A My Name Is Procedure A My Name Is... Back to Beginning Sounds 1. Use this familiar jump rope chant to familiarize children with the intial letter

Materials Procedure

A My Name Is...Back to Beginning Sounds

1. Use this familiar jump rope chant to familiarize children with the intial letter sound of their name.

2. Insert a child’s name into the fi rst line of the chant. Encourage the other children to add additional words to the chant that share the initial sound.

3. Chant- (letter) my name is (child’s name) and my friend’s name is (name). We live in (place)and we sell (item).

4. Th e book, A My Name is Alice, by Jane Bayer and illustrated by Steven Kellog could be used as part of this activity.

❑ Pre-K ❑ Kindergarten ❑ Grades 1–3

1. List of children’s names

Materials Procedure


Going on a Picnic

1. Chart paper

2. Markers

Virginia SOL: K.4

1. Introduce this game to a group of children by saying, “We are going on a picnic and we need to bring several things that begin with a particular letter, such as the /m/ sound.” Examples could include macaroni salad, marshmallows, and a map.

2. Support the children in thinking of items that begin with the highlighted sound. Th ese items could be written on the chart paper.

3. Aft er a few items are identifi ed, begin again with a new letter sound.

4. Th is activity could be modifi ed for any theme, including a fi eld trip, vacaton, or camping trip.

5. Keep chart paper up so that during lunch/snack children can add the names of their food to the list. Items can also be added throughout the day, as children think of them.

Back to Beginning Sounds

Materials Procedure


Letter Muncher

1. Empty tissue box

2. Construction paper

3. Small magazine pictures

4. Tape or glue

Virginia SOLs: K.4, K.7

1. To make a letter muncher, stand the tissue box on it’s end and create a construction paper face using the opening as a mouth.

2. Label the muncher with a letter of your choice.

3. Mount the pictures onto construction paper to give them a fi rm backing.

4. Instruct the children to look at each picture and to determine if it begins with the indicated letter.

5. If it does, feed the picture to the letter muncher. If not, set the picture aside.

EXTENSIONCollect tissue boxes so that all children have a letter muncher. Provide each

child with his/her own letter muncher that displays a familiar letter. Spread picture cards that match the letters on the munchers all around classroom. Students walk around the room and munch the picture cards that correspond to the letter on their letter muncher.

Source: The Mailbox: The idea magazine for teachers. (1996).


Materials Procedure


Listen Up!Back to Beginning Sounds

1. For this activity, you will

select a specifi c sound

for children to listen

to. Every time children

hear the target sound

in a word, they are to

clap their hands, repeat

the sound, hold up a

counter, or choose

some other designated

way of responding.

NOTE: Begin with “continuous” consonants (f,l,m,n,r,s,v,z) before “stop” consonants (b,d,g,k,p,t)

Virginia SOLs: K.4, K.7

1. Explain to the children that you are going to play a listening game. Th ey are going to listen for words that begin with /s/ as in sun.

2. You will say a word. If they hear /s/, children are to slap their hands.

3. If they clap their hands aft er a word that does not contain the sound, ask the children to listen again as you repeat the word, emphasizing the beginning sound by extending it.

4. For children having diffi culty demonstrating sounds, help them to hear the sounds by saying the words slowly, extending the sound.

Materials Procedure


Name-Recognition Photo CardsBack to Beginning Sounds

1. One photo of each child

in your class

2. Index cards, sentence strips, or tongue depressors

3. Pocket chart

4. Name-recognition song or rhyme

Virginia SOLs: K.4, 1.6

1. Write each child’s name on an index card, a sentence strip, or a tongue depressor, and then attach his or her photo to it.

2. Place the name cards in the pocket chart or hold them up while you sing name-recognition songs.

First and Last Sounds(sing to the tune of “Are You Sleeping?”)What’s the fi rst sound?What’s the fi rst sound?In Hannah?In Hannah?

/H/ is the fi rst sound,/H/ is the fi rst sound,In Hannah,In Hannah.

EXTENSIONSave the photos of the children. Have students help you put the photos under the

corresponding beginning letter on your alphabet chart.

Source: Jordano, K., Johnston, K., & Tom, D. (1998). Winter phonemic awareness songs & rhymes: Fun lyrics sung to familiar tunes (pp. 10). Cypress, CA: Creative Teaching Press.

Procedure


Name Sound SubstitutionsBack to Beginning Sounds

Virginia SOLs: K.4, K.7, 1.4 1. Some teachers focus on one particular letter at a time as they introduce the alphabet and sound/symbol correspondances. Th is is an excellent time to encourage children to identify as many items in the classroom that begin with that sound and then to substitute that sound into the initial position of other words.

2. In emphasizing the letter T, for example, the teacher might ask children to name objects in the classroom that begin with /t/. Th en they create new words by substituting /t/ for the initial sound of other objects; thus, a chair becomes a tair and a desk becomes a tesk.

EXTENSIONStudents substitute the initial sound in their name for the target sound.

Procedure


Round RobinBack to Beginning Sounds

Virginia SOLs: K.7, 1.4 1. Have children sit in a circle. Tell them that you are going on an imaginary trip.

2. You will say one item that you want to take on the trip. Th e children are to repeat the item and then name another item whose name begins with the same sound. For example, if you say, “I’m going to the park and I’m taking a ball”, the next child might say, “I’m going to the park and I’m taking a ball and a blanket.”

3. Continue around the circle until the children can think of no more words that begin with that particular sound.

Materials Procedure


Silly GreetingBack to Beginning Sounds

1. Student photographs 1. Collect or take student photographs.

2. During a morning group time, introduce a letter sound. Greet children by replacing the fi rst letter of their names with the identifi ed letter, such as Tally for Sally.

3. Show a few student’s pictures at one time and have the class greet their classmates with a “Good Morning” chant.

4. “I say good morning to Tary (Mary)/Good morning to Trew (Drew)/Good morning to Tustin (Dustin) and Talice (Alice) too!

Source:Fitzpatrick, J. (1997). Phonemic awareness: Playing with sounds to strengthen reading skills (pp. 27). CA: Creative Teaching Press.

Procedure



Sing a Song of Sounds

Virginia SOL: K.7 1. Have children sing the following song to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It.”

“If your name begins with /m/, stand up; If your name begins with /m/, stand up; If your name begins with /m/, stand up and take a bow; If your name begins with /m/, stand up!”

2. Repeat with diff erent phonemes and movements such as clapping your hands, turning around, touching your toes, or jumping up and down.

Variation: Have children use picture cards with the song. For example, “If your picture begins with /s/, stand up...”

Source:Fitzpatrick, J. (1997). Phonemic awareness: Playing with sounds to strengthen reading skills (pp. 26). Cyprus, CA: Creative Teaching Press.

Materials Procedure


Sound BagsBack to Beginning Sounds

1. Small bags labeled with an uppercase and lowercase version of a letter

Virginia SOL: K.7

1. Assign each child a letter and a small plastic bag.

2. Ask children to search at home (with parent’s help) for 1-2 items that begin with the letter sound.

3. Have children bring items to school in bags and share with the class.

EXTENSIONSCollect and keep the students’ bags to use in the following activities.

1. Create a center by placing three bags on a table. Dump out and shuffl e the items from the bags. Students resort the items by placing them in the bags.

2. Spread items from the bags around the classroom. Students go on a treasure hunt around the classroom and fi nd the items that go in their bag.

Materials Procedure


Sound I SpyBack to Beginning Sounds

1. Familiar items from room

2. Chart paper

1. Choose an item in the classroom.

2. Identify the beginning sound of the item such as /t/ in table.

3. Ask the children to identify other items in the room that share that beginning sound by saying, “I spy something that begins with the /t/ sound.” As students state items, write it on the chart paper under the header T.

Materials Procedure


The Cook Loves PeasBack to Beginning Sounds

1. Pictures of food items

or plastic play food

Virginia SOL: K.4

1. Ask a group of children to sit in a large circle. Place the pictures of food pieces in the middle.

2. Aft er each food item has been named, tell the children that the cook loves P’s and their job is to name other foods that cook will love that begin with the letter P.

3. Each child could repeat the saying by inserting the new items, such as the cook loves pizza, pears, peanuts, or pickles.

4. Encourage the children to use the pictures or play food as guides as well as thinking of other food names on their own.

5. Th e game is continued with a new initial letter name such as “Th e Cook loves Apples”.

Materials Procedure


The Sound CanBack to Beginning Sounds

1. Large coff ee can 1. Decorate empty can.

2. Teach and focus for the day on one letter.

3. Send the can home with directions for a child that read, “Please fi ll this can with as many items that begin with the enclosed letter and return to school tomorrow.”

EVALUATION:

1. Write the names of each item on chart paper and include incorrect answers.

2. Discuss answers with the class.

3. Count the items in the can and place can in the ABC center for the remainder of the week.

Source:http://www.atozteacherstuff.com (2002).

Materials Procedure


Tongue TwistersBack to Beginning Sounds

1. Alliterative sentences 1. Ask children to repeat a variety of tongue twisters.

2. Encourage children to increase their speed or to make up some original verses.

3. Examples - “Sally sells seashells by the seashore” or “Bubby baby buggy bumpers” or “Busy Barry Bear barely bakes berries” or “Peter Pepper picked a peck of pickled peppers”.

EXTENSION

1. Pick three picture cards that share the same initial sound (e.g. top, tag, & ten). Use the cards to make a tongue twister sentence, such as Tilly has ten twisty tops with tags.

2. Create sentences (as a whole class activity or as a center for independent practice) that addresses alliteration and set sentence structure. Each word in the sentence should begin with the same initial sound. Sentence structure could follow a format such as:

Th e ___________ _________ ______ ___________. (describing word) (color word) (noun) (action word/verb) ex: Th e big blue bug barked. Th e rowdy red robin rubbed.

Source:Bennett, R., & Bennett, S. T. (1991). 365 TV free activities you can do with your child. (pp. 326). Holbrook, MA: Bob Adams.

Materials Procedure


Weird WordsBack to Beginning Sounds

1. Familiar words 1. Select a familiar object in the room.

2. Substitute the fi rst letter of the word with another letter sound, preferably a consonant sound the children are familiar with.

3. Aft er saying this new word, ask the children to guess what object has been identifi ed.

4. A child who correctly answers could use that same initial letter to make a new word.

5. Th e game could continue until all children have had their chance to make a new word with the beginning sound.

Source:Bennett, R., & Bennett, S. T. (1991). 365 TV-free activities you can do with your child. (pp. 350). Holbrook, MA: Bob Adams.

Procedure

Beginning Sound Concentration

1. Place the picture cards face down in a rectangular array.

2. Children take turns flipping over two picture cards at a time. If the two pictures share the same beginning sound, the player keeps the cards. The player who makes a match gets another turn..

Source: Jones, M. (1998). Effinger Elementary School. Rockbridge County, VA.

Materials

q Pre-K q Kindergarten q Grades 1–3

Phonological Awareness / Beginning Sounds

Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7

1. Beginning Sound Concentration Cards

Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7


Follow-the-Path Game

1. Paste the game board on the inside of a manila folder. Label each space on the game board path with one of four letters, using both upper-case and lower-case forms.

2. Reproduce a set of picture cards that correspond to the four letters labeled on the game board. Copy the pictures on cardstock or paste them to index cards for durability.

3. Turn the picture cards face down in a stack.

4. Each player draws a picture in turn and moves their playing piece to the next space on the path that is marked by the corresponding initial sound.

5. The winner is the first to arrive at the destination.

6. VARIATIONS: To increase the challenge of the game, use digraphs, blends, and vowel patterns instead of initial sounds.

Source: Bear, D. R., Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (1999). Words their way: Word study for phonics,

vocabulary, and spelling instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill, 134.

1. Follow-the-Path Game board

2. Manila Folder

3. Game pieces for 2 to 4 players

4. Picture cards


Start

Stop

Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.7


Getting to Know You

1. Paper Doll Outline 1. Have children practice attending to the beginning sounds by asking them to name their favorite hobby or treat. Explain that their “favorite” must begin with the same sound as their first name (e.g., Patty and peanut butter).

2. Have children draw pictures of themselves on paper dolls. Write each child’s “favorite” on the bottom of his or her doll.

3. Invite children to introduce themselves to the class. For example, “I am Sam and I like soccer and salamanders.” This is a great activity to use at the start of the school year!

Source:Fitzpatrick, J. (1997). Phonemic awareness: Playing with sounds to strengthen beginning reading skills (pp. 20). Cyprus, CA: Creative Teaching Press.


Materials Procedure


Virginia SOLs

K.7

Go Fish

1. Picture cards

2. Small pieces of

magnetic tape

3. Fishing poles

4. Paper clips or small

magnets

1. Put a small piece of magnetic tape on the back of each card, which serve as fish. Spread the picture cards (the fish) out on the floor (the pond).

2. Using fishing poles with magnets or large paper clips, the children take turns catching “fish”.

3. When a child catches a fish, s/he must name the picture and pronounce its initial sound (e.g. “map, /m/”). If correct, the child keeps the fish.

Source: Lindsey, D. Postman Poquoson Primary School, Poquoson, VA.


Materials Procedure


Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7

Initial Sound BingoPhonological Awareness / Beginning Sounds

1. Each child receives a Bingo board and enough markers to cover spaces. The Bingo boards correspond with the suggested sequence for initial consonant and vowel instruction. There are three Bingo board variations for each level. The Bingo boards progress in difficulty as the teacher introduces new consonant and vowel patterns/sounds.

2. Reproduce the Beginning Sound Bingo A-Z Picture Cards. You may wish to copy the pictures on cardstock, paste them to index cards, and/or laminate them. These will become the deck from which the beginning sounds are called aloud during the game. Note that it is important to distinguish between /c/ and /k/ by saying, “/c/ as in cat” or “/k/ as in king.”

3. The first student(s) with a completely filled horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row wins.

1. Leveled Bingo Boards

2. Bingo chips or markers

3. Beginning Sound Bingo Picture Cards



Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7


My Name Begins Like...Phonological Awareness / Beginning Sounds

1. Give each child a copy of the My Name Begins like template.

2. Ask each child to write his/her name in the blank.

3. Instruct each child to glue or draw pictures of items with the same beginning sound as his/her name.

4. Play a guessing game during group time, where the children must guess the child’s name using the beginning sound pictures as clues.

Source: The Mailbox: The idea magazine for teachers. (2000).

1. Pictures cut from magazines

2. My Name Begins Like template

3. Crayons and markers

My name is

My Name begins like...

Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7


Picture SortsPhonological Awareness / Beginning Sounds

1. Use letter cards to head each category. Select a key picture for each sound (such as “mouse” and “sun”). Put the key picture cards under the corresponding letter. You can emphasize and elongate the beginning sound to establish the sort.

2. Shuffle the rest of the picture cards and say to the child, “We are going to listen for the sound at the beginning of these pictures. We will decide if they begin like mmmmouse or like ssssun.”

3. After the teacher models the sorting process, take turns with the child until the stack of picture cards is depleted. Each time the child places a picture in a particular column, all the pictures in the column (top to bottom) should be pronounced to determine if each contains the same beginning sound.

4. After completing the first sort with your help, immediately ask your child to independently sort the pictures again. The child’s responses may be slow at first, but after extended practice, the child will begin to sort quickly, accurately, and with confidence.

5. EXTENSION: As a means of providing independent practice, create a file folder game that allows students to sort previously taught letter sounds. Laminate a file folder and place several velcro dots on the folder. Place one, two, or three velcro dots at the top of the file folder that will hold header picture cards. Provide students with picture cards (that also have velcro dots) of several letter sounds. Students sort the picture cards by placing the cards on the velcro dots under the appropriate header. Instead of Velcro, pockets may be used as well.


vocabulary, and spelling instruction. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

1. Choose 5-6 beginning sound picture cards

Picture sorts always contrast at least two sounds. A good starting point is to sort pictures that begin with /m/ and /s/. These sounds are very different from each other and can be said slowly, without distortion.

Suggested sequence for initial consonant sound sorting:

M-S; M-S-B; M-S-B-R; P-N; P-N-T; P-N-T-G-C-F; C-F-D; C-F-D-H; J-L; J-L-K; J-L;K-W-V-Y-Z

Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7


Sound Line

1. Rope

2. Clothespins

3. Tagboard

4. Beginning Sounds A-Z picture cards

1. Write upper-case and lower-case letters on the top of the clothespins.

2. Paste picture cards that represent each beginning letter sound on a square of tagboard and laminate.

3. Students can match the picture card to the clothespins and hang it on the rope.




Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7


Sound Puppet

1. Distribute at least two picture cards to each of your students.

2. Explain to children that the “sound puppet” only likes things whose names begin with a sound it chooses. For example, if the puppet likes licorice, it will also like other things whose names being with /l/.

3. Tell children that the sound puppet will name an object. If they have any picture cards whose name begins with the same sound, the children are to hold up the card and say the sound. For example, if the puppet says, “I like tomatoes”, the children holding the ten, tie, and top picture cards should hold up their cards and say /t/.


1. Puppet

2. Two picture sound cards per student

Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7


Sound ShoppingPhonological Awareness / Beginning Sounds

1. Each child is given a bag with a letter and is instructed to “go shopping” and only buy those items that begin with the same letter that is on their bag.

2. As the children look through the picture cards spread on a table, they must make the sound of their letter and isolate the beginning sound of each picture to make a match.

3. After placing the correct pictures in the bag, each child shares with the group what was “bought” with the letter.

Source: Michalochick, R. (2001). Red Mill Elementary, Virginia Beach, VA.

1. Brown paper bags with one letter written on the outside

2. Beginning sound picture cards

Materials Procedure


Virginia SOLs

K.4, K.7

Spin-A-Letter/Pick-A-Sound

1. To begin play, children take turns drawing picture cards and turning them face up on their boards in a 3x3 array until all the spaces are filled.

2. The first player spins and removes all pictures that begin with the sound indicated on the spinner. The pictures go into his/her “point pile.”

3. That same player draws enough pictures from the pile to replace the gaps in their board before play moves to the next student.

4. Play continues until a player has removed all pictures and there are no more to be drawn as replacements. The winner is the player who has the most pictures in his/her pile.

5. VARIATION: You can use the same materials to play a Tic-Tac-Toe game. Players prepare boards as described above, but when they spin they can turn face down the pictures that have that feature. The student who turns down three in a row wins.

Source: Fitzpatrick, J. (1997). Phonemic awareness: Playing with sounds to strengthen reading skills. Cyprus, CA:

Creative Teaching Press, 26.


1. A spinner divided into 3 to 4 sections with a letter or word feature in each section

2. Picture cards

3. Tic-Tac-Toe grid

Materials Procedure

Virginia SOLs

K.7

What’s My Sound?Phonological Awareness / Beginning Sounds

1. Punch holes in the picture cards and string a piece of yarn through each picture to create necklaces. Give a picture necklace to each child.

2. Choose a target phoneme such as beginning /b/ sound. Choose children wearing pictures with the target phoneme to stand in front of the class.

3. Have classmates guess the target phoneme, then start again with the new “secret” sound.

4. Extend the activity by making new necklaces using magazine and newspaper photos or invite children to draw their own illustrations. Children also enjoy making necklaces with beginning sound pictures that match the beginning sound of their names.


Source: Fitzpatrick, J. (1997). Phonemic awareness: Playing with sounds to strengthen reading skills. Cyprus, CA:

Creative Teaching Press, 21.

1. Picture cards

2. Hole punch

3. Yarn

Documents

A My Name Is Procedure A My Name Is... Back to Beginning Sounds 1. Use this familiar jump rope chant to familiarize children with the intial letter