“The
Letters Are
Lost”
Emergent
Literacy
Lindsay
Rutland
Rationale: One of the two best
predictors of
students' success in reading is their ability to recognize and name
letters of
the alphabet (Adams). In the early years, it is crucial for
teachers to
teach the alphabet and the corresponding phonemes. Children need
to be
able to recognize letters and connect it’s meaning to the letter
symbol. This lesson is designed to further familiarize students
with letters
and to encourage their mastery of a letter that they choose to work on.
It also
shows the importance of connecting print and letters to identifiable
objects. They will identify letters in a
group setting, practice writing letters on a writing tablet, and
finally be
able to identify an item that begins with a letter.
Materials:
The
Letters Are Lost by Lisa
Campbell Ernst
Construction
Paper
Markers
Writing
Tablet (1 per child)
Worksheet
for Assessment
Procedure:
- Introduce lesson by explaining that it is
not only important to be able to recite the alphabet, but also to be
able to say the names of letters when we see them.” Today we are going
to make the alphabet come alive for us.” “ Listen carefully as I read
the book and see if you can find an object to go with each letter
name.” “Ready? Here we go!” Read the book to the class telling them to
pay close attention to where the letters have gone.
- During each letter be sure the students can
recognize that each objects
begins with that specific letter, such as airplane begins with A.
“Can anyone tell me what picture goes with ___ (fill in letter here as
necessary to check for comprehension).”
- At the end of the story it says "Soon the
blocks will begin to disappear once more. Can you guess where they
might go?" This is where the discussion begins.
- Discuss where each child thinks a letter
might disappear to making sure the students understand that the places
they disappear to correspond with that letter. Perhaps they might find
the letter A in an apple tree this time. Say, “Now I want you to tell
me where we could find an A, B” and so on…
- Have students choose a letter on their own
or even out of a hat, and have them create their own picture of where
the lost letter is. Then after they draw their picture let each child
share, and then the rest of the students will be practice writing that
letter as it is shared on their own writing tablet. The teacher will
say, “ Now as your friends share their pictures, you practice writing
the letter they show you on your own page” “ I will write them on the
overhead so you can watch mine if you are unsure how to write it”
"Let's start with A. You go up to the top and down to the sidewalk, and
then connect the two lines like this."
- For the assessment have the children
complete a worksheet where they place the correct letter by the picture
that is identified with it. (i.e. A picture of and ice cream cone would
have an I beside it)
Another
idea is creating a classroom book using this concept where each
student would be responsible for a letter or two from the alphabet with
a
picture that corresponds. Then the individual pages could be bound into
a book.
References:
Marilyn
Jager Adams (1990). Beginning to Read: Thinking and Learning About
Lesson
adapted from idea by Mandy Wallace
www.atozteacherstuff.com/lessons/lettersarelost.shtm
Click
here to return to Beginnings
Foor further information send email to rutlalb@auburn.edu