Dr. Jean's July 2014 Activities

RF.K.1c  I know words are separated by spaces in print.

Spaceman

Glue the figure of a “spaceman” to a jumbo craft stick.  (I found my little guy at google images.)  Have children use “spaceman” to find spaces in books or on classroom charts.  Can they use “spaceman” when they write?

Happy Birthday
Everybody knows the words to “Happy Birthday.”  Write the words to each line on sentence strips with a different color.  Cut between the words.  Can the children arrange them in a pocket chart.  Scramble them up and see if a friend can read the silly words.

Poetry Puzzles
Enlarge copies of familiar nursery rhymes or simple poems and make two copies of each.  Glue one copy to the front of a manila envelope.  Cut between the lines and words of the other copy.  Place the cut up copy in the envelope.  Children remove the pieces, match them up, and then point to the words as they read the poem.

RF.K.1d  I can recognize and name all upper and lowercase letters.

Letter Man
Letter Man wants to help children learn letters.  He’s made from a small swing trash can available at the Dollar Tree.  Decorate with googly eyes, pompoms and felt scraps.  Children can feed Letter Man letters that they know, letters in their name, make words and feed him, letters in alphabetical order, and so forth.

Letter Looker
Loop around a pipe  cleaner to make a “letter looker.”  Children can identify letters in the classroom and in books with their lookers.

Sock It to Me
Cut socks out of construction paper.  Write uppercase letters on half the socks and lowercase letters on the other half.  Children match upper and lowercase letters and use a clothespin to put them together.

Letter Puzzles
Write upper and lowercase letters on opposite sides of a paper plate.  Cut puzzle designs between the letters.  Children will know if they’ve matched upper and lowercase letters correctly because there will be a perfect fit.

Letter Hunt
Place magnetic letters in a
sand table or a box of Styrofoam packing.  Children reach in, find a letter, and name the letter.  Can they write the letter on a clipboard?

 

Sign Language Center
Sign language is multi-sensory and a perfect vehicle for learning letters and sounds.  Go to aslpro.com to download the manual signs for letters and glue them to a pocket folder.  Write letters on index cards and insert in the pocket.  Children choose a card, match up the letter on the chart, and then try to make the letter sign with their fingers.
*You can also write words on index cards and children can finger spell them.

Letter Bags and Boxes
Save sacks from restaurants or use food boxes for this center.  Place foam letters or magnetic letters in a basket.  Children pick a letter and then try to match it up with the same letter on a bag or box.

 

RF.K.2a  I can tell you what words rhyme.  I can make new rhymes.

Nursery Rhyme Center

Place nursery rhyme stick puppets, flannel board characters, and nursery rhyme books in a center.  Children can use these to repeat nursery rhymes.

 

Mitten Match
Cut mittens out of construction paper.  (It’s easy to find a mitten pattern and rhyming pictures on google images.)  Glue rhyming pictures on the mittens.  Give children clothespins to clip the two that rhyme together.  Can they think of additional words that rhyme with the mittens?

Rhyme Houses
Cut houses out of construction paper.  Find pictures of objects that rhyme (3 or 4 for each rhyme), run off, and cut apart.  Glue one picture to each house.  The children take the other pictures, say them, and then match them up to the house that rhymes.  Can they think of more words that they could put in the house?

RF.K2b  I can count and divide words into syllables.

Phoneme Beads
This is a hands-on way for children to identify syllables and phonemes.  You will need pipe cleaners and pony beads to make these.  Cut the pipe cleaners in half.  Take a green bead and string it to the left.  Twist the end so it doesn’t fall off.  Now, take six other beads of the same color and string them on.  Finally, take a red bead and knot it on the right end.  Children slide all the beads to the starting position on the left.   Have picture cards of one, two, and three syllable words.  Children choose a picture, say it, and then slide beads for the syllables that they hear.  Write the correct number on the back so they can self-check.

1, 2, 3 Sound Sort
Divide a piece of construction paper into thirds. Write 1, 2, 3 in the different sections.  Have picture cards of objects with one, two, or three syllables.  Children choose a card and then place it in the correct category.
Hint!  Demonstrate how to place your palm gently under your chin.  Every syllable has a vowel and when you make a vowel sound your chin will drop.  This is a way children can check how many syllables are in words.

RF.K.2c  I can blend and separate onsets and rimes.

Block Rimes
Cut paper the size of square and rectangular unit blocks.  Write onsets on the squares and rimes on the rectangles.  Children put blocks together and read words.

Rime Eggs
Using plastic eggs, write  on  sets with a permanent marker on one half of the egg.  Write a rime on the other.  Children twist the egg and read the words. 
*Can they write the words that they make?
                       
Flower Rimes
Cut 4” circles out of construction paper.  Cut paper petals similar to the ones shown.  Children write the “rime” on the circle and then write words on the petals.

RF.K.2d  I can say the beginning, middle, and ending sounds in words.

Park Your Car

Draw three spaces on a rectangular sheet of paper.  Give children a toy car.  Glue pictures of simple CVC words on index cards.  Children choose a picture and park the car in the first spot as they make the beginning sound.  They park the car in the middle spot as they say the middle sound.  And they the end sound as they park the car in the final spot.

Puzzles

Glue pictures of simple CVC words on the front of envelopes.  Take index cards and write the words on them.  Cut between the letters and place them in the envelopes.  Children remove the letters from the envelope and put them together to make the word.
Hint!  Write the word on the inside flap of the envelope for self-checking.