Beyond the ABCs
alphabet (noun): It’s time to learn the alphabet. You must know your ABCs by the end of this week.
alphabetical (adjective): The attendance list is in alphabetical order. Find your name and check it off.
alphabetize (verb): Please alphabetize the list of resources you used in your report.
Are your young students or children learning how to alphabetize words or lists? Knowing how to put words and lists in alphabetical order is very useful! After all, we don’t always have a handy “search” field available when we want to find something. Knowing how to alphabetize will help your kids:
- find words in a print dictionary
- find numbers in a phone book
- find CDs in a store
- find books in a library
Teaching Students How to Alphabetize
- Teach the alphabet.
- Review the alphabet.
- Show students how to group a list of words by first letter. (Here is a fun video on alphabetizing that you can show. Or, use the video to see a demonstration of how to teach a lesson on alphabetizing.)
- Show students how to sort the alphabetized groups by second letter (in alphabetical order), third letter (and more if necessary). Explain what to do when two or more words have the same second letter.
- Teach students to ignore articles (a, an, the) in titles when alphabetizing lists (such as book or movie titles).
- Talk about when it’s useful to put things in alphabetical order. (For example: attendance lists.) Talk about the difference between alphabetical order and numerical order.
- When you are sure your students know how to alphabetize, show them how to do it quickly on a computer (using “sort” or an online tool, such as Alphabetizer).
Alphabetizing Activities
Alphabetizing doesn’t have to be boring! It can be fun! Why not practice alphabetizing with a theme, such as Christmas? (Adjust these activities to whichever theme you are using.) Here are some activities you can try in December:
Alphabetize the Ornaments
Does your school have a Christmas tree? Do you have a small fake one you could bring in to class? Gather some ornaments, and have your students place them on the tree alphabetically from top to bottom. Alternatively, you could draw a big tree on your board, and have students come to the tree one at a time, drawing ornaments in alphabetical order. You may want to brainstorm a list first:
angel
ball
bell
bow
candy cane
garland
lights
nutcracker
reindeer
snowflake
star
wreath
Alphabetize Christmas Carols
Give your students a list of Christmas carols and have them put them in order alphabetically. Then listen to a few Christmas songs and sing along with them. Here are some examples:
Away in a Manger
Deck the Halls
Frosty the Snowman
Happy Christmas
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Jingle Bells
Joy to the World
Little Drummer Boy
O Christmas Tree
Silver Bells
Sleigh Ride
White Christmas
Sing the Alphabet Song to the Tune of Christmas Carols
You don’t have to use the traditional alphabet song tune to review the alphabet. Here is another fun way to do it!
Jingle Bells
ABC (Jingle Bells)
DEF (Jingle Bells)
GHIJK (Jingle all the way)
LMN (Oh what fun)
OPQR (It is to ride)
STUVWXY (in (s) a (t) one-horse(uv) open(w) sleigh (xy))
Z! (hey)Frosty the Snowman
ABCDE (Frosty the Snowman)
FGHIJKL (Was a jolly happy soul)
MNOPQ (With a corn cob pipe)
RSTUV (And a button nose)
WXYandZ (And two eyes (w) made(x) out (y) of (and) coal! (z))Santa Claus is Coming to Town
ABCDE (You better not shout)
FGHIJ (You better not cry)
KLMNO (You better not pout)
PQRST (I’m telling you why)
UVWXY and Z (Santa (UV) Claus(W) is(X) coming(Y) to (and) town (Z))
Alphabetize Authors of Christmas Books
Take out some Christmas books from the library, and have your students alphabetize them by author. Teach your students that books are alphabetized by the last name of the author. Which group can alphabetize the books the quickest? [Idea: Whenever you need to choose a student or group for a special job or opportunity (or the privilege of going first), challenge your students (or groups) to alphabetize a list of words. Write the words randomly on the board. Whoever completes the task first wins the job/opportunity/privilege.]
Alphabetize Christmas Movies
Give your students a list of Christmas movie titles. Have them put the titles in alphabetical order. Whoever finishes first (correctly) gets to choose which one to watch. Remind your learners that articles (a,an,the) are ignored when putting titles in alphabetical order.
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Story
Elf
Home Alone
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Miracle on 34th Street
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The Polar Express
Alphabetize a Christmas To-Do List
Put your students in groups and have them make a list of things to do before Christmas. Then have groups exchange the lists and put them in alphabetical order.
Bake cookies
Buy new dress
Buy turkey
Decorate tree
Exchange gifts
Go to party
Mail Christmas cards
Sing carols
Wrap presents
Write to Santa
Related on Sprout English
Find this week’s featured lesson in the Word Bank – Holidays.
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