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!

Tubs and trays: MATS and BOXES

"Third time is a charm", they say.  I have retyped this post three times.  Although I saved each time, near the end somehow it had become lost.  Maybe it's been a reminder  message to ...SAVE and SAVE again.  Another lesson!

TUBS and TRAYS

I refer to tubs and trays as FLOOR WORKJOBS.  The children have access to these during FREE CHOICE and/or during a CENTER switch.  The contents of the container vary such as pattern blocks, cubes, beads, popsicle sticks, tangram puzzle pieces, pegs and pegboards, toothpicks, 1-inch tiles, parquetry tiles, lacing cards, etc.
The building process develops from flat to more complex vertical structures and designs.
I prefer to allow the children to explore and share with partners rather than trying to teach them how to make something.  PLAY is the way they truly learn!
There are rules using the contents such as keep items on the mat.
We do not throw or bother others 'work' (respect other learners and things).
These are learning tools not toys like they may have at home.

TRAYS and BOXES
I save cardboard boxes from cans and reinforce the corners with packaging tape.  I have also covered inside and outside with contact paper for extra support.
The plain ones are used as contained mailboxes.  (See the beautiful wooden mailbox made by my first principal and another parent.  They are at least 40 years old and still so functional.)

TUBS
I pick these up at the dollar stores.  They are ideal for setting out multiples of pattern blocks, unifix cubes, etc.  The children can easily carry them with a partner or alone.

PLASTIC STORAGE CONTAINERS
The containers with lids are nice for stacking at cleanup time on the limited counterspace.  The contents are easily seen and accessible for partner work.  I teach them to put the lid under the tub during play/use for safety.

MATS
I use rubberized shelf and drawer liners.  They come in a variety of colors and are relatively inexpensive.  I can cut them into a square that folds nicely like a washcloth (a housekeeping skill some need to learn).
Using the mats, helps confine their floor space and materials for SAFETY.  The square mat is large enough to allow for two children to partner nicely. 
Occasionally, some manipulatives such as my wooden letters need a larger mat so the entire alphabet can be laid out.  These mats are kept just for those items.
During cleanup, the mats can be folded and stored in a 'mat box'.

STORAGE BOXES AND TOTES
I love Sterilite storage boxes from Walmart.  I use them to store my themed books and activities.  I can also set them out with books for the students to 'read'.   They stack nicely as you can see and hold quite a lot.

There are so many baskets and bins that are also convenient, colorful and thrifty containers.  I've received free containers, pitchers and trays used in hospitals years ago and still have them in my classroom.

More to share next time.  What are your favorites?