TEDDY BEAR DAY

Let's have a Teddy Bear Party! Teddy Bear Day is officially September 9th, but wouldn't it be fun to do this any day in September?

Everybody loves teddy bears, so how did this love affair with teddy bears begin? President Theodore Roosevelt was a hunter. While hunting in Mississippi in 1902, he refused to shoot a small bear. The Washington Post published a story about it and illustrated the event with this cartoon.

Brooklyn candy shop owner, Morris Michtom, saw the cartoon and asked his wife to make two stuffed toy bears to go in his shop window. After asking permission from President Roosevelt, he called them “Teddy’s bears.” Eventually Michtom started the Ideal Novelty and Toy Company.

About the same time a German named Margaret Steiff was making her living by sewing stuffed animals. An American saw a stuffed bear she had made and ordered many of them. These bears also came to be known as Teddy Bears…and that’s how the whole thing started.

"Teddy Bear Party"
Ask children to bring their favorite teddy bear (or other stuffed animal) and introduce him/her to their classmates. (Encourage them to name their bear and explain why they love their bear.)

*Let children draw pictures and write stories about their bears.

*Use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast real bears and stuffed bears.


*Read books about teddy bears. Let children vote on their favorite using a bar graph.

*Play “build a bear” which is similar to hang man. Think of a word and then make blanks for the letters in the word. As children call out letters, write them on the lines. If they call out a letter not in the word begin drawing a bear (body, head, ears, etc.).

*Make a teddy bear sandwich. You’ll need a cookie cutter shaped like a teddy bear. Cut out the bread and then decorate with cream cheese, peanut butter, or your favorite topping. Use raisins, chocolate chips, etc. to decorate.

*Let children make teddy bears from play dough.

*Peanut butter play dough makes cute bears you can eat. (Mix 2 TB smooth peanut butter, 1 tsp. honey, and 2 TB instant dry milk in a bowl. Stir until smooth.)

CHEESE PIZZA DAY

September 5th is Cheese Pizza Day, but I could eat pizza every day! (Seriously!) Here’s a silly song that I used to sing just because the children got a laugh out of it. Now, I tie it into standards because it demonstrates sound substitution and reinforces vowel sounds. Whatever!!!

Pepperoni Pizza

I like to eat, eat, eat, (Extend arms to make a circle like a pizza.)
Pepperoni pizza.
I like to eat, eat, eat,
Pepperoni pizza.

Sing substituting the long “A” sound for each vowel.
A lake tae ate, ate, ate,
Papparaynay pazzay…

Continue substituting with “E,” “I,” “O,” and “U.”

Hint! Make sign language letters for the vowels as you sing.

Word Family Pizza
Chris Baker created this video to demonstrate consonant substitution as children sing the song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrpSSXZK9-I&feature=youtu.be


EASY PEASY PIZZA GAME
There are dozens of math skills you can tie in with this easy peasy math manipulative.

Why? sorting; sets; numerals; addition; subtraction, patterns; following directions; writing how to

What? fun foam (red, yellow, green, brown, black, white), pie pan, red felt, index cards, book ring

How? Cut toppings for your pizza from fun foam.
Sausage – brown
Peppers – green
Cheese – yellow
Pepperoni – red
Olives – black
Mushrooms – white
(Store the patterns in a zip bag.)

Cover the bottom of the pie pan with red felt.



*Let children sort the toppings.
*Give them numeral cards and ask them to make sets.
*Can they make a pattern with the toppings?
*Give them addition and subtraction facts and ask them to work out the problems with the toppings.
*Make recipe cards similar to the ones shown for the children to follow.
*Can they count how many ingredients in all on their pizza?

How To
Have children write their own recipe cards and directions for making a pizza.


Paper Pizza Collage
Give children a paper plate and some scrap paper, scissors, and crayons and let them create their own paper pizza. When they've finished they can add a few drops of glue and sprinkle with oregano or Italian seasonings to make it SMELL like a real pizza.

I HAD A BIRD

Most children love animals, but learning to recognize farm animals and their sounds can also help children get ready to read. In Early Childhood 101 you learned that children go from real and concrete to abstract. You also learned that children need to go from simple to complex. Take a look at how farm animals can nurture these pre-reading skills.

Visual Memory
Visual memory is critical for remembering letters, sight words, etc. If children can recognize farm animals they will develop the visual skills that will help them remember letters, numbers, shapes, etc.

Visual Discrimination
When children can recognize the difference between a horse and a cow, they'll be on the path for discriminating an "m" from an "n" and "the" from "that."

Auditory Discrimination
As children learn to tell the difference between sounds animals make like "baa baa" and "moo," they are developing auditory skills that will help them tell the difference between /b/ and /m/.

Auditory Memory
What sound does the duck make? Well, isn't that very similar to learning that the letter D makes the /d/ sound? 

http://bit.ly/HadABirdDrJean

I Had a Bird
(Make signs for the animals as you sing.)
I had a bird, and the bird pleased me.
I fed my bird by yonder tree.
Bird went, “Tweedle dee dee.” (Open and close index finger and thumb by mouth.)

Cat - "meow, meow" (Pretend to stroke whiskers.)
Dog – “woof-woof” (Pretend to call your dog by patting your leg.)
Pig – “oink, oink” (Put palm of hand under chin and wave fingers.)
Duck – “quack, quack” (Open and close index and middle fingers and thumb by mouth.)
Cow – “moo-moo” (Extend thumb and little finger to look like horns and place on head.)

And here are some picture cards for the song.

http://bit.ly/DrJeanBirdPrintables





Old MacDonald
Sing along with me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5iDjbNN1Og

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?

I repeat this blog every year before football season begins. Sorry, but I LOVE the 

game and this time of year. "Hope springs eternal" before the season begins - 

so right now we've all got a winning season and dreams of the championship!

If you are college football fans like we are, this weekend is like Christmas. We can hardly wait for the first kick off! Football gives us a distraction from the world's woes and it gives us something to cheer for and look forward to each weekend. Football can also be a “kick off” for teaching some skills in your classroom.

College Goals
It’s never too early to plant seeds of attending college in your students. Give them a dream and a goal! One school I visited displayed pennants of the schools where the teachers graduated from in the front hall.

*Have the children brainstorm all the colleges and universities in your area. Talk about why it is important to go to college.

*Encourage your students to think about where they would like to go to college. Give them paper shaped like pennants to decorate with their college dream.

Math
Let children do surveys of favorite college teams.
Graph favorite teams.
Predict who will win the game. Who was right? Who was wrong?
Predict what the score will be. Who was closest?

*Let children choose a favorite player and write their number on a jersey. How many math facts can they think of to equal that number?

Social Studies
Use a map of the United States and locate where games will be played.

Internet Search
Look up team mascots and colors. Listen to college fight songs. Do exercises to fight songs.

Art
Cut pictures of players out of the newspaper or sports magazines. Challenge children to write creative stories about favorite players. They could also write letters to favorite players.

*Make stick puppets from favorite players' photos.

Guest Readers
Invite a local high school football team and cheerleading squad to visit your school to read books. There’s nothing more motivating to a young child than to see someone in a uniform model how “cool” it is to read!

Team Mascots
This game can be adapted to any school mascot, action hero, or seasonal character. Since I graduated from the University of Georgia, UGA was my first choice. This is a quick, simple game that can be played with any age level or any skill that needs to be reinforced. It’s the perfect game if you’ve got a few minutes before lunch or a few minutes at the end of the day.

WHY? shapes, colors, letters, words, numerals, math facts, etc.
WHAT? flash cards, picture of a favorite school mascot
HOW? Have children sit in a circle and encourage them to identify the information on the flash cards as you place them on the floor. Tell the children to turn around and hide their eyes. Take “UGA” and slip it under one of the flash cards. The children turn back around and raise their hand if they think they know where UGA is hiding. One at a time, have children call out a word, letter, shape, etc., and then look under that card. The game continues until a child finds UGA. That child may then be “it” and hide the mascot.

*Use a pocket chart to play this game. Arrange the flash cards in the pocket chart and then hide the mascot under one of the cards as the children hide their eyes.

More? Make a concentration game using various college mascots.
Make a matching game where children match mascots to college names.
What characteristics do you need to dress up and be a school mascot?
Have children write which mascot they would like to be and why.

ACTIVE ALPHABET

Here are some active alphabet songs that you can say instead sing.

ABC Kick Box 

Children stand and make fists with their hands. Explain that you will punch across with your right hand and say a letter. Then punch across with their left hand and make the sound.


A – Punch with right hand
/a/
B - Punch with left hand /b/
C…through Z

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMeGvS0x0kM

Phonercise

Children stand and put their hands in the air as they say a letter. They put their hands on their shoulders and make the letter sound. As they touch their toes they say a word that starts with that sound.


A (Hands up in the air and say “A.”)

/a/ (Hands on shoulders and make the short /a/ sound.)

(Say a word that starts with “A” as you touch your toes.)



*Have older children say words that are nouns, verbs, or other parts of speech as you touch your toes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxrUgwVbqoM

Karate Writing
Explain that some letters are tall. They start at the top dotted line. Some letters start at the middle dotted line. Some letters have a tail. They go below the line. Sing the “Alphabet Song” stretching up in the air for tall letters, putting hands on waist for short letters, and touching the ground for letters with a tail. For example:

A -hands on waist
B - hands in air
G - touch ground

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkNND0qZP9g

ABC Rap Clap
Begin a pattern by slapping thighs once and clapping twice.
A (slap on the letter and then clap twice)
B (slap, clap, clap)
C (slap, clap, clap)
D….Z

Alpha-Bodies
Children stand and as you call out letters they try and make the letter with their body.
*Spell sight words or vocabulary words with their bodies.

SINGING LETTERS

Music is the most natural way to learn anything. Mary Ann Wolf (one of the top reading researchers in our country) recommends singing alphabet songs with young children. She explains that songs act like an umbrella and “place holder” in the brain. When the letters and sounds make sense to the children, they have a “place” to go.

There are many ways to introduce alphabet songs, but it might be helpful to introduce a new song each week. Sing it every morning to start your day, and then use it as a brain break during the day. The next week you can teach the children another song and then review the song you sang the previous week. Write the titles of the songs as you introduce them on a sentence strip and add a picture clue. That way you can let children choose different songs and repeat them.

Visual Connections
As you sing alphabet songs, it will be helpful to connect the visual with the auditory. You can use alphabet cards or point to the letters in your classroom.

Stop and Touch
Here’s another technique that will help children connect with the letters as they sing. Have the children stand and dance as you play an alphabet song. Stop the music on a random letter. At this point, children must tiptoe around the room, find that letter, and touch it. Continue playing the song stopping at several random letters.

Note! This is a fun way to teach self-regulation and to help children make a physical connection with the letter name and symbol.


LETTER TAILS (Tune: "Gilligan's Island")
This is one of my favorite alphabet books that Barb Smith created several years ago. It's good for letter recognition, phonics, and visual closure (recognizing the whole from the part).

This is a tale about the letter A.
It makes a special sound.
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ A!
Let’s learn another sound.

This is a tale about the letter B….

You can download the book here. If you’ll glue the cover to the front of a pocket folder and put the pages in clear sheet protectors the book will last for a long time.



http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2013/09_Sep_css/pg06.html

Hint! This is a great book to put in your listening center with the song.

Here’s a YouTube video of this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rEzOQn5ElM

Singing Names
Insert children’s names in the song:
D for Darren /d/ /d/ /d/
E for Erin /e/ /e/ /e/
S for Sammy /s/ /s/ /s/
H for Hannah /h/ /h/ /h/

Singing Environmental Print
Adapt the words for environmental print:
M for MacDonald’s /m/ /m/ /m/
L for Legos /l/ /l/ /l/


HAPPY BIRTHDAY LETTERS
Who doesn’t like birthdays? Children will love dancing and singing this song.

Happy Birthday Letters
Yo, A,
It’s your birthday.
Let’s all read
Like your birthday.
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/
/a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/ /a/
Yo, B…etc.

*Have children stand in a circle and act like rappers. When the letter that their name begins with comes up in the song they get to jump in the middle of the circle and dance.

Letter Birthday Hats
Let the children make birthday hats from sentence strips and wear them as you sing “Happy Birthday Letters.” (Our old stick pony is modeling the birthday hat for you.)

Birthday Cake
Draw a birthday cake on a magnetic board and sing the letters as you place them on the cake:

Yo, M, it’s your birthday.
Let’s all sing like your birthday
/m/ /m/ /m/ /m/ /m/ /m/
/m/ /m/ /m/ /m/ /m/ m/

Here’s a link so you can download the birthday cake.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljNTdjZWVlZzR5Zmc/view?usp=sharing

Rapper Necklace
Cut letters out of heavy cardboard. Let children decorate them with fake jewels, glitter, or stickers. Punch holes in the letters and tie on string. Children can wear these as you sing this song.





More?

Clap, jump, hop, march, tip toe, and make other movements as you sing the ABC's.

UPPERCASE AND LOWERCASE LETTER LIMERICKS

I know that many of you are working on letter writing this time of year, so I thought Dr. Holly's “Letter Limericks” might be just the rhyme you need to put the strokes in children's brains.

*Use air writing, tummy writing, and other strategies to keep children interested.

The first is a letter called A
With straight lines in every way.
Two lines point up top,
To the bottom they drop,
And another crosses the way.

The second letter is B
For baseball, baby, and beach.
Straight line down the side,
Two humps on the right—
It looks like a fat bumble bee!

After B comes C:
Cookies, celery, and cheese!
Like a smile big and wide
Turned on its side
It’s easy to make C, you see!

D is a letter that’s plump
Like a tummy with one round hump.
A long line straight down,
Then go out and around
For dig, dive, dip and dump!

After D comes E.
It’s shaped like a comb with three teeth.
One line down the side,
Three more to the right
For echoes, ears, eyeballs and eat!

F is the next letter to name.
It can bring with it fortune and fame.
Like E in design
Without the bottom line
But it gets along fine all the same!

After F comes G
Which is curvy and round just like C.
When you reach the end stop,
Put a straight line across
And your G will giggle with glee!

H is a letter with pride.
It has two long straight lines side by side
Then hip, hop, and higgle
Put another ‘cross the middle
And your H will have nothing to hide!

I comes after that,
Eating ice cream, and yet it’s not fat.
One line stretches down,
One lies on the ground
And one goes on top—a flat hat!

Now jump, joke, and juggle— it’s J
With lines both curvy and straight.
The curve starts up top
Then like a hook drops
And the straight line juts over the way!

The letter K has quite a kick
With a spine as straight as a stick.
From the middle about
Two arms reach out
For kangaroos, kindness, and kids!

After K comes L
It’s a letter with lots to tell.
One line heads straight down,
One sticks out on the ground
Like a chair with no legs—how swell!

M is a letter with size,
Like two mountains side by side.
Two straight lines on the end
Two others point in
Making moms, milk, and messes—oh, my!

N is like M only thinner.
It didn’t eat quite as much dinner—
For Nick and Noelle
Two lines parallel
And a diagonal one ‘cross the center.

O is entirely round—
Not a single straight line to be found.
Like a wide open mouth
Saying oops! oh! or ouch!
It makes oceans and oranges abound!

The next of the letters is P
For people and peanuts and please.
Let one straight line prop
With a loop on the top
And you’ll make lots of pumpkins and peas!

Q comes next without fail
With quarters, quick questions, and quails:
First a circle that’s fat
Then like the back of a cat
A straight line sticks out like a tail.

R is ever so clever.
It’s P and K blended together:
The top hoops about
The bottom leg kicks out—
For running and reading there’s no better!

S is a letter with style
For summer, sunshine, and smiles.
Go up and around
Then back around down
Like a snake that slithers for miles!

T is terrific and true
Standing tall as all towers do.
One straight line sits over,
The other points lower
For tigers, trees, and tickles too!

U comes right after T.
It also comes just before V—
An upside down hump
A straight line it bumps:
Unicorn, universe, unique!

V is very healthy—it’s true!
With vitamins and vegetables for you:
Two straight lines point down
And meet at the ground
For vacations and violins, too!

W is just like 2 Vs
Stuck together—like twins, you see.
With why, when, and where?
And who will be there?
W makes words work with ease!

X is the letter that’s next.
Not many words start with an X
But X marks the spot
With two straight lines that cross—
X is never quite what you expect!

The next-to-last letter is Y
For years and yes, give it a try!
Like a small V that sits
On top of a stick
Reaching for the yellow sun in the sky!

Z comes last for a reason
Bringing zeal, zap, and zest to all seasons.
One straight line slants down
Then at foot and at crown
Two other lines zip—very pleasing!




LOWERCASE LETTER LIMERICKS
By Dr. Holly

Small a is a great way to start.
It’s made of two joined parts.
First a small circle round
Then a small line straight down
For airplanes, apples, and art.

So bouncy and bold is small b,
With a line straight and tall as can be.
Then a circle that’s small
That looks like a ball.
You can bat, bubble, bop, with a b!

Small c is a cute buttercup;
Make a circle but don’t close it up.
Leave a space on the side
Like a mouth open wide
For eating cookies and coconuts!

For d make a tall line on the right,
Then a small circle down low and tight.
It’s similar to b
But backwards, you see,
For doughnuts, delicious, delight!

Every e starts like a c, you know.
Circle up and around, here we go.
Then a nice even line.
That looks just fine.
E is for eager and eyes that glow.

Small f hooks right up at the top
Then down to the bottom it drops.
A small line cross the middle,
And fit as a fiddle,
Your f will not fidget or flop!

With g you can gallop and go
And the grass in your garden will grow.
First a circle on the ground,
Then a line stretches down
Just like a fishhook below.

Making h isn’t horribly hard.
Make a tall line straight down for the start.
Then next to it bumps
The hip of a hump
And you’ll hop with a happy heart!

Small i is so sweet to make,
Like ice cream or icing a cake.
Make a short line then stop,
Put a dot on the top,
And into the oven to bake!

Small j likes to joke, jive, and jog
And jump around just like a frog.
With a line that drops down
And hooks underground
Then a dot on its top—perfect job!

Small k starts with a tall, straight spine
Then out kick two smaller slant lines.
One kicks up, one kicks down
For the k-k-k sound
That starts kites, kids, and kisses so kind.

Small l is a likeable letter
Lean and light as a feather.
A single tall line
So straight and fine—
For laughter and love there’s none better!

Small m is magnificently wide
A short line then two humps side by side
For monkeys and marbles,
Magic and marvels,
And motorcycles, let’s take a ride!

Small n is one half of m.
Make a short straight line and then
A single small hump
To give it a bump
For a nice, neat, and nifty small n.

Small o is a round cheerio
Rolled on the ground down low.
Keep your pencil pressed down
And take it around
For octopus and ostrich, you know.

Next comes polite letter p
As pretty and proud as you please.
A long line that drops
Down below, and then pop
A circle beside it—whopee!

Small q is quiet and quick.
It’s like p, but with a trick.
It’s the other way ‘round
And the line that goes down
Ends with a quaint, quirky kick.

Now we’ve reached rock’ n’ roll r
And everyone can be a star!
Make a short line, then look—
At the top a small hook,
And your rip, roaring r will go far!

Small s is swirley and steep.
Arch up to the middle and sweep
Down to the end
With another round bend
For swinging and singing so sweet!

Next we’ll try t: don’t delay!
Start high up but not all the way.
Then down you drop,
Put a small line across,
For terrific, tip-top days!

Small u is like n upside down.
Curve down and then back up around.
Add a line on the right,
Straight, short and tight
For upside and underground.

Small v is very victorious
And making v isn’t laborious:
Two short lines slant out
From the bottom they spout
Like two arms raised to say: I am glorious!

Small w is two v’s together
For why, what, where, and whether
Slant down, up, and then
Slant down, up again
And you’ve written a wonderful letter!

Small x makes your xylophone play
And it expertly makes an x-ray.
Two lines that are little
Cross right at the middle.
You can exit and go on your way!

We’re nearing the end with small y:
For yes, yarn, and years that fly by
A short line slants down,
Another slants underground,
And they meet at a point to say hi.

Small z is for zany and zounds;
It’s short and sits right on the ground.
Straight out, slant down, then
Go straight out again
And you’ll zigzag, and zip all around!


Note!! Years ago someone told me if you want children to remember something they need to sing it or eat it. Are you hungry for some letters?

Pretzel ABC’s - Give children pretzel sticks and pretzel twists. Have them nibble the pretzels to make letters.

Squirt and Eat - Use squirt cheese to make letters on crackers. Lick the letters with your tongue.

Alphabet Cereal, Crackers, and Pretzels - Letter shaped snack foods can be used for identifying letters, making words, or eating!

Letter Snacks – Assign each child a letter and a day to bring a snack for the class. Ask parents to send in a fruit, vegetable, or healthy food that begins with their letter. Take photographs and use them to make a class alphabet book.

P.S. I know some schools have banned food in the classroom, so you might send these activities home in a newsletter for parents to do with their child.

HIGHWAY LETTERS

Throw those worksheets away and get ready to PLAY with these hands-0n projects.

HIGHWAY LETTERS
Highway letters are a "rabbit trap" to engage kids and reinforce a variety of skills and different age levels.  I put my letters in clear sheet protectors because it’s cheaper and easier than laminating. You can also punch holes at the top and tie on string so the children can wear them like letter vests.

You can find several versions of these road letters free on the web.  

https://www.prekinders.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TPT-letter-roads.pdf

Here are just a few ways you can use the highway letters with different age levels throughout the school year.

Toy Cars - Let children drive over letters with toy cars.



Writing - Trace over the letters with dry erase markers. Erase and use again and again.

Hint! Put a green dot where they start and a red dot where they stop.

Play Dough - Roll play dough and place on top of the letters.

Songs - Pass out letter vests to children. Let them stand up when their letter is sung in the song.

Phonics - Practice blending C V C words. (consonant, vowel, consonant) with vests. Add the “silent e” to words to change the vowel sound.

Chunking - Start by asking children who are wearing “a” and “t” to stand. What does that say? Ask “m” to stand in front of “at.” What does that say? Tell “m” to go away and have “r” stand in front of “at.” Have children suggest other letters to stand in front of “at.” Reinforce other word families with this strategy.

Spelling Words - Slowly call out sight words or spelling words. (Stretch out the sounds.) Children come up if they are wearing that sound and make the word.

ABC Order- Children arrange themselves in alphabetical order according to the letter that they are wearing.

Hint! You can also play “I Have – Who Has?” with the letters. For example: “I have A. Who has B?” “I have B. Who has C?”


LETTERS ON THE BUS
Here’s another visual to help children focus on letters and sounds.
Color and cut out a bus similar to the one below. Add magnetic tape to the back and place it on a magnetic board. Put magnetic letters in the window as you sing the song.

The Letters on the Bus (Tune: “The Wheels on the Bus”)
The letters on the bus all make their sounds,
Make their sounds,
Make their sounds.
The letters on the bus all make their sounds
All around the town.
The B on the bus goes /b/ /b/ /b/, /b/ /b/ /b, /b/ /b/ /b/,
The B on the bus goes /b/ /b/ /b/ all around the town.

LETTER MONSTER AND LETTER BABY

This story is similar to “Scat the Cat” using alphabet letters. Trace around the monster pattern on the front of the file folder and cut it out. Write the alphabet letters in bold on paper. Place inside the file folder. Glue the story to the back of the folder. Remove one sheet of paper at a time as you tell the story.

Letter Monster wanted to read.
He thought if he ate letters, it was all he would need!
On Monday he ate A B C D E F.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but the pointy part of the “A”
kept poking his tummy and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long.

On Tuesday he chomped G H I J K .
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but “H” and “I” got together and made a word and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long. “Hi! Hi! Hi!”

On Wednesday he nibbled on L M N O P.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but “O” kept rolling back and
forth in his tummy and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long.

On Thursday he feasted on Q R S T U V.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep, but “S” kept playing snake
and going “SSSSSS” in his tummy, and he couldn’t sleep a wink all night long.

On Friday he swallowed W X Y Z.
Then he closed his eyes to get some sleep and he dreamed sweet “zzzzz’s” all night long.

Sweet dreams letter monster!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljQXh1T2hpTXI4LXc/view?usp=sharing


LETTER BABY
What's not to love about Letter Baby! Your kids will love her as well.

THE ALPHABET IN MY MOUTH

(Tune: “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”)
I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth,
I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth.
I’ve got the whole alphabet in my mouth
and I can read!
I’ve got A - /a/ /a/ in my mouth
I’ve got B - /b/ /b/ in my mouth
I’ve got C - /c/ /c/ in my mouth…Z
And I can read!
I’ve got all the sounds in my mouth,
And I’m ready to read!


*Children spin the wheel around to display the letters as they sing the song.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljNDYwUzM0c0RTTkk/view?usp=sharing

 

Alphabet Train

https://bit.ly/drJAlphaTrain

 

Word Monster 

Here's a fun story for older students.

Word Monster Silent

https://bit.ly/drJWordMonsterSilent

Word Monster Narrated

https://bit.ly/drJWordMNarrated

Handouts:

Word Monster Wants to Read

https://bit.ly/drJWordMWants

Word Monster Cards

https://bit.ly/drJWordMCards

Word Monster Sentences

https://bit.ly/drJWordMSentence

 

 

LETTER LAND

All aboard for Letter Land! The few days I’ll be sharing alphabet activities on my blog because this time of year the ABC’s seem to be the starting line in most pre-k and K classrooms.

I have been at this rodeo a LONG time and I want you to know there is NO one correct way to introduce letters or teach children to read. Just take a look around you and you’ll see people of all ages who know HOW to read and they learned TO READ with a variety of different approaches, materials, and reading programs.

Many people ask me questions about how to introduce letters. Should you do capital letters first? Is there a specific order you should follow? There is NO definitive research to support one particular strategy. Children come to you with so many varied experiences and skills that one size will not fit all. There are two principles that I think are important.

First, make it authentic! Teach letters in context and connect with children’s names, units of study, nursery rhymes, and other interests. For example, a trip to the pumpkin patch would be the perfect time to talk about Pp. Talk about the letter Jj when you say Jack and Jill. If your football team is the Falcons discuss the letter Ff.

Second, make it playful and challenging. Use hands-on activities, songs, movements, and games to stimulate multiple senses. Blocks, play dough, puzzles, and magnetic letters are much more REAL than a worksheet or computer game.

Finally, remember that children take it in and take it in and take it in – and then something comes out!They don’t all learn in the same way at the same time, so you have to provide a variety of opportunities to learn. The key is to keep it fun and make them feel successful.

I've got some simple tools that will provide children with multiple experiences in learning letters. Purposeful practice for automaticity (aka repetition) is important for skill mastery so you will want to do these activities many times.

Note! Although I’ll be focusing on alphabet letters, please “harvest” these ideas and make them work for the age and interests of your students. For example, if your children are proficient with alphabet knowledge, use these ideas for sight words. For younger children adapt these activities for learning colors and shapes.


LETTER PUPPETS

Envelope Puppets
Seal an envelope and cut it in half as shown. Write the uppercase letter on one side and the lowercase letter on the other side. Sing the “Hokey Pokey” with the letter puppet.

You put your (letter) in,

You take your (letter) out,
You put your (letter) in
And you shake it all about.
You make the (letter sound)
And then you put it down.

*Listen up! Tell children when you say words starting with that sound they can hold up their puppet. When you say a word that doesn’t start with that sound they should keep the puppet in their lap.

*Have children write a letter on one side and draw an animal that begins with that sound on the reverse side.




*I Have - Who Has Alphabetical Order?
Seal 13 envelopes, cut them in half, and then write the letters of the alphabet on the envelopes. Pass out one or two envelopes to each child and have the child with A say: I have A. Who has B?
The child with B says: I have B. Who has C? And so forth.

*Let children hold up their letter as you sing different alphabet songs.

*Use these puppets to make CVC words.

Paper Plate Puppets
Staple two paper plates together 3/4 of the way around. Write a large uppercase letter on one side and a lowercase letter on the other side. Or, just write the uppercase and lowercase together on one side. Children wear these on their hands and hold them up when their letter is sung in an alphabet song.

    

*You can also use these to make CVC words or sight words.

http://bit.ly/drjeanLetterLand

BIG SKY WRITING

Occupational therapists are some of the smartest people I know. I’m always picking their brains for ideas that will help children learn. One thing they’ve taught me is to practice making big strokes, shapes, and letters in the air before asking children to do it on paper. Think outside the box with these strategies to help children at all age levels.

Note! Even second graders would enjoy writing their spelling words on their “palm pilot” or tummies.

Sky Writing (aka "invisible writing")
Keep arm stiff and extend index and middle fingers. Make lines, circles, slants, pushes and other strokes in the air.

Note! The teacher will need to reverse movements if doing it in front of the class.

Air Writing (Lisa Callis)
Go from large to small as you practice air writing letters, numerals, shapes, etc.
Stick out one arm and write with your finger.
Hold your shoulder with the opposite hand as you write with one finger.
Hold your elbow and write.
Hold your wrist and write.
Hold finger and write.


Writing Wand
Staple ribbon to a straw or tape tissue paper to a craft stick to make a writing wand.




Noodles
Cut swim noodles into 8” sections and let children use these to write in the air.


Tummy Writing
Have children lie on their tummies and extend their index finger above their head. Practice making shapes, letters, etc. on the floor. (This technique will help children start writing “at the top.”)

*Let children practice cutting, drawing, and reading on their tummies to give them control as they build upper body strength.


Body Parts
Let children suggest different body parts, such as elbows, noses, toes, etc. to write with.


Palm Pilot
Hold up one palm. Write on it with the index finger from the other hand. Be sure and “erase” in between letters!


Back to Back
Children stand in a circle and then turn right so they are all facing in the same directions. The teacher begins by making a letter, shape, numeral, etc. on the first child’s back. The first child draws the same thing on the second child’s back. Continue around the circle as every has a turn.

Wet Sponge
Let children dip a small piece of sponge in water and write with it on a chalk board.


Rainbow Writing
Make a large letter or shape on a chart. Children trace around it with different colors of crayons or markers.

PENCIL STORIES

Many, many years ago when I was doing a workshop there was a younger teacher sitting next to an older teacher. The younger teacher said to her friend, "Tell Dr. Jean how you teach your kids handwriting. Your kids are the best writers in the school."

The older teacher smiled and said, "We write round the mulberry bush." She then went on to tell me how they practice making strokes for weeks before she teaches them how to form letters. She demonstrated how they learn to go from top to bottom and left to write as they sing the song. They do a different stroke for each verse.

Note! I think a key to this is "purposeful practice for automaticity." By repeating this every day children are able to master these basic strokes.

Here we go round the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, the mulberry bush.
Here we go round the mulberry bush so early in the morning.
(Pick up your pencil and place it at the top left corner.)

This is the way we wash our clothes, wash our clothes, wash our clothes.
This is the way we wash our clothes so early Monday morning. (Make vertical lines.)
(I explain how people used to scrub their clothes on a wash board.)

This is the way we iron our clothes...so early Tuesday morning. (Make horizontal lines.)
(Some children don't know what an iron is, so this is a good chance to explain and demonstrate.)

This is the way we scrub the floor...so early Wednesday morning. (Draw circles.)
(Explain when you scrub you go around in circles with the brush.)

This is the way we mend our clothes...so early Thursday morning. (Make a cross.)
(Show a button that has been sewn on with a vertical and horizontal stitch.)

This is the way we sweep the floor...so early Friday morning. (Diagonal lines.)
(Pretend to hold a broom and sweep in a diagonal fashion.)

This is the way we bake our bread...so early Saturday morning. (Make X.)
(Pretend to hold a rolling pin and show how you move it from top to bottom in a slanted way.)

This is the way we smile and sing...so early Sunday morning. (Draw a smiley.)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B1SnEagA4jljY0FscXBmekxxSDg/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-bLTeh9uOhcHpY2Jj5KMJxQ

Pencil Stories
Pencil stories are a similar way to help children develop top to bottom and left-to-right orientation. They’re also an engaging way to develop small motor skills. These stories should be told multiple times so children can practice the pre-writing strokes and feel more competent. You might want to do the same story every day for a week as you invite the children to recall what will come next. You could also make a tape of the story to put in a listening center. Demonstrate these stories on the board or a large chart so children will be able to copy what you do.

Beginners
Here's an easy version for the the little ones. Just to get them to go from left to right and make a few strokes would be a good beginning.

An Autumn Walk (More challenging)
Let’s take an autumn walk. (horizontal)
The leaves are falling down. (vertical)
Ooooo! Do you hear the wind blow? (diagonal)
There’s some kids throwing the football. (diagonal other direction
The crickets are chirping. (X)
The squirrels are digging holes for their nuts. (zig zag line)
The birds are migrating south. (curvy line)
The scarecrows are standing in the fields. (t)
The pumpkins are getting ripe on the vine. (o)
Time to put on sweaters and hats. (triangle)
What a happy time of year! (smiley face)

Hint! Put a green line down the left side to show them where to start and a red line down the right side to indicate where they should stop.

*Older children would probably get a kick out of creating their own “pencil talk” stories.

LEFT TO RIGHT

Training eyes to move from left to right and then reverse sweep is a key to beginning reading and writing. A simple, yet powerful way, that teachers can do this is through modeling. Make it a habit to sweep your hand from left to right under words or lines of print on charts, big books, white boards, and so forth.

Right & Left Song
(Tune: “Up on the Housetop”)
Here is my right hand way up high. 
(Hold up right hand.)
Here is my left hand touch the sky. 
(Hold up left hand.)
Right and left and roll out of sight. 
(Roll hands around.)
Now I know my left and right. 
(Hold up left and then right.)

Hint! Focus on the right hand because then what is “left” over will be their left.


Sticker
Put a sticker on each child’s right hand and then play “Simon Says” or the “Hokey Pokey.”

Bracelet 
Let children make bracelets out of pipe cleaners and wear them on their right hand. Throughout the day call attention to their right hand…right ear…right leg…right foot, etc.
Lotion 
Rub lotion or scented lip balm on each child’s right hand.


Flag 
Trace around your right hand on construction paper and cut it out. Place it near the flag so children can visually match up their right hand and then place it over their hearts.



Poem 
Hold up your hands and stick out thumbs and index fingers as you say:
Which is my left? Which is my right?
Sometimes it’s hard to tell.
But when I stick my thumbs out straight,
My left will make an “L.”

Left From Right(Anthony Corbo aka “Mr. Kindergarten” taught me this song.)
(Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb”)
I want to learn my left from right,
Left from right, left from right.
I want to learn my left from right,
I try with all my might.
The left hand makes the letter L,
Letter L, letter L.
The left hand makes the letter L,
Hurray, now I can tell!

Tracking Left to Right
Draw tracks on sentence strips similar to the ones shown. Children can drive cars or move animals from left to right.



Hint! Make a green dot where they are to begin and a red dot where they should end.

Top to Bottom Song (Dawna Hunter) 
(Tune: “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes”) 
Top to bottom, 
Left to right. 
Top to bottom, 
Left to right. 
My mind knows that writing always goes 
Top to bottom, 
Left to right.