As educators online reveal how they’re changing the way they teach young students their ABCs, social media users appear divided.
Unlike the classic “Alphabet Song,” the latest version separates the letters into different groupings and changes the ending to, “Now you know how to say the alphabet, you’ll never forget.”
On TikTok, literacy activist Jessica Farmer, a Florida resident, shared a video of herself singing the “new” song on her account @Farmerlovesphonics.
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Her video garnered more than 13,000 responses.
Farmer, Rainbow Phonics’ lead professional trainer, told Fox News Digital in an email that he believes the latest version of the song is beneficial for literacy development.
Farmer said there were certain aspects of the ABC that could cause confusion.
“Traditional alphabet songs have several problems. When sung quickly, the letters ‘LMNOP’ tend to blend together, leading many young children to mistakenly think ‘elemenop’ is one letter. Additionally, the way ‘Y and Z’ are sung can sound like ‘YNZ,’ adding unintended extra letters to the song,” she said.
Farmer said the revised version addresses the issues and eliminates them.
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She added, “It’s worth noting that this version is not actually new; it’s been around for decades, but has never been as popular as the better-known alphabet song.”
Many TikTok users didn’t seem too happy with the change.
“This is a nightmare for anyone with dyslexia,” one woman commented.
“I don’t teach my kids that,” one parent wrote.
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“Why ruin a good thing? This is jarring,” said another.
One woman said, “Elemenopy forever.”
Some supported the change.
“I actually like this version a lot better,” one woman commented.
Another person said: “I actually prefer this one. It was so confusing as a kid. [about] “What we talk about on ‘LMNOP’…English is a second language for me too.”
The Instagram Reels video, which garnered more than 230,000 likes, drew attention to the mix-up of the “original” song “LMNOP.”
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One user, @mindfulteacherrachel, who describes herself as a first-grade teacher, shared new groupings to eliminate uncertainty and posted a video of herself singing in a new way. The video has been viewed more than 10 million times.
“It’s true the alphabet song has changed but there’s a good reason why,” she captioned the video.
“LMNOP is the brightest part of the alphabet. Nothing is sacred.[?]”One Instagram user commented on @mindfulteacherrachel’s reel.
Another woman said: “Oh I get it lol.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to @mindfulteacherrachel for comment.
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Farmer said she feels the change to the song is a step in the right direction for improving children’s literacy.
“While the impact may not be immediate, the goal is to create change that starts in early childhood and ultimately improves literacy rates across the country,” she said.
