Introduction to Language Arts

In the early stages, the Language Arts curriculum is primarily concerned with helping children learn to read and write. Teaching the alphabet is the first step in this process, and this is the primary focus of Kindergarten Language Arts. It is important to note that the ability to read is a natural development in children who are raised in a literate environment by reasonably aware parents, and does not require a teacher with specialized knowledge to bring it forth. Every child is born with the inherent urge to communicate, and learning to read is just as much a part of that urge as learning to talk. Each child will unfold the reading ability at his or her own pace, and nearly all the parent or teacher needs to do is to be there to help when the child demonstrates a desire to read.

This does not mean that a child does not need concrete help in learning the basic fundamentals of reading, but simply that the ability to read is more than an intellectual affair. Its roots extend from the mind to include both the feelings and the will. If the proper foundation has been laid in these areas, the reading ability will unfold naturally in its own time. Tools such as word families, consonant blends, and vowel sounds will help this ability to blossom into full flower. Many well-meaning parents, trying to avoid the problems inherent in some schools, make the mistake of believing that reading “magically happens,” and that a Home Teacher need not do anything to assist. When a child suddenly catches on to reading, it does seem magical, and no teacher who has deeply experienced such an event can ever feel solely responsible for it. The true teacher knows that tremendous forces were at work to bring about such an event, and that she merely assisted in a supporting role. Nevertheless, the role a teacher plays is necessary to bring the innate reading ability into full expression, and without this support a child will find reading difficult.

To gain a proper perspective on how the reading ability unfolds, we must look further back in the child’s life. During the first cycle, when the powers of imitation are working (from birth to age seven or so), the seeds of reading are being sown. Each time a child hears speech or listens as a story is told or read aloud, the sounds of the words resonate within him, and he feels an impulse to imitate that sound. Gradually his ability to imitate sounds improves and his speech becomes more like that of an adult. One can only marvel at such forces which enable a child in a matter of a few years to produce from his own being not only the words which he hears, but the subtle inflections and movements underlying those words. This is all the more reason for us to be very careful, not only of the words we speak, but of the feelings we convey — for all of these become a part of the growing child.

This extremely absorptive period of a child’s growth during the years when his patterns of speech are being learned is an opportune time for him to hear simple poems and rhymes regularly. In this way, the feeling for proper word formation, sentence structure, and phrasing are made conscious - along with a feeling of rhythm which evokes a deep response from within the child. As the child’s speech patterns begin to mature and resemble those of an adult, he will usually begin to demonstrate an awareness of the alphabet letters.

The Alphabet

Rudolf Steiner indicated that an awareness of the alphabet letters usually occurs at about the time when the child begins to lose his baby teeth. This stage, which usually comes between five and seven years old, is the appropriate point for introducing the alphabet. Children today are surrounded by the alphabet, especially if they watch children’s television shows; but in fact, the careful introduction of the alphabet is a step of immense importance — even if the child is already familiar with the alphabet from television and other media. The letters a child will be using to read and write for the rest of his life should not be introduced in a mere offhand fashion, but should be consciously approached by the teacher in an artistic, imaginative manner which will help to create a living relationship between the child and the letters. In this curriculum, learning the capital letters of the alphabet is the only real “academic” work of the year in Language Arts, so there is ample time to develop the child’s relationship with the letters in a creative manner.

The formation of the letters which currently constitute the English alphabet (or any other alphabet, for that matter) did not arise merely by accident. Each letter has a deep significance waiting to be discovered by the teacher and the child. This is where the imaginative faculty comes into play.

Suppose, for example, that we wanted to teach the letter M to a child. We could, if we chose, merely say, “This is the letter M. See how it goes up and down, up and down. Now practice it twenty times on a piece of paper.” But if we did it in such a way, we would probably find that soon the child would want to get on to something else, as if he weren’t being satisfied or fulfilled.

But what if, instead, we approach the alphabet in a way that brings the child’s imagination and feelings into action along with his intellect? We might begin by saying, “These marks that people make on paper and read from books are called letters. Each letter is very special and comes from a very different place. I’ll tell you a story about one of these letters so we can see where it came from.” Then to introduce the letter M, we might tell a fairy tale about a mountain, or Beatrix Potter’s The Story of Miss Moppet. When the story was finished we might say something like, “Now, there is a letter that comes from this story, and we see it every time we see mountains (or every time we see a creature like Miss Moppet). That letter is called M and it sounds like mmmmmm. If we draw a picture of mountains (or of Miss Moppet), we can find it right there in our picture.” Then, in a blank unlined notebook or on some nice art paper, parent and child would draw together (or the parent would draw a picture and the child would copy it, as children often like to do) a picture of a mountain or of a cat like Miss Moppet, with ears in the shape of an M - depending on which story was told. The drawing would be made very carefully, with sky, trees, a sun, and maybe snow on the mountain top, or trees and grass around Miss Moppet, and the sun shining overhead.

You may be complaining now and saying, “I can’t draw very well.” It doesn’t matter. Your child may think your picture is beautiful, or he may think it is horrible. In either case, don’t be concerned. The important point is not how it looks when we are finished, but how deeply we entered into the process of doing it. It matters far more that we enjoy the process rather than the product, for the child will imitate our attitude precisely. If we can fully enjoy the process with the child, the child will feel full and happy about the experience, and will relate in a positive manner to the letter that was explored in this way.

When you have finished drawing your pictures, go to the page opposite the drawing and, doing your very best work, make one large M, in strong and clear colors, completely shading in the remainder of the page with a complementary color.

If possible, the color chosen by the Home Teacher for the letter should seem to have a quality which portrays that letter. Each color has its own character. When choosing a color to draw a large M for a Mighty Mountain, perhaps a strong red or a dignified purple may suit the letter better than a light yellow or a pink, for example. Try to choose a color that suits the inner feeling, rather than the outer form. While Miss Moppet may be a gray tabby cat, she is a slightly silly little kitten who is not being very nice to a small mouse. What color might suit an M drawn from this story? Perhaps your child may have a strong feeling about what color the letter should be. The finished pages in the book might look something like this, if “M” were drawn as a Mighty Mountain:

The next day you can go over the story again to refresh your child’s memory. Try to draw the memory of the story out of him by having him help you retell the story in his own words. He may also like to act out some part of it. Then you can talk about the sound the letter makes, and have the child imitate the letter sound as you make it; and further explore the shape of the letter as well, through various physical and artistic activities. (Numerous activities are suggested each week, and you are also welcome to create your own.)

At this point you need not be concerned about explaining the difference between vowels and consonants or between upper and lower case letters; that will come later. When you introduce a letter that is a consonant, you only need to say, for example, “This letter is called B and its sound is buh, as in boy, or bear, or butterfly.” Help your child think of other words that use these sounds at the beginning. Later, think about words that have these sounds in the middle or end. When you introduce a vowel, you can say, “This letter is called A, and it sounds just like its name, A, as in play or hay.” Help your child think of other words that contain the vowel sound you have introduced.

Try particularly to bring a feeling of spontaneity to each of the lessons. Know the letter you are going to introduce and know the story that would express that letter - but don’t have a “lesson” all prepared in your mind. Instead, look for opportunities to develop in a very natural way. Neither children nor adults like to persevere in a rut of “tell the story, draw the picture, make the letter.” Vary your experiences; connect them with the flow of life, and your teaching will be much more meaningful for both you and your child.

For three weeks in a row, a letter will be presented each week. Then there will be a week of review. For each week when a letter is presented, a story is suggested that can be used by the Home Teacher in presenting the letter. All of the suggested stories are included in the collection of stories with your syllabus. These, of course, are merely intended as suggestions; each Home Teacher is free to choose whatever stories she wishes (or even create her own).

Along with each suggested story is a simple drawing to indicate a way in which the story can be related to the letter. The lesson plans throughout this syllabus will suggest activities that help to integrate your child’s knowledge of the letters of the alphabet. It may seem as though we are dragging out a lesson unnecessarily, but children love to develop a seed thought endlessly in this manner, and each new avenue of expression deepens their experience of the letters and develops their creative imagination. It is well worth taking this special time to establish a deep feeling for the letters within your child; taking time to explore each letter thoroughly now will make a real difference later when your child is learning to read and write independently.

In addition to telling stories and drawing pictures about the letters, it is important to do physical activities using each letter shape. Ideas include forming letters out of bread dough and baking them (delicious for an afternoon snack!), making them out of clay or beeswax, drawing them in sand with a finger or in the dirt with a stick, cutting them out of sandpaper, hammering together bits of wood in letter shapes, making letter collages and so on. Children need to experience the letters with as many senses as possible, because young children are most alert in their bodies, and it is through their bodies that they make sense of the world around them.

Don’t be concerned if your child forgets the letters, particularly if he is less than five or six years old. The letters are really a focal point for your child to use as he learns how to direct his attention and bring his latent capacities into the forefront. He will forget the letters at times and remember them at times, but gradually they will become a stable part of his understanding. As far as time is concerned, there are no limits, but most parents have found that one letter presented each week is a reasonable average - and that is how we have organized this curriculum. Rushing through the letters is not productive. Remember that “finishing the alphabet” is not the goal. That will happen of its own accord if you attend to the more important goal of enjoying the experience of each letter with your child as fully as possible.

When children have been introduced to the alphabet in this way, they seem almost to derive nourishment from the letters, and these otherwise abstract symbols on paper come alive for them. As their book of letters develops, children love to review the pages and see what they have done. This periodic review lays a good foundation for reading, for as children come to know the letters in all their varied moods, they develop a close feeling for them. Later, when they encounter letters on a printed page, they don’t feel as intimidated by these strange symbols that appear to have no inherent meaning. Many problems in reading develop because children feel that the letters are outside of themselves; that they are foreign characters that are forced upon them without their consent or understanding. If an understanding of the letters is allowed to grow within children slowly, through creative experiences, soon they feel very comfortable with them and eagerly anticipate where the road leads next.

Poetry

Poetry should be an important part of the young child’s life. As with all aspects of this curriculum, the quantity of poems memorized is not what we consider important; rather it is the awareness that accompanies the process which matters. Don’t make the poems into a chore to be accomplished, but a source of joy to be shared. The best way to approach this is to choose three or four at a time and learn them yourself. Pay attention to the rhyme and the rhythm so you can appreciate all aspects of the poem. Then, as the opportunity presents itself during the day, such as at circle time, main lesson, a music session or at bedtime, say the poems aloud for your child. At first, don’t be concerned about whether he knows them or not; just say them and have him experience the sound of them. After you have done this many times, you may find that he begins to repeat a few lines with you. If not, you can suggest that he try it as a game. He will probably have difficulty at first, and if he doesn’t want to go on, then STOP! But come back to it as the opportunity presents itself, and gradually he will enjoy saying what he has learned. Putting poems to a tune can be fun, and may also help your child learn even very complex verses easily.

Continue practicing until he has a firm grasp on the rhyme and rhythm. Then begin with another group of three or four and develop them in the same manner. In this way, you will both gradually become immersed in the realm of poems and prepare yourselves for the future benefits of many powerful and subtle poems.

Learning poems offers many benefits. It helps children hear and appreciate the harmonious flow of language. It helps them learn to enunciate and to speak clearly, loudly, and melodiously. Additionally, memorization of verses stretches the mind and helps prepare the child for further academic learning when he or she is older. It is an excellent “learning readiness” activity.

Tongue Twisters

In addition to simple verses and fingerplays, we also introduce another aspect of poetry to challenge you and your child. This is the particular type of rhyme called the “tongue twister.” These delightful rhymes have been enjoyed for centuries by adults and children, and are very helpful to children who are just learning how to form their words clearly. Tongue twisters are very difficult for many young children, so be careful not to push it if your child isn’t ready. We do not wish to frustrate you or your child — if he or she is not ready, do not make an issue out of learning tongue twisters, but return to them in a few months for a further try. If your child enjoys tongue twisters, it can be great fun to compose them yourselves, as an additional way to explore the sound of a particular letter.

Further work with tongue twisters will be done in First and Second Grades, and you and your child can explore even more difficult twisters at that time. As you say the tongue twisters, your child will become aware of the sounds of the letters even if he cannot yet learn the tongue twisters himself.

Unlined Paper

Every few weeks your child will be asked to practice writing the letters she has learned so far. We strongly suggest that you not use lined practice paper at this time. Your child will benefit more from using unlined paper at this stage than she will from relying upon lines to keep her straight. Many parents and teachers feel that this makes printing too difficult for the child, and that she should have lines to guide her in her first efforts at penmanship. Although it is true that the form of her initial efforts may suffer by not having lines as a guide, this will gradually improve until the child is able to write beautifully with or without lines.

We must always remember that the primary purpose of education is not to develop beautiful handwriting, or to accumulate vast stores of knowledge in many fields. Those are the outer results, and are secondary phenomena. The primary purpose is always to provide the means whereby the inner strengths of each child may develop and emerge into active manifestation. As a child develops a greater awareness and poise, her printing will improve; as a child’s mind becomes more clear and precise, her grasp of mathematics will increase; as her heart unfolds love and compassion, she will paint and sing beautifully. The inner quality is what we strive to develop; the outer form will reflect that inner unfoldment.

The development of these inner strengths arises from the apparently unimportant events of our lives. When your child is learning to print his letters, it is a tremendous struggle for him to make the pencil go where he wants it; it involves a difficult coordination of mind, heart and will. If we make it easier for him by offering guiding lines, the form will immediately improve, but the inner strength required to keep within limitations will not develop. One obvious effect of this is that he will be unable to print well without lines to guide him. This is a small loss, perhaps. The greater loss is that he has not been given the opportunity to develop that inner poise and self-discipline which can establish its own boundaries and not constantly require an outside support. A quality such as that will bear results in other areas of life, and its effects go far beyond good penmanship.

When your child is practicing, don’t be critical of his efforts. He is struggling to do his best, and the way in which we can be most helpful is to ignore his failures and praise his successes. If he continually makes the same mistake on a particular letter, perhaps he hasn’t been aware of the importance of that part of the form. Gently draw his attention to it: “When I make the B, I always make sure that the bear’s back is straight and tall, like this: B.” Do a variety of extra activities with that letter, especially ones that make the form more alive and concrete. You could review the story, and then make a collage of the letter in different sizes and textures, cut a huge letter out of posterboard and decorate it, do a modeling project, run the shape in the grass, or do other projects that will make the form of the letter more clear to your child.

By working with praise and inspiration rather than criticism, we evoke from the child the urge to excel and to express all the greatness that he feels within. Criticism creates a sense of failure, which makes a child unwilling to try for fear of failing again. Such fears often carry far into the future. A child who is criticized may become perfectionist and fearful, and will be unlikely to attempt new activities or endeavors because they cannot be done perfectly the first time. By becoming conscious of our actions and of making a loving attempt to focus on the positive, we can be a great help to our children in their unfoldment and help them to remain open to new learning experiences.

It is apparent that even small events can serve as a means for your child to develop her inner strengths. If we can keep this in mind, we will begin to see other opportunities in the midst of daily life. This doesn’t mean, of course, that we must become cruel taskmasters with our children, or that we must always be pointing out educational opportunities. Rather, it is unnecessary to tell the child about these opportunities at all — we can simply take advantage of such times, infusing the whole process with a great joy and striving. In this way, children begin to develop the attitude that life is a wonderful adventure, full of challenges to bring out the very best that is within each of us. With such an attitude, education will become a lifelong quest infused with the very process of life.

As we already mentioned, it is very common for children to forget many of the letters, even after experiencing them in various ways for months. You need not be concerned about this, as it is a natural process. Any new skill or piece of knowledge takes time to integrate fully into our understanding, and until that integration is complete there are many lapses. However, the way in which knowledge is integrated is through use of that knowledge, so the best way to help your child retain the knowledge of the letters is by printing them and continuing to keep the story images alive. In this way, if your child forgets what “R” looks like, you can together recall the naughty rat in “The Roly Poly Pudding,” (or Rumpelstiltskin’s spinning wheel, or Red Riding Hood’s lovely red hood), and therein is a reminder of the sound and shape of “R.”