What’s This Letter? (Bronwyn Meyer, Tucson, AZ) (Tune: “Bingo”)
Oh, what’s this letter, do you know?
What letter can this be – o
/a/ /a/ /a/ It’s an A! (shout)
/a/ /a/ /a/ It’s an A!
/a/ /a/ /a/ It’s an A!
That is its name-o.
This Is How I Learned to Read
(Tune: “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”)
This is how I learn to read – e i e i o
I use my eyes and what do I see? e i e i o
A picture here, a picture there.
I look at pictures everywhere.
Oh, this is how I learn to read - e i e i o
This is how I learn to read - e i e i o
I use my ears for sounds to hear - e i e i o
Consonants here.
Vowels there
Consonants and vowels everywhere.
Oh, this is how I learn to read - e i e i o
This is how I learn to read - e i e i o
Sometimes I forget words in my head - e i e i o
I’ll skip one here.
I’ll skip one there.
Blank is the word I’ll say instead.
Oh this is how I learn to read - e i e i o
Popcorn Words
Put “butter” on “popcorn words” (aka word wall words) by highlighting with a yellow marker. Cut out popped kernels and write high frequency words on them. Store in an empty tub of popcorn. Pull popcorn words out for the children to read as they exit the door.
Hint! You could adapt this for letters, shapes, math facts, etc.
Electronic Books vs. the REAL Thing
Download a copy of a favorite children’s book on your Kindle, IPad, etc. Let the children compare and contrast illustrations from the real book and the electronic format.
Names for Phonological Awareness (Melissa Blackwell, IL)
Clap the syllables in each child’s name.
Count the sounds/phonemes in each child’s name on your fingers.
Count the number of letters in each child’s name.
Mr. Munch (Gaye Lynn Sarff)
Use a puppet as “Mr. Munch” or make “Mr, Munch” out of a small plastic swing trashcan. Sing this song to the tune of “Tiny Tim” as you pretend to feed him magnetic letters:
I have a hungry friend.
His name is Mr. Munch
And what he likes to do all day is gobble up his lunch.
He likes the letter ___ (for example H)
And things that start with ___(make /h/ sound)
And he is very happy when he goes munch, munch, munch, crunch.
Encourage children to call out words that begin with that sound for Mr. Munch to crunch.
Phonemic Awareness (Pamela Pounds, AL)
This activity will help children with beginning, middle, and end sounds. Children put one hand on top of the other. The word is cat. The children tap the left side for /c/, hands go up in the air for /a/, tap right for /t/. Ask children, "What sound was up high?"
"What sound was on the left?" "What sound was on the right?"
Letter Formation Alphabet
Use a digital camera to take pictures of children making the motions for where letters begin – top dotted line, middle dotted line, and letters with a tail.
A – hands on hips
B – hands in the air
C – hands on hips
D – hands in the air
E – hands on hips
F – hands in the air
G – squat down and touch the floor….
Show and Tell Podium (Suzanne M. Medof, Pechanga School, Temecula)
Take advantage of show and tell to encourage children to speak in complete sentences and use adjectives. When a student brings something to share, have them stand in front of the classroom behind a child-size podium and ask their classmates to close their eyes. The student who is sharing reminds her classmates that they are to paint a picture in their mind of what she says. With a little prompting from the teacher, the student uses adjectives to describe her item as she speaks in complete sentences. This also helps the other children use their imaginations and listen quietly!
Name Cards and Secret Words (Crystal and Shelley, Long Beach, CA)
Make name cards for each child. On the back of each card write a sight word. Look for a word embedded in the child’s name. (Almost everybody’s name has a “secret word” inside.) For example, Lindsey has “in.” John has “oh.” Ashley has “as.”
Alphabet Cookie Book
Use ABC cookies (Trader Joe’s) to make a book to go with “I’ve Got the Whole Alphabet in My Mouth.” Ask each child to open their mouth wide as you place a letter cookie on their tongue. Take a quick photo before they eat it and then put the pictures together to make a book.
Learning Version of London Bridge (Sheila Brusky, San Pedro, CA)
Sing London Bridge as children travel in a circle. When a child gets caught under the bridge the two people wrap their arms around the child and rock her as they sing and spell a word wall word.
For example: S-o-m-e, s-o m e, s-o-m-e, some, some, some.
Let’s Get Together and Learn Digraphs
S says /s/
H says /h/
But when they get together…
Let’s get together - ya ya ya.
We can have lots of fun.
Let’s get together, what do you say?
Two is better than one.
We say /sh/ /sh/ /sh/ /sh/ /sh
We say /sh/ /sh/ /sh/ /sh/ /sh
Let’s get together - ya, ya, ya!
Whiteboard Routine (Angie Camacho, Rockdale El.)
As part of a morning routine provide children with a whiteboard, along with a marker and eraser in a zip bag. Every child practices writing numerals and letters as they sing along. For example, Angie uses “Chant and Write” from the TOTALLY MATH CD at the beginning of the school year. By following along and singing and writing each day for several weeks children slowly become competent in writing numerals. Next, the children learn to write letters using “Who Let the A Out?” or “Alphardy.” It helps children focus and gives them the practice they need in a meaningful way.