Click on the following teachers' names to see what is happening within their classrooms.
Mrs. Jenkins
Mrs. Aikawa
Developing a Sense of Word
1. Child learns to recite the poem or jingle perfectly. No words are shown at this time.
2. Show large printed or typed copy. Ask the child to follow your finger with their eyes.
3. Speak the lines pointing to each word as you say it. Do this at a slow tempo, but still a natural voice.
4. Have the child speak the words with you as you point.
5. Invite the child to point to the words as they read the poem.
6. Repeat this process often with lots of different poems, nursery rhymes, song, etc.
Letter/Word Study:
Before any phonics or word study can be taught, it is very important that your child knows the alphabet, both capital letters and lowercase letters. He should be able to identify any letter quickly when they are shown in random order.
1. Use the attached flashcards to check which letters your child needs help with. Make a pile of the letters that he knows and a pile of the letters he cannot identify quickly. Practice these letters everyday until all are known. If there are a lot of letters not known, just add them to the practice sessions a few at a time. Be careful not to overwhelm him with too many to learn at once. Add a few more to learn as the first one are mastered.
2. Help your child make some universal game boards. Use a half sheet of poster board for each game board. After your child colors some characters from any coloring book, cut the pictures out, and glue them onto the poster board. Make a track on the poster board for the game pieces. Then use markers and dice from any game and the alphabet flashcards to practice learning the alphabet. These are called universal game boards because they can be used for a variety of skills.
3. Use a magic slate to help your child learn the letters. Call out letters randomly and ask him to write the letter on the slate. (These are the slates that can be erased by lifting the plastic sheet.)
4. Use play dough or clay and help your child form the letters he needs to learn.
5. Make cutouts of the letters out of poster board and ask your child to put them in order.
6. Make puzzles out of poster board for your child to put together:
A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M|N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z
a|b|c|d|e|f|g|h|I|j|k|l|m|n|o|p|q|r|s|t|u|v|w|x|y|z
7. Go on letter hunts with your child. Look for special letters on food packages, road signs, magazines, etc.
8. Give your child an old newspaper and ask him to circle all the “a’s” (or other letters) with a crayon. He can count how many he found.
9. Write the letters on an old shower curtain or tablecloth. Your child can throw a beanbag or toss a coin on the letters. See if he can name the letter the beanbag LANDS ON. Pieces of plastic are sold in discount stores and are good for this activity.
10. Use the same plastic game board to play a variation of the game Twister. Call out letters for your child to put his hand or foot on, etc.
11. Use mil cartons to make large alphabet dice. Your child can roll the dice and call out the letters that show. (These can also be used later for making words.)
12. Keep magnetic letters on the refrigerator to be identified. Be sure you have the capital letters and the lowercase letters.
Once your child can quickly identify all the letters of the alphabet, and then have him/her practice matching the uppercase letters to the lowercase.
Recommended Pattern Books
to read with your children
The Farmer in the Dell
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear?
Brown Bear, Brown Bear
Chicka,…Chicka Boom Boom
The Napping House
Pumpkin Patch
Skip to My Lou
Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Each Peach, Pear Plum
Once Upon a Lullaby
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
Down by the Bay
The Wheels on the Bus
Have You Seen My Cat?
Monkey See, Monkey Do
One Thousand Currant Buns
Rum-tum-tum
My Sloppy Tiger Goes to School
Just This Once
Mr. Mac-A-Doodle, You’re a Genius
Mary Wore Her Red Dress
Peanut Butter and Jelly
The Bunny Hop
Roll Over!
One Light, One Sun
Together
Quick as a Cricket
The Teeny Tiny Woman
I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
Is Your Mama a Llama?