In first grade I love using "Hunts" in independent, partner, small and large group settings. You can taylor the activity to focus on a desired skill or use it as a review. When it comes to getting ready for Kindergarten why not hunt letters!!
A little on environmental print......It is important for students to recognize the letters of the alphabet in all settings, this is called "environmental print". Basically the words that are all over our environment e.g.: signs, billboards, wall decor, posters, etc. We are always amazed when our child can "read" McDonald's or CVS. It's because these are a frequented places that children know and they begin to recognize the signs. The colors, font, placement and location give it away.
Back to a letter hunt.....children need to be able to recognize their letters in a variety of settings and fonts. (I will address handwriting later, this is strictly about recognition not formation) A fun way to practice is hunting for words in our environment. This can be a game in the car, grocery shopping, in a restaurant or any public place. Another easy and fun way is through a magazine!
Here is a big teacher secret.....kids LOVE highlighters!!! I think it makes them feel like grown-ups or maybe older brother or sister, but my firsties can't get enough of highlighters.
Here's the activity:
Highlight the Letter......
You'll need:
1. a highlighter (if you can let them choose a color even better, if you don't have a highlighter just use a light marker like yellow or pink)
2. an old magazine (keep it clean! you don't need any unwanted questions, focus on the letters) *if you don't get magazines ask a neighbor/relative if they have any old ones or ask a doctor/dentist office if you could have one of their old ones
What to do:
1. arm your child with the highlighter and old magazine
2. let them flip through the pages a little to get settled (2 minutes tops)
3. search and highlight a couple letters together ("let's find the letter p", then highlight about 5 and move on to the next letter)
4. have your child search for a few on his/her own (only finding about 5 of each letter and you call the letter or use the alphabet reference board as way to determine the letter, see my last post on that)
5. stop after about 10 minutes, this should be a quick and painless activity that you can pick-up again
This could be done one on one, independently (once guided), with a buddy, small group or whole class (donated magazines). If you wanted to make it more of a challenge for students you could set a timer and some stricter rules (find 5 letter b's in a minute on 5 different pages, etc.). The key is you don't want to stress anyone out if they're not ready for a challenge. You can always build on an activity and increase the challenge which in turn builds confidence. Starting with too much of a challenge can result in deflated confidence and anxiety. Know your audience:) Another key element to remember is that this in not about letter sounds!!! You'll see what I mean as you start looking through the text. Your child could find the letter "a" in words like "math", "read" and "always". All different sounds and rules for "a" so don't get into a whole discussion on sounds it is overwhelming and confusing at this stage. Just hunt what the letter looks like for this activity. At some point you can hunt "short a", but that a little down the road if you're only learning the letters!
Thanks!!!
Kristin
A little on environmental print......It is important for students to recognize the letters of the alphabet in all settings, this is called "environmental print". Basically the words that are all over our environment e.g.: signs, billboards, wall decor, posters, etc. We are always amazed when our child can "read" McDonald's or CVS. It's because these are a frequented places that children know and they begin to recognize the signs. The colors, font, placement and location give it away.
Back to a letter hunt.....children need to be able to recognize their letters in a variety of settings and fonts. (I will address handwriting later, this is strictly about recognition not formation) A fun way to practice is hunting for words in our environment. This can be a game in the car, grocery shopping, in a restaurant or any public place. Another easy and fun way is through a magazine!
Here is a big teacher secret.....kids LOVE highlighters!!! I think it makes them feel like grown-ups or maybe older brother or sister, but my firsties can't get enough of highlighters.
Here's the activity:
Highlight the Letter......
You'll need:
1. a highlighter (if you can let them choose a color even better, if you don't have a highlighter just use a light marker like yellow or pink)
2. an old magazine (keep it clean! you don't need any unwanted questions, focus on the letters) *if you don't get magazines ask a neighbor/relative if they have any old ones or ask a doctor/dentist office if you could have one of their old ones
What to do:
1. arm your child with the highlighter and old magazine
2. let them flip through the pages a little to get settled (2 minutes tops)
3. search and highlight a couple letters together ("let's find the letter p", then highlight about 5 and move on to the next letter)
4. have your child search for a few on his/her own (only finding about 5 of each letter and you call the letter or use the alphabet reference board as way to determine the letter, see my last post on that)
5. stop after about 10 minutes, this should be a quick and painless activity that you can pick-up again
(Anything can be done wearing a tiara!)
I hope you found this helpful! Thanks for visiting!!! I added a way to follow this blog so if you like what you see please become a follower. You can find the button if you scroll down the right hand side of the site and click "join this site".
Kristin
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