (say the common letter sound) as in 'apple'.
Tutors and students may choose other example words with the same sound.
The symbols inside the slashes use the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) in conventional broad English transcription. They distinguish sounds from letter names; tutors do not need to learn the IPA to use the example words.
Symbols 1 and 2 Interventionπ
When the student finishes the lesson, the tutor should perform an intervention to teach the student about the letters they missed. For lowercase letters, teach the name and sound. For uppercase letters, teach them to recognize the uppercase version of the corresponding lowercase letter. Reveal each missed letter's answer and use its tutor script. For dictation lessons, the tutor should also show them how the letters are handwritten and ask them to write them a few times.
If the score remains low after a few attempts at the same lesson, the tutor should consider using additional methods to help the student learn the letters. Tutors can check the score of the lesson in the lesson header. Some additional methods include:
- The tutor writes the letters on a piece of paper to show the student how they look in handwriting. Bigger sizes are recommended. The student then traces the letters with a finger.
- Include more example words to help the student associate the letter with its sound. Try to stick to concrete words that the student is familiar with (animals, plants, food, etc.).
- Use clay or Play-Doh to mold the letters to include a tactile component.
Symbols 3 and onwardsπ
From the third symbol course onwards, the student is introduced to other symbols commonly used in written language, such as commas, periods, question marks, and so on. Below is an example:
.
Its answer contains the explanation and example sentences:
This symbol is called a period. It is used for:
- Ending a complete sentence.
- Shortening words by abbreviation. For example, βDr.β for βDoctor.β
- Separating the whole and fractional parts of a number.
Examples:
- The sun was setting.
- Dr. Lee arrived late.
- The price is $5.99.
Only the symbol is shown when revealing the example. Its description, common uses, and example sentences are in a separate answer. Keep that answer hidden while scoring a reading lesson. The criterion for mastery is that the student quickly and automatically identifies the symbol by name. For dictation lessons, the tutor says the name of the symbol and the student should write it down quickly and automatically.
Symbols 3 and Onwards Interventionπ
The intervention for symbols is similar to the one for letters. The only difference is that the tutor reveals the answer and reads the description of the symbol, its uses, and the examples to the student. The tutor points out the symbols in the examples. It is not necessary for the student to memorize the uses or to be able to read the example sentences.