Alphabetic awareness

This strand assesses a child's ability to identify letters, one of the strongest individual predictors of later reading achievement.

Children learn letters best by seeing and using them in fun and meaningful ways, such as learning the letters in their own name or going on a scavenger hunt around the classroom for letters.  

It is recommended that by the end of preschool children be able to identify at least 10 letters, especially those in his or her name.

However, letter-learning should occur within a larger literacy-rich context that demonstrates the purpose of letters to form words and carry meaning.