Dry Erase Boards

I just love dry erase boards in kindergarten!
It is not permanent so this is great for young learners.  They can erase and try again without tearing.

Here's a list of only some things I use them for:

 * Wake up their brains - every day as the students come in after checking in with attendance, helper jobs, and marking lunches, they get a dry erase board, marker and eraser and begin to "wake up their brains before the bell."  Practice varies as their abilities increase.  We start with writing their name, then write letter pairs, (alphabetical order), and numbers as far as they can write.

*Practice writing stokes.  Make straight lines top to bottom, long and short, across the board left to right, make them little lines and making continuous loops, making circles "o's" and starting at the top.  Make bumps (as for h, n) and 'cups' (as for u's).  Make zigzags left to right, top to bottom and even from center and continuing around getting bigger. 
*When introducing a new letter or number or shape, we practice on a dry erase board before writing on paper.  (We start with air writing.)  We chant "START AT THE TOP." It is easy to check and remind to work left to right and top to bottom.  
Remember not all strokes are practiced all at once.  Handwriting is a gradual practice. 

*Write sight words.
*Write number sentences, Story of addition 'facts'.
*Group practice to write dictated numbers, letters, shapes
*Group practice of story problems to listen, record and solve and show your work.
*Play a game "Show me"  

I say a letter pair, number, etc.  Students hold board in the crook of one arm and write.  I say "cap your markers and put them down next to your eraser."  Hold the board close but not touching you so others don't see.  Boards on top of your head (facing backwards) 

then I say "1,2,3 show me"  The students turn their boards around still on their heads.  
I can see at a glance those who get it and those who need help.

*Write the number that comes after ___?
*Write the number that comes before ___?
*Write the series of numbers beginning with ____. (counting on)
 *Write the series of letters beginning with _____. (alphabetical memory order)
*I say a series of random  numbers (4 or more) to write from auditory memory.
*Write the numbers ____, ___ ,__.  Practice putting a comma between the numbers.
*Write the numbers _____, ____.  Circle the number that is more/less.
*Write a dictated sentence using sight words.
*Write a question.  Trade board with someone and they have to write the answer (in a sentence).
*Say the sounds and students write the letters for the sounds.  Does it make a real or nonsense word."
*Circle the vowel in the word you wrote.
*Write word families lists.  
*Make a word ladder.  Change the "letter" to a "__" to make a new word.
*Practice making tally marks while listening and counting...
*Write a number line.
*Use the number line to add-on, take away, count backward.

*Students can take surveys in the class asking yes-no questions and tally responses. 
*The children love to play school during their free choice times.  They make up their own activities and always choose the dry erase boards.
*They love making lists of classmates names and writing words around the room. 
*They love to use the boards and markers when their parents visit to show them what they can do.
 
*Use the board to learn directionality and vocabulary of: tall, "long way up & down", vertical, horizontal, "long way sideways", short side, long side, front and back
*Practice positional words.  Put the eraser above your board.  Put your marker between your board and your eraser.  Put your marker to the right side/left side, below your board.
AND these boards are used on the backside as 'table tops' when we do use paper with our rug groups.


The children learn how to properly cap the markers until they click.  
We go through a lot of markers.  So far I still like the Nasco and The Markerboard People dry erase markers. We buy them in bulk sets of 30.  
They are cone tip and easy for the children to hold and use.  Since we do use them daily, these last a bit longer. It is December and we have gone through about 2 per student so far.  I rotate between the black and blue ink. 

The children want to use them all the time.  They are learning routines of putting them away and responsibility for the care of materials.
 
The more they practice right, the better they will get.

Five for Friday November 4, 2016

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Thank you Kasey at Doodle Bugs for linky party this week.
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My colleague Pam Cochran has shared a 'lesson' on coloring that she did with her kindergarteners.  

We have found that they need specific of guidance and a rubric to understand what they should be striving to do.
 We put this on a large chart tablet so they can refer to it while they work.

The more they practice RIGHT, the better they will get.


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 It is still pumpkin harvest time these first early days of November.  

The students traced or wrote their numbers in the pumpkins. (Differentiated lesson) 
Then they learned a partner game.  One player rolls a die and counts out the number of counters (Pumpkin erasers, candy corn or uses a bingo dobber) to cover the pumpkins in number order.  The game ends when the first player to cover-up all their numbers.
We knew these needed lots of review this week as they worked out their sugar highs from Halloween Monday.   

  

More review of matching letters.  I selected the letters that were most missed when checking letter recognition.  Students remove a letter from the pumpkin on the left and matched it to their paper.  Students could also trace the letter with a marker or use a bingo dobber.  Then place the plastic letter in the bowl on the right.  (Reinforcing the left to right habit.)

The next step is writing letter pairs and saying the letter name while they are writing.  
We have found that repetitive writing of the letter pairs whether in alphabetical order and/or as shown above, helps the students learn the letters and sticks in their memory.  It has also greatly improved their ability to write the letters.


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For the past few years, I have asked the children to bring in their candy wrappers and we have sorted and graphed the various kinds.
Thanks to Dr. Jean to remind and extend this to more sorting.  It inspired me to write up a list of activities.
The day after Halloween I sent home a note in a baggie requesting empty candy wrappers.  I specifically asked them to cut the end rather than tear it.  They need MORE cutting practice anyway.

They sorted the wrappers.  I found a bit more control sending one row (table, group) at a time prevented a chaotic scramble.

I taped 26 pages on the chalkboard and labeled with the alphabet.  Students took turns getting a wrapper and finding the page to tape their wrapper on.  It was clear who could and could not identify the beginning letter of the words.

The next activity was to make SETS of candy wrappers.  Again, row by row, (table or group of 5 at a time) picked up a wrapper and decided where they were adding theirs.  As each group came, it was becoming more challenging to make sure not "too many" or "not enough" on each set page. I was excited when the students used the math vocabulary words we've identified as they described each page during our conclusion.


Woohoo....CUBS win............by the way!

Connecting the letter name and symbol

Connecting the symbol and letter name (and letter sound) activities available are overwhelming.  There are no quick ways to learn just be patient and persistent in practice.
Let the children know that it is their responsibility to learn.  

NOTICING letters everywhere. 
Name Cards - Using the students' names is the most personal way to hook into "it's important" because they are important.  
Cheer the letters in their names.
Sing the letters in their names.

Find letters on:
Cereal Boxes

Clothing

Posters and Cards
Use posters to look at while singing the ABC song in order but also point to the letters out of order.  Singing the song can help as a hook to 'figure out' unknown letters out of order.  Mini posters and alphabet lines can be used for students to keep close when trying to remember the letter names.

'Flashing' (flipping) cards  to say it fast.

Sentence strips made with letters in uppercase and/or lowercase form to read the letters.

Students can be the 'teacher' to help and encourage each other. 

Letter naming challenge - Divide students into two teams, showing a letter card to first students in each line.  The team who names the letter first gets a point.

Alphabet arcs -Students match plastic letters to an outline on the card. 

Letter manipulatives can be:
Plastic letters
Magnetic letters
Foam letters
Wooden letters
Felt letters
Letter tiles
Letter blocks
Write letters on bottle caps
Magnetic letter cards

Something to do with letters:
Put it in a sock-  Put plastic, wooden or foam letters in a sock.  Students reach in and 'feel' the letter trying to guess what it is.  Use letters that the form can be guessed more readily.  T,  X,  C,  E, O.  A mat could be made so as student pulls out a letter, they can match it to a letter (traced) on the mat.  Limiting the selection and giving a hint what the letters in the sock are, helps students focus and be successful.

Varying the hands-on items keeps the children's curiosity.  Remember this age just loves to touch!

Technology
I found a free ipad app called ABCSound-Lite .  It is a phonics visual song that follows the Discovery Toys Sounds Like Fun CD song "Letter Sounds" by Barbara Milne.  "apple, apple, /a/-/a/-a/"  The online and current Discovery Toys song has changed some of the pictures from when I originally purchased.  

• Starfall.com uses alphabet blocks that when selected by the student, helps practice identifying the letter and hears the letter sound while clicking.  Some activities match initial sound and letter form.

 

• Reading Eggs.com  is a subscription site that assesses and moves the students along a program of lessons for developing phonemic awareness and phonics skills for reading progress. 

Games (there are so many)
Calling an activity a 'game' intrigues most children to play with letters.  

alphabet recognition:

• memory match
• letter lotto
• Go fish with letter cards
• matching magnetic letters 

These games can be adapted to vary practice for:
identifying the lowercase form,
identifying the uppercase form,
matching uppercase to lowercase,

Walk the halls searching for the letters.  
Take a walk and ask the children to find an A a,  B b,......  In order and out of alphabetical order.

I Spy
Make pages with random letters in various fonts, sizes and pictures.  Children can use a bubble wand and spy the letters with a partner or as a small group practice.  I made these, if you're interested leave me a comment. 

Writing Letters
Write in alphabetical order.  Write letter pairs.
Select a letter  "make a Dd"
Say the letter name while writing.  D  d 
Model 
-write it in the air (large to smaller)
-write with dry erase boards

Include stories to read and point out letters. 
Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom  by Bill Martin, Jr.  
(a separate post coming with more ideas)
Dr Seuss' ABC


Singing and body movements connect with letter sound.
Dr. Jean's  "Phonercise" and "Go Letters: Cheer" are on YouTube or in CD.

The more they practice (right),

the better they get! 

SINGING THE ALPHABET

 

In my early days teaching kindergarten, I didn't think it was important to be able to sing the ABC song.  We taught the letters out of order and didn't want to give the false impression that if you can sing the song  "now I know my ABCs..."  Now, I think it is a good hook and it is important to be able to do it. 

I have a set of carpet squares that I use often in directing students to 'sit on the letter m'.  As they are dismissed to their workjob, they have to pick up their carpet square and tell me the name of the letter (shape, number).  If they don't know it, they can ask a friend. 

After the first few days of school, I begin playing an "ABC song" as the children enter in the morning.  I have an alphabet poster hanging under my easel and another one near our large group area.  I also have the traditional alphabet line above my chalkboard.  Gradually I have added alphabet sentence strips and cards around the room.

This is a copy from Discovery Toys CD "Sounds like Fun".  I like the use of the lowercase letter form used.
If you can't get a copy, just make your own with beginning sound pictures.  
I point to just the letters on closest available poster as we practice singing the traditional ABC song.  I want the children to begin to notice around the room.  

I also am still using the letters in their name to build their name for recognition and naming the letters in classmates names.  

After doing singing the traditional ABC song for a week, I introduce the "Letter Sound Song" from Discovery Toys and point to the poster for a visual. The song/chant is simple and repeats each line.  Teacher can say it first and students repeats.
"apple, apple,  /a/, /a/, /a/   (repeats)  apple, apple,   /a/, /a/, /a/
baby, baby      /b/, /b/, /b/ .."  *be sure you do not say /buh/
               
I really like this way to connect the first sound, isolated sound and later letter recognition.
"apple, apple,  /a/, /a/,  'a' (say letter name)

I have made a smaller, black and white version for the children to practice with.  This requires them to point one to one and follow along, left to right and repeats.  Any alphabet chart works well.  It is ok to switch types of alphabet print cards to push for one to one accurate pointing.  You might learn that certain formats work better with certain groups.  Use your professional discretion.

We continue to add other "ABC song" versions.
I like:
Greg and Steve's "ABC Rock" 

Dr Jean's "Nursery Rhyme Rap" (this includes singing the alphabet song between nursery rhymes)

I am also very conscience about enunciating each letter  name correctly and slow down at "l,m,n,o,p"  and "t,u,v". 
(good phonics and speech skill)

The first homework activity is the children take home a mini alphabet poster that they are required to point to the letters while singing/reciting the ABC song.  
Then I assess them on their ability to do this.  Before they point to the card, I just ask them to sing the ABC song.  
One year I asked a little boy to sing the ABC song.  
He looked at me rather oddly 
and said "well, ok.  ABC, it's easy as 1,2,3...."   
gotta love them!

• Write random uppercase and lowercase letters on sentence strips and practice just reciting the letters.  This can be done with the whole group, small group or in student pair.   If you're familiar with Dibels, this prepares them with 'Say It Fast' LNF. (letter naming fluency)

Continue chanting variations with individual cards.

First just show card and say letter name. Then connect the letter and sound.
"A...apple..../a/"  in order and then out of order.

Starfall.com has an alphabet blocks game.

 

YouTube has many videos to sing/say and see.  

 
 
I like Havefunteaching phonics song video to just sing the alphabet and then there are "jazzy" (yeah, my oldness term)  segments to connect the sound with each letter. 
 
Singing and body movements connect in another way.
Dr. Jean's  "Phonercise" and "Who let the letters out"
"Go Letters: Cheer" are on YouTube or in CD.

Next blog will be more about connecting the letters with the sounds.  Whenever you use a visual you are beginning the connection. 

 The more they practice (right)

The better they get!