My First Greek Letters

Book excerpt: This book is aimed at 5-7 years old children who learn Greek as a second language and whose both or one parent is a Greek speaker. Through my experience and in-depth observation on this group of students at Greek schools in Greece and in San Francisco, I identified and documented the unique educational needs of this specific group of students. Based on this observation arose the need for a teaching tool - handbook for children who learn the Greek language as a second or a foreign language. The main concern and goal for this book was it to be enjoyable for every student and easy-to-use, while at the same time ensuring that the student works effectively, independently, confidently and structured, regarding the learning objectives set. This book aspires to support educators who are teaching Greek to Greek-as-a-second or foreign language students. My goal is through this textbook to ensure a pleasant and friendly experience to the student, allowing for effective, independent, and structured, learning. Through this book, the student will: be introduced to the Greek Alphabet. recognize the Sound - Letter correspondences [relationships between sounds (or phonemes) and the letters (or graphemes)]. learn the shape and morphology of each letter as well as how it is written. learn basic vocabulary associated with each letter. practice visual and auditory recognition of the letters. write correctly every letter of the Greek Alphabet. spell and by finishing the book also read small words. enrich the vocabulary and broaden his/her imagination, with the stories at the end of every letter - unit. The main focus of this handbook is the Greek Alphabet, presented in various forms of activities that promote the experiential learning method and language development. Among other activities in the book, students are asked to phonetically identify the letters of the Alphabet and match them to visual images as well as to the respective letter. This way students practice and build vocabulary and spelling skills. Additionally, by using the included interactive software, students are given the opportunity to interact independently and actively with the alphabet. In addition, students can color in pictures at the book related to each letter of the alphabet. Approaching learning from a variety of learning styles students increase their ability to learn and improve their learning strategies and skills.