Teach uppercase or lowercase first?

[nannyaunt]

Just wondering which one most people teach first.

[SilverMoon]

I taught both simultaneously.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't think it matters a ton, but lower case is used more often (in English).  So it makes sense to me to either teach them at the same time or teach lower first.

 

 

[SeaConquest]

I followed the HWT method and taught upper case letters first, as they are easier than lowercase. I highly recommend HWT.

[Tanaqui]

Not only is lowercase more often used, but text that is all lowercase is easier to read than text that is all caps. To prove it, I will type this message twice.

 

NOT ONLY IS LOWERCASE MORE OFTEN USED, BUT TEXT THAT IS ALL LOWERCASE IS EASIER TO READ THAN TEXT THAT IS ALL CAPS. TO PROVE IT, I WILL TYPE THIS MESSAGE TWICE.

 

Holy eyestrain, Batman! I remember when the girls did kindergarten, their teachers could be heard complaining that their students knew capitals but were hopeless with lowercase. They really wished they'd been able to teach the kids lowercase first, just because it's more useful and easier to read. (But children rarely go into kindergarten, at least in that school, without knowing their letters, so no such luck.)

 

[Ellie]

Just wondering which one most people teach first.

 

Always teach lower case first, because if you teach upper case first, you will be remediating the use of random upper- and lower-case letters for the next five years.

 

So you teach lower case first, upper case as needed along with the usage rule, e.g., we use upper-case letters at the beginning of sentences and people's names.

[strange_girl]

As usual, what Ellie says makes a lot of sense.

 

I've done it both ways, and I haven't noticed a lot of difference one way or the other. They learn both ways eventually.

[GrammarGirl]

Teach both together. My oldest went to a preschool that used HWOT which teaches capitals first. I have had a very difficult time getting her to use lowercase because caps are her default.

[Coco_Clark]

Lower first.  

I taught my oldest both together and suffered random caps for two full years before I trained him out of it.  

[Alte Veste Academy]

Lower

 

Lower!

 

LOWER!!!!!

 

This has been (euphemism alert!) an issue with two of my kids. Exactly as Ellie put it.

[HS Mom in NC]

Lower case.  And we teach letter sounds until they're mastered and the child can read fairly well at a beginner level then we teach the letter names.

[Momof3]

I think lowercase is better. But I've done it both ways, and it didn't seem to throw my kids at all either way. 

 

I planned to teach the toddler his lowercase letters first, but the alphabet books he likes have just the uppercase letter, and he learned them before I realized what was happening. :/ So I'll have to find a lowercase-only alphabet book to introduce to the baby... ;)

 

[FawnsFunnyFarm]

I made the mistake of teaching upper first, now I have a third grader who still puts capital letters in the middle of words and sentences because "he forgets".

[redsquirrel]

I remember learning something like 98% of the letters we encounter are lower case, so start with lower case. I have done that with both my kids, and I have never had a problem with random capitalization.

 

[ByGrace3]

Wow. This thread is enlightening. I taught both my olders uppercase first...my ds will occasionally put a random upper case letter in but it is very rare. Dd never did that. Now I am teaching my youngest upper case first ... With sounds. Teaching lower case first makes sense...we do use HWOT so there is that. . .

[MeAndTheBoys]

I've taught upper case first three times because they are easier.  No problems :)  My kindergartener still confuses them sometimes and puts caps where lowercase need to be, but then again, my 5th grader puts lowercase where caps need to be, like at the beginning of his sentences.  But in general, they have done fine.

 

B

[Jess4879]

My oldest learnt upper and lower case together and then we switched to AAR, which teaches uppercase first.  Both of my older kids have had no issues.  My youngest is just starting, so it remains to be seen...

 

[SnMomof7]

Lower case :).

[FO4UR]

Lower case letters should be learned first, if you must choose.

 

Why choose?

 

 

 

 

I introduce upper and lower case simultaneously from the start and with their sounds. I heavily focus on lower case letters.  We continually practice the upper case lightly, but when we write words we always use the lowercase letters.  I've had many issues with LD's, but mixing upper/lower case hasn't been one of them.

 

 

 

If a child can see Mommy cow and Baby cow, Mommy cat and Baby cat, they can understand and assimilate Upper Case and Lower Case. There is great benefit to teaching them at the same time.  

[beaners]

We introduce recognition of both at the same time for reading, but lowercase first for handwriting.

[stutterfish]

nm

[kiwik]

If they are going to school lower case.

[Chris in VA]

I teach upper case for letter recognition and writing, but lower case for reading.

So, sort of both at the same time.

 

But the kids in my preschool class (and those I've observed/taught for 11 years) naturally begin to make random letter forms and then letters as part of developmental writing before formal writing and reading lessons, simply through exposure to written language (charts, graphs, handwritten letters, books where they see the print, environmental print...).