While taking a deeper dive into early literacy concepts I have been thinking about pre-k and kindergarten skills. One of the major concepts that must be mastered in kindergarten is letter names and sounds. The use of uppercase and lowercase letters is a crucial skill that kindergarteners practice every day. While it may seem like a simple distinction, understanding the differences and proper usage of these letter cases is essential for effective writing.
Uppercase letters or capital letters are used at the beginning of every sentence and for proper nouns or acronyms. Whereas, lowercase letters are smaller in size and are used most of the time. Therefore, students should master these letters first, but oddly enough most students enter kindergarten knowing uppercase letters instead! How many students have you seen that can write their name in all capital letters!?!
Children must be able to identify, match, and write uppercase and lowercase letters. There are hundreds of fun and simple activities for children to practice this skill. I have lots of great activities for letters in this Words Their Way: Emergent Resource Pack.
This week I have created a simple Uppercase and Lowercase Letter Quilt activity. You can grab it below! Students cut out letter tiles and glue the uppercase letter on top of the lowercase letter on the quilt. Great for a center or station idea!
Uppercase and lowercase letters are not just simple skills that do not need to be addressed in kindergarten. Understanding the differences between the two cases and using them correctly is essential for early literacy success.
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