funny photo alphabet teaching guide - … yyy zzz name date assessment 8 funny photo alphabet...

Teaching Guide

FUNNY PHOTO ALPHABET

FUNNY PHOTO ALPHABET

First American edition published in 2006 by Lerner PublicationsCompany.

Copyright © 2005 Blake Publishing. This edition is for sale in Canada,Mexico, and the United States of America only.

All U.S. rights reserved. Student pages may be reproduced by theclassroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercial resale.No other part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrievalsystem, or transmitted in any form or by any means–electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise–without the priorwritten permission of Lerner Publishing Group, except for the inclusionof brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

LernerClassroom A division of Lerner Publishing Group241 First Avenue NorthMinneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.800-328-4929

Website address: www.lernerclassroom.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Munn, Kara.Funny photo alphabet teaching guide / by Kara Munn.

p. cm. — (Funny photo alphabet)Summary: “This book contains educational activities to help

teachers supplement the Funny Photo Alphabet books.”—Provided bypublisher.

ISBN-13: 978–0–8225–6077–7 (pbk. : alk. paper)ISBN-10: 0–8225–6077–1 (pbk. : alk. paper)1. English language—Alphabet—Study and teaching (Early

childhood) I. Title. II. Series. PE1155.P552 2006372.46'5—dc22 2005030468

Manufactured in the United States of America1 2 3 4 5 6 — BP — 11 10 09 08 07 06

The Funny Photo Alphabet seriesis also available in a big bookformat.

3

ContentsAlphabet activities 4

Assessment 6

Game boards 8

Alphabet cards 11

Aa Apples and ants &Bb Big bad bears 15

Cc Candles on a cake &Dd Dancing dog 18

Ee Eggs and elephants &Ff Funny fish 21

Gg Giggly goat &Hh Happy horse 24

Ii Icky insects &Jj Jolly jellybeans 27

Kk Kicking kangaroo &Ll Lots of lizards 30

Mm Mini mouse &Nn Nine nuts 33

Oo Orange octopus &Pp Penguin pond 36

Qq The Queen’s question &Rr Rabbit on a raft 39

Ss Silly seagulls &Tt Talking tigers 42

Uu Under umbrellas &Vv Vegetables in a van 45

Ww Wet whalesXx X as in fox 48

Yy Yellow yo-yoZz Zebras in a zoo 51

Letter cards 54

Additional Resources 56

Alphabet activities

4

Grab a game The following games can be played throughout theyear, or they could be adapted to be used with aparticular sound.

Before you beginEach of these activities refers to the game boardswhich can be found on pages 8 to 10, or thealphabet cards which can be found on pages 11 to14. Copy the game boards and the alphabet cardsonto thin card. Make multiple copies if possible. Onthe back of each alphabet card, write the letter

that corresponds with the first sound of thepicture. For example, on the back of the cardshowing an apple, write a lower case a in the scriptappropriate to your school. To play Memory andLotto, you will need to keep one set of alphabetcards with blank backs. If possible, laminate thegame boards and the alphabet cards to ensure thatthey can be used time and time again. Oncestudents have been shown how to play a game,the game can be stored in an accessible place andstudents can be encouraged to play it when theyfinish another activity early, or during a rainy insiderecess.

You will need: • one set of alphabet cards (remove doubles of each letter).

Shuffle a set of the alphabet cards. Give each student one card.Students can use whichever side of the card they wish. Explain tostudents that they need to get themselves in a line in alphabeticalorder. When students can do this well, challenge them to do itwithout talking.

Alternatively, allow students to work alone or in small groups, andask them to place all of the cards in a line on the floor, in alphabeticalorder.

You will need: • a small headband and a paperclip• one set of alphabet cards.

Have one student sit at the front of the class. This student could wear a headband made fromconstruction paper. On the headband, use a paperclip to attach one card from the set ofalphabet cards. The student should not know what card is on their headband. Depending onthe ability of students, the letter or the picture could be facing outwards. The student nowneeds to ask questions with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers to find out what letter/sound is on theheadband. Questions might include: Can you hear my sound in pig? Can you hear my soundat the start of street? To make it easier for the student to remember which sounds they haveeliminated, keep a record on chart paper. This can form part of the lesson. Say, for example,“If the sound is not in pig, then which letters can we cross off?”

ATOZ

WHAT LETTER AM I?

5

Sound SwapYou will need:

• one set of alphabet cards.

Have students make a CVC word

with their cards. Next, ask them to

change the middle card, or the

vowel, to another vowel to make a

new word. Ask students to see how

many new words they can make.

Add a letterYou will need:

• one set of alphabet cards.

Have students use the letter side of the cards. Allow students to use

the cards to make as many words, and in particular CVC words

(consonant/vowel/consonant), as they can. More capable studentscould try to join their words into

a crossword grid.

Lot toYou will need: • one set of alphabet cards without letters

written on the back• game boards.

The game can be played in pairs. Each student willneed a game board. Shuffle the alphabet cards andplace them face down in the middle of the students.Provide students with an instruction such as: “Todaywe are going to match the beginning sounds.” or“You need to think about the end sounds today.”Students can take turns looking at a card. If thebeginning sound is the same as one on their card,they may place the card on their game board andtake another turn. If the beginning sound does notmatch one that is on their card, they need to replacethe card. Play continues until each section of thegame board is covered. Repeat this game, but changethe instruction to encourage students to concentrateon the end sounds of words. Much of the value of thisgame is the conversation that students will have asthey discuss each word.

MemoryYou will need:• one set of alphabet cards without letters

written on the back.

Shuffle the cards and place them face down onthe floor in front of students. Students are goingto try to place all the cards in alphabetical order.Students should take turns looking at two cards.Someone will need to find the /a/ card to begin.Once the /a/ card has been turned over, studentsneed to continue trying to find the /b/ card, andthen the /c/ card and so on. When students turnover their two cards, they should make sure thateveryone can see the cards before replacingthem face down. The winner is the student whocompletes the alphabetical order by placing the/z/ card in position. Note: there will be leftovercards at the end of this game.

Funny Photo Alphabet Assessment 1You will need:• one copy of Assessment (page 7) per

student.• one set of alphabet cards (pages 11-14) cut

apart• one set of letter cards (pages 54-55) cut

apart

– Write the student’s name on the assessmentsheet. This assessment is best completed in aseries of sessions.

– Remove repeated letters from the set ofalphabet cards. Shuffle the cards.

– Present the cards to the student one by one.Ask: “What is this picture? What sound can youhear at the beginning of the word?”

– Make sure each student is able to say the soundcorrectly. Ask them to repeat the sound afteryou have said it, if their response is unclear.

– Record student responses in the spaces providedon the assessment sheet.

– Next, shuffle the letter cards. You may choose topresent capitals and lowercase letters separatelyor mixed together.

– Present the cards one by one. Have the studentssay the name of each letter. Record responses.

– Now show the students both the lowercase andcapital for each letter. Have the students sayeach sound. Record responses.

– Lastly, ask students to write the letter. Check tosee that they are forming the letter correctly.Record responses.

Funny Photo Alphabet Assessment 2You will need:• one copy of Assessment (page 7) per

student.• one set of game boards (pages 8-10)• one set of letter cards (pages 54-55) cut

apart

– Write the student’s name on the assessmentsheet. This assessment is best completed in aseries of sessions. Note: Some letters of thealphabet will not be assessed during thisactivity.

– Show students the game boards one by one.Follow the activities for each game board.

– Discuss each of the pictures. “Tell me the namesof these pictures. What sound does each wordstart with?” Record responses.

– Give the students a set of lowercase letter cards.Ask the students to place the card of thebeginning letter on each picture and say thename of the letter. This activity should berepeated at another time with the capital lettercards. Record responses.

– Lastly, ask students to write the letter. Check tosee that they are forming the letter correctly.Record responses.

6

And Now for Assessment

Funny Photo Alphabet Teaching Guide 7

hears sound repeats sound recognizes matches sound forms letterat start of word correctly capital/lower to written letter correctly when

case letter writinga A a

b B b

c C c

d D d

e E e

f F f

g G g

h H h

i I i

j J j

k K k

l L l

m M m

n N n

o O o

p P p

q Q q

r R r

s S s

t T t

u U u

v V v

w W w

x X x

y Y y

z Z z

Name Date

Assessment

8 Funny Photo Alphabet Teaching Guide

Board 1

Board 2

Game boards


Board 4

6

Board 3


Board 5

Board 6

Hello


5

Alphabet cards

12

Alphabet cards

Funny Photo Alphabet Teaching Guide

13

?Funny Photo Alphabet Teaching Guide


610

Alphabet cards

15

Teaching notesApples and antsBig bad bearsApples and antsLooks likeMake sure you have space for students to stretchout. It might be necessary to work outside or in ahall for this activity. Students can work in groups ofthree. First, ask them to cooperate to make theshape of the capital A by combining the shapes oftheir three bodies. Then ask them to make a lowercase a in the same way. Discuss the curved andstraight edges of the capital and lower case letters asthey do this.

In the alphabetA is the first letter in the alphabet. Show studentshow they can find a at the beginning of a dictionaryand a telephone book. Also, show students the classroll. Talk about how surnames beginning with a arethe first listed on the roll.

Beginning soundShow students Worksheet A p. 16. Explain to themthat they need to say the words aloud and thinkabout the first sound. Students should circle thepictures or the words that start with /a/.

Craft ideasLet students experiment with apple printing. Precutapples in halves and provide a range of paint colorsfor students to use.

Big bad bearsMaking noisesAllow students to stomp around the room as theyreread each line of text in the Big bad bears book. Inthis way, students will be emphasizing the /b/ soundand committing it to memory. Invite students toparticipate in growling competitions. See who hasthe loudest/ longest/ meanest growl.

Wonderful wordsGive each student a copy of Worksheet B p. 17 anda handful of counters. As you read each line of thetext aloud, have students listen and count the numberof words. (Students should not be able to see the textat this stage.) Students should place the same numberof counters on the worksheet. For example in the firstrow, there would be 2 counters. Each row on theworksheet represents each line of text, or each page ofthe little book.

Looks likeYou will need a collection of balls and some chalk.Take students outside. Use chalk to write large letterbs on the ground – the more space you can use thebetter. Explain to students that they are going toform the letter b by rolling the ball along the chalkshape. Demonstrate to students how to form a bcorrectly. Monitor students as they roll the ball toensure they are following the correct lines in thecorrect order. When they are comfortable tracing thechalk lines, challenge them to form letter bs withoutusing the guidelines.

Craft ideasProvide students with blown up balloons and bluepaint. Remind students of the correct way to form alower case b. Have students dip their finger in theblue paint and write b a number of times on theirballoon. Students might be encouraged to paint onjust one side of the balloon so that the balloons candry while sitting in ice-cream or butter containers.

16

Name

Worksheet A Apples and ants


Listen as your teacher sayseach word. Circle the wordsthat start with a.

am jump and

apple ant me

Name

Worksheet B Big bad bears


Count the b words.

Candles on a cakeDancing dog

18

Candles on a cakeLooks likeAsk students to come up with some ideas to describewhat the shape of the letter c looks like. Remindstudents that a lower case and capital C look thesame, or very similar. Students might say the shapereminds them of a cat yawning or of the segments ofa caterpillar. Students could draw their ideas anddisplay them in the classroom.

Starts withHave students turn to the picture of the cat on page 9of the Candles on a cake book. Ask students to saythe word ‘cat’ aloud. Demonstrate by saying“/c/...at”. Have students think about the beginning ofthe word. Ask them if they know any other wordsthat start the same way. Show students WorksheetC p. 19. Talk about each of the pictures. Tell studentsthat they need to circle the pictures that start withthe same sound as cat.

Parts of a bookProvide students with some long candles. Studentswill be using these as pointers. Ask them to use thecandle to point to the title of the book. Check thatall students can locate the title. Then, ask students touse their candle to point to some or all of thefollowing: front cover, back cover, spine, author’sname, illustrator’s name, series name, page number,bar code, first page, last page.

BlendingTell students you are going to play a guessing game.Explain to students that you have chosen one of thewords from Candles on a cake. Say to them, “I’mthinking of a word that goes like this: /c/__ ake.What is it? That’s right, its cake.” Leave about onesecond between saying /c/ and the rest of the word.Repeat this with a number of other words that beginwith /c/. Use words from the text. Next, let studentscome up with their own questions. Make sure eachone starts with /c/.

Dancing dogLooks likeTalk to students about the shape of the letter d and itscorrect formation. Remind students that d is a tallletter and show them where the starting point is.Show students Worksheet D p. 20. Explain to themthat they are going to make the dog dotty. Allowstudents to cut rough circles from colored paper.Before pasting the dots on, have students write a lowercase d in each dot.

Starts withTell students that they are going to make some newwords by replacing the first sound of each word theyhear with /d/. For example if you say ‘pay’, studentswill respond with ‘day’. Use these examples: suck,log, Lotty, fizzy.

Craft ideasHave students make some dotty paintings. Havestudents use cotton swabs and provide lots of colors.Encourage students to paint using dots only (ratherthan strokes).

Teaching notes

Name

Worksheet C Candles on a cake


Circle the pictures that startwith the letter c.

20

Name

Worksheet D Dancing Dog


Make this a dotty dog.Write d in each dot.

21

Eggs and elephantsLooks likeShow students how to form a capital and a lowercase e on the board. Discuss the beginning pointsand the different shapes of each of these. Talk aboutthe straight lines in the capital letter and the curvedlines in the lower case letter. Provide straight itemssuch as popsicle sticks or straws, and bendable itemssuch as pipe cleaners or bag ties. Have students usethese items to make capital and lower case es. Asthey do this, discuss why certain items are bettersuited to making either capital or lower case letters.

In the alphabetE is the fifth letter of the alphabet. Have studentscount the letters from a to e on their fingers. Turnthe pages of a dictionary to show students wherethe words that begin with e are located.

Wonderful wordsThis activity is a listening activity, so don’t let studentssee the text of the big book. Ask students to hold upthe five fingers of one hand. Read a line of textaloud and ask students to count the number ofwords. Students should then show the same numberof fingers. Alternatively, show students the text andremind students of the small spaces that separatewords in printed text. Students can count thenumber of words using the big book.

Starts withAs you read the text, focus students’ attention onthe beginning sounds of the words. Show studentsWorksheet E p. 22. Explain that one picture in eachrow starts with the letter e. Ask students to circle thispicture. Challenge more capable students to makeup their own questions for a friend.

Funny fishWonderful wordsHave students put their finger on the space betweenthe words on each page. Talk about how many wordsare on each page and how the spaces can remind usof where one word ends and the next begins. UseWorksheet F p. 23 to help demonstrate this. Havestudents match the words on the worksheet to thewords in the book. Students should notice that thewords at the bottom of the worksheet are the sameas those on the last page of the book. Students cancut out each word. Challenge some students to mixup the order of the words and then rearrange themagain. All students should then paste the words inthe correct order in the spaces provided. Focusstudents’ attention on the importance of leaving afinger space between the words.

Looks likeStudents could be divided into two groups tocomplete these activities. Help one group of studentstwist lengths of foil to make lower case f shapes.Allow the other group to use their fingers to practicewriting lower case fs in flour sprinkled onto tables.

Craft ideasHave students cut fish shapes from pieces ofaluminium foil. Provide paint for students toadd decorations.

Starts withAllow students to make up some funny alliterativesentences. Each word of the sentence should startwith /f/. For example: Four funny fish found fiftyfurry foxes. Publish students’ sentences and allowstudents to illustrate them.

Teaching notesEggs and elephantsFunny fish

22

Name

Worksheet E Eggs and elephants


Say the word. Look at the f irstletter. Circle the one that startswith the letter e.

nest fan eleven

bat dog elephant

book elbow duck

egg pig leaf

11

Name

Worksheet F Funny fish


Five funnyf ish

Four f ish

Five f ish

Four f ish f lap their f ins.

Funny faces

Funny f ins

Giggly goatHappy horse

24

Giggly goatStarts withShow students Worksheet G p. 25. Have studentsrecognize the shape of the g. Explain to them thatthey will be playing the game with a partner. Eachpair will need a die and two counters. Studentsthrow the die and then move their counter. Whenstudents land on a space they need to say the firstsound of the picture. If this sound is /g/ they can haveanother turn. To make the game last longer, use adie with numbers 1-3 only.

Looks likeTalk with students about the shape of a lower caseg. Have students practice writing g with their fingerin the air, on the carpet and on their friends’ backs.Next, provide groups of students with large sheets ofpaper. Have students use crayons to write largelower case gs on the paper. Next, ask them to useglue to cover the shape of the letters. Finally, provideglitter and small squares of green and gold paper forstudents to sprinkle over the glue.

Goosey’s giftAsk students what gifts the goose received. Talkabout why these gifts might have been chosen. Playa game similar to ‘Doggy Doggy where’s your Bone?’Have students sit in a circle and choose one student,‘Goosey’, to sit in the middle. Behind Goosey place abox which can be covered in gold paper if you havetime. This is the gift. Goosey needs to close his/hereyes while one student from the circle tiptoes intothe middle and takes the gift back to their place. Thestudent should put the gift behind them so thatGoosey cannot see where it is. Meanwhile, Gooseyneeds to listen carefully for telltale signs of wherethe gift is being placed. Provide a signal for allstudents to chant ‘Goosey Goosey, where’s yourgift?’ As students chant, they need to clap thesyllables. Goosey now has three guesses to correctlylocate the gift. Allow other students to be Goosey.

Happy horseLooks likeTake students outside. Have students work in pairsand ask them to use their bodies to make the shapeof a lower case h. Some students might make theshape as a flat shape on the ground and some mightmake a 3D shape by standing up. Gradually increasethe number of students in a group and havestudents use problem-solving techniques to make theshape again, but using a larger number of bodies.Repeat for capital H.

Wonderful wordsTalk to students about the word ‘hippo’. Askstudents if they know the longer word for hippo.Explain to students that hippo is a short way ofsaying hippopotamus. Make comparisons toshortened names such as Nick for Nicholas and Lizfor Elizabeth.

Making noisesDivide the class into two groups. Ask one group tobe the happy horses and the other group to be thehungry hippos. Read the text and, as you do, askstudents to say the lines that the animals say. Praisestudents who respond with enthusiasm. Allowgroups to swap characters so everyone gets a turn atbeing a happy horse.

Craft ideasProvide students with paper, paints, and brushes andhelp them make handprints. Make sure there isclean, soapy water nearby for students to washhands in. When handprints are dry, have studentswrite the letter h in the palm of their print. Displaythese in the classroom. Use handprints as a borderfor other displayed work in the classroom.

Starts withShow students Worksheet H p. 26. Ask students tohelp the happy horse find his way to the hungryhippo. To find the path, students color in the boxesthat contain words starting with the letter h.

Teaching notes

Name

Worksheet G Giggly goat


You need a partner, a die and a counter. Roll the die.Move your counter. Say the first sound.If the word starts with g, go again.

START

FINISH

26

Name

Worksheet H Happy horse


hen hit hid had

hot fat men sad

ham hop hall rat

kid ten hug has

Help the happy horse find the hungryhippo. Color the boxes that havewords starting with h.

27

Icky insectsLooks likeTake students outside with some paintbrushes andsmall tubs of water. Ask students to practicepainting the letter i using their paintbrush andwater. Students can ‘paint’ on the ground, thesidewalk, or the walls. Remind students of thecorrect starting point and slope of the letter.Students can also write capital Is. Students coulduse the i as the center line of an insect. They could‘paint’ symmetrical legs, wings and body on eitherside of it.

Starts withHave students locate words in the text that start with/i/. Help students recognize that even though icestarts with i, the sound at the start of the word is /i`/.Ask students to think of some more words that startwith /i/ and /i`/. Talk to students about theimportance of using a capital I for the word I andabbreviations such as I’m and I’ve.

Blending Tell students that you are going to say the parts of aword really slowly and that they need to try to workout what the word is. Say, for example, “/i/- /n/- /s/-/e/- /c/- /t/, what’s the word I’m saying? That’s right,insect.” Also ask students, “Where is the /i/ sound inthe word insect, at the start, the middle or the endof the word?” Repeat for the following words: in,inky, sticky, igloo. Remember to ask where the /i/sound is located.

Big or littleShow students Worksheet I p. 28. Ask studentswhat letter each word starts with. Have studentscircle the capital I words and cross out the lowercasei words. Students can practice writing the letter i incapital and lowercase letters. Challenge students tomake a pattern of capital and lowercase is.

Jolly jellybeansLooks likeTake students outside. Using chalk, draw large lowercase letter js on the sidewalk. These will wash off inthe rain. Ask students to ‘jump like a jellybean’ fromthe top of the letter j shape to the bottom. Studentsshould stay as close to the line as possible. Whenstudents get to the end of the curve, have them runup to the top and jump on the dot. This will helpstudents remember how to form the letter whenthey are writing.

Making noisesHave fun with students’ names. Explain to studentsthat for today, all their names are going to start with/j/. Names such as Samson will become Jamson andMeg will become Jeg. Have students practiceintroducing each other by their new names.

Starts withShow students Worksheet J p. 29. Explain to themthat they will play this game in groups of 3. Eachgroup will need a die, three counters and oneWorksheet J. Students will take turns throwing thedie. When students land on a square they must saythe name of the picture by emphasizing the firstsound and repeating it. For example, if a studentlanded on the picture of the jet they would need tosay j-j-j-jet. If the picture starts with /j/, students canthrow the die again. The winner is the first person toget to the end.

Teaching notesIcky insectsJolly jellybeans

28

Name

Worksheet I Icky insects


Circle the capital I words. Crossout the lower case i words.

insect ink I

Idaho ill is

igloo I’m India

Ike itchy inside

Write an I and an i three times each.

Name

Worksheet J Jolly jellybeans


Winner!

jump back 2 places

jump back 2 places

Start

10

Kicking kangarooLots of lizards

30

Kicking kangarooLooks likeUse masking tape to ‘write’ a lower case letter k onthe floor. As you do this, emphasize to students thecorrect starting point and the correct formation.Next, explain to students that kings must have verygood posture. Tell students that kings must practicewalking elegantly and with good posture, bybalancing a book on their head as they walk.(Substitute a small bean bag for the purpose of thisactivity.) Have students take turns walking along theletter k as if they were forming it with their pencil.Students should do this with a bean bag on theirhead and take small elegant steps.

Odd one outAsk students to focus on the beginning sounds inwords. Say the words king, kangaroo and kiss. Askstudents which sound they can hear at the start ofeach word. Have students think of some more wordsthat start with /k/. Show students Worksheet K p. 31.Explain to them that they need to look at each of thepictures and say the word aloud. Students shouldcircle the pictures that begin with the letter k.

Making noises Have students dramatize the story line of Kickingkangaroo. Choose a narrator, a kangaroo, a king andtwo koalas. Remind all remaining students that goodaudience members are good listeners. After thenarrator reads each line, have students act out whatis being said. Emphasise that kicking needs to be‘pretend’ or non-contact kicking only. Reassurestudents that kissing needs to be ‘pretend’, non-contact kissing too. Praise students who makeappropriate sounds as they act such as ‘ahh...ya’when they are kicking or smoochy noises when theyare kissing. Have students change places withaudience members and allow all students to have aturn at acting.

Lots of lizardsOdd one outSeat students in a circle and show them a group ofobjects. Make sure most of the objects begin with /l/.Place three of the objects in the center of the circle.Ask students to identify the one that does not startwith /l/. Tell them that this is the ‘odd one out’.Repeat this activity with a different group of objects.Challenge more capable students to pick their owngroup of objects, including just one that does notstart with /l/.

Looks likeRemind students where to find page numbers in Lotsof lizards. Have students turn the pages until theyfind page 7. Talk about the picture and the text.Next, show students Worksheet L p. 32. Explain thatthey are going to practice writing letter ls. Havestudents use the top and bottom lines of the log aswriting lines. Remind students to begin each letter atthe top. Students can write a line of ls along the log,leaving a finger space between each one. Praisestudents who remember to use the correct postureand pencil grip. Next, ask students to draw their ownlong lizard on the log. Finally, help each student readthe sentence on the worksheet independently.

Craft ideasProvide students with a cardboard toilet paper orpaper towel roll, colored paper, paste and paints.Allow students time to turn their roll into a lizard byadding legs, a face, and tail, and then painting it.

Teaching notes

Name

Worksheet K Kicking kangaroo


Listen to your teacher say thewords. Circle the pictures orwords that start with k.

kiss keep frog kind

32

Name

Worksheet L Lots of lizards


Fill the log with the letter l. Draw a long lizard on the log.

A lizard is on a log.

33

Mini mouseLooks likeTake students outside and have them work togetherin groups of four. Ask students to use their bodies tomake a capital M. Some groups will make the M bylying on the ground while other groups might makeit standing up. Discuss the straight lines of a capitalM. Next, ask students to work together to makelower case ms. Praise students who manage to makethe appropriate curves. Ask students to talk aboutwhat the shape of the lower case m reminds themof. It might remind them of two mountains side byside.

Making noisesPlay a game of Looking for Mini Mouse. Choose onestudent to wait somewhere where they cannot seewhat is happening. Hide a small object, such as a toymouse, in the classroom. This is Mini Mouse. The restof the class should know where it is hidden. Ask thestudent to return to the room and try to find MiniMouse. To help guide the student in the rightdirection, the remaining students need to indicatewhether they are ‘hot’ or ‘cold’ by saying ‘Mmmm’loudly or softly. A loud ‘Mmmm’ indicates thestudent is close to Mini Mouse and a softer ‘Mmmm’indicates the student is getting further away.

In the alphabetDiscuss the position of m in the alphabet. Tell studentsthat there are 26 letters in the alphabet and that m isthe thirteenth. Explain that this is the middle of thealphabet. Show students that by looking roughly inthe middle of a dictionary, the telephone book or theclass roll they will find the letter m.

Starts withShow students Worksheet M p. 34. Explain to themthat the cat is looking for Mini Mouse in a maze. Thecat follows the trail of words that start with m. Havestudents draw a path to Mini Mouse.

Nine nutsLooks likeIf there are no nut allergies in the class, empty a bagof nuts onto a table and have students use these tomake the shape of a capital and lower case n. Usenails if nuts are not suitable. Show students how theshape of a lower case n can be found within theshape of h and m.

Starts withShow students Worksheet N p. 35. Ask students tocolor the nuts that contain words starting with theletter n. After coloring, the students count the nutscolored and write the number on the line. Wait tosee how many students realize that the number alsostarts with n.

Wonderful wordsTalk about the words that describe the nuts on someof the pages of Nine nuts. Explain to students thatthese describing words are also called adjectives.Examples include: nine, nice, nutty, naughty, nasty.Discuss how each of these words starts with /n/.Students can draw pictures to match their nuts.

Craft ideasStudents can make nine nuts in a nest usingnewspaper. Begin by allowing students to rip stripsof newspaper and paste these onto the bottom of asheet of paper in the shape of a nest. Next, havestudents scrunch up a page of newspaper into atight ball. Dip it in paint and print nine nuts on thepaper. When the paint has dried, students can addfacial details to their nuts using colored markers.

Teaching notesMini mouseNine nuts

34

Name

Worksheet M Mini mouse


The cat is looking for Mini Mouse.Connect the words in the maze thatstart with m.

cot hit cat

hot

bit

pot

I

matby

mix

panmaymet

man

mud

he

map

Name

Worksheet N Nine nuts


Find the words that start with n. Colorthe nuts that have words starting with n.

How many nuts did you color?

no new nest

the nail nice

net exit nut

name neck hot

Orange octopusPenguin pond

36

Orange octopusIn the alphabetTell students that our alphabet contains five vowelsand that most words have at least one vowel inthem. Help students learn the names of the fivevowels by having them repeat AEIOU a number oftimes. You can try singing Old MacDonald had aFarm and replacing EIEIO with AEIOU. Ask studentsto suggest words that contain the vowel o.

Starts withProvide each pair of students with a copy ofWorksheet O p. 37, a die, and two counters or smallobjects. Explain the rules of the game. Studentsshould take turns throwing the die. When a studentlands on a picture they must say the name of thepicture aloud. If the picture starts with /o/ they canhave another turn. The winner is the first person toget to the orangutan at the end.

Craft ideasMake a class octopus. Make eight legs by helpingstudents stuff balls of newspaper into old stockings.Make a head by decorating a blown up balloon or around ice-cream pail lid. Paint the octopus orange.

Penguin pondLooks likeStudents can do both or either of these activities.Make some fresh batches of pink or purpleplaydough. Demonstrate to students how to roll‘snakes’ of play dough and then how to use these toform lower case letter ps. Provide students with pipecleaners (preferably pink and purple ones) and allowthem to make lower case and capital ps. In bothcases, emphasize to students the correct startingpoint and formation.

Starts withRead each line of Penguin pond to students andhave them state which words start with /p/ andwhich words don’t. With students, make a display ofwords that start with /p/. Have students illustratesome of these and add them to the display. For eachword that does not start with /p/, ask students to saythe sound that it does start with.

Craft ideasShow students Worksheet P p. 38. Explain to themthat they are going to make a pair of penguins. First,have students fold the page in half along the lineprovided. Next, show students how to cut out thepenguin while holding the two sides of the papertogether. Demonstrate how to open up the pageand see the two penguins holding flippers. Studentscan color or paint their penguins.

Memory gameCollect four items that start with the letter p. Collectfour other familiar items. Place a mixture of theletter p items and the other items on a large trayand cover them with a towel. Have the students sitin a circle and place the covered tray in the center.Tell the students they will have 30 seconds to look atthe tray and try to remember what was on it.Remove the cover. When time is up, cover the trayagain and ask the students to name the items thatstart with p. Let them look at the tray again. Play thegame again using a different combination of items.

Teaching notes

Name

Worksheet O Orange octopus


Roll the die and move your counter.If you land on a picture that startswith o, take another turn.

start

on

off

old

finish

38

Name

Worksheet P Penguin pond


Fold the page along the line.Cut out the penguin. Now you have a pair of penguins.

a pair of penguins

39

The Queen’s questionIn the alphabetHave students stand in a circle. Ask one student tobegin by saying a. The next student says b and thenc and so on. Have each student say a letter aloud.When students reach q, that student must sit down.The next student then begins with a again. Thewinner is the last person left standing.

Looks likeProvide students with small objects such as beans,coins, or bingo chips. Ask students to use the objectsto form a question mark like the one on page 12 ofThe Queen’s question. Next, ask students to use theobjects to make the shape of a lower case letter q.

Starts withIf possible, copy Worksheet Q p. 40 onto thin cardstock. Explain to students that they need to cut outeach of the boxes. Talk to students about what eachpicture depicts. Discuss the similarities anddifferences between /qu/ and /c/. Students shouldthen find a partner and play the game in a similarway to SNAP! Each player holds their cards and takesturns placing one card on a central pile. Ifconsecutive cards start with the same sound, the firstplayer to say SNAP! and place their hand on the pile,wins the pile. Play continues until one person holdsall the cards. Students will then need to sort out thetwo sets of cards and mix each set up before theyplay again.

Wonderful wordsWith students, make a list of all the words you canthink of that start with /q/. As you write these, askstudents if they notice something interesting aboutthe spelling of the words. Help students notice thateach of the words starts with q and that the q isfollowed by a u. Ask students to put a circle aroundeach qu.

Rabbit on a raftLooks likeTake students outside where they will have lots ofspace to move. Discuss the shape of a lower caseletter r. Discuss the starting point and the directionof pencil movement. Write a large lower case letter ron the sidewalk with chalk and ask for volunteers towalk along the r in the same way that they wouldwrite the letter. Use three beanbags and place one atthe start and end points of the letter r and also atthe turning point. Explain to students that they aregoing to run in some relay races in the shape of alower case letter r. Divide students into small groups.For each group, place three beanbags in position.Students start at the beginning where the first beanbag will be. They then run or skip down and touchthe second bean bag, and then move up and acrossto touch the third beanbag. Each student will form alower case letter r before tapping the next person onthe hand to indicate that it is their turn.

Starts with Show students Worksheet R p. 41. Read theworksheet aloud without saying the missing letter.Ask the students what is missing. After writing ineach r, have the students say the complete wordtogether. Read the completed worksheet again.Students can practice writing the letter r on thebottom line. Challenge students to make a patternusing upper and lower case rs.

Craft ideasHelp students make red rabbit ears fromconstruction paper. Attach to a head band. Studentswear their rabbit ears while undertaking /r/ activities.

Teaching notesThe Queen’s questionRabbit on a raft

40

Name

Worksheet Q The Queen’s question


Qq

?

Name

Worksheet R Rabbits on a raft


Fill in the missing letters.

A __ __ iver

A __ __ abbit on a __ __ aft

A __ __ abbit and a __ __ at on a __ __ aft

__ __ ed __ __ at and __ __ abbit __ __ un.

Write R and r five times each.

Silly seagullsTalking tigers

42

Silly seagullsLooks likeIf you have access to sand, allow students to practicemaking small sandcastles in the shape of the letter s.Alternatively, ask students to ‘write’ the letter s inthe sand using their pointer fingers. Remind studentsof the starting point and of the shape of the letter.Have students practice writing the letter s ondifferent surfaces such as the desk, the carpet andtheir friend’s back with their fingers.

Starts withDisplay the appropriate page from the big book. Playa game of I Spy with students using only the sound/s/. Have students find pictures and words that startwith /s/.

Wonderful wordsWrite some innovations of the text from Sillyseagulls. Provide examples such as: Silly snail sings a song.Six silly snails sing along.Seven silly snails singing in the sun Show students Worksheet S p. 43. Ask them tocomplete their own silly sentences by filling in thegaps and then drawing illustrations to match. Thenoun students use must start with s. Encourage morecapable students to substitute a word for ‘silly’ as well.

Talking tigersLooks likeUse two toothpicks to make a lower case and then acapital t. Students talk about other ways they canmake the shape of t, preferably using objects thatstart with /t/.

Starts withStudents work in small groups. Each group finds tenthings in the classroom that start with /t/. Place theseitems on a table. Encourage students to play aguessing game. They take turns giving clues such as:“I’m thinking of something on the table that startswith /t/, its got wheels and it moves on a track.”

Wonderful wordsShow students Worksheet T p. 44. They will cut outthe words at the bottom of the page, then matcheach of these words to the ones in the sentenceabove. Encourage students to look at the shape andthe length of words. Talk about longer and shorterwords. Discuss words with capitals, or other tallletters, and words with periods after them. Helpstudents read the sentence and ask them to draw apicture to match it in the box provided. Students canfill the border with letter ts. Remind students of thecorrect way to form t.

Making noisesTell students that they need to imagine that tigerscan talk. Ask two students to take on the role oftigers. Explain to students that when tigers talk, theyonly use words that start with /t/. Have the studentsconduct a funny conversation where every wordbegins with t. Allow students to have fun by havinga ‘normal’ conversation but substituting the firstsound of each word for /t/. For example:‘tello’ (hello)‘tello’ (hello)‘tow tare tou?’ (How are you?)‘ti’m tell tanks’. (I’m well thanks.)

Teaching notes

Name

Worksheet S Silly seagulls


Silly ______________________sings a song.

Six silly ______________________sing along.

Seven silly ______________________singing in the sun

Color the pictures that start with s.

44

Name

Worksheet T Talking tigers


Two tiny tigers use toothpaste.

toothpaste. Two tigers tiny use

t

T

T

t

Cut out the words at the bottom ofthe page. Glue them in the rightspaces. Draw a picture to match. Fillthe border with T and t.

45

Under umbrellasOdd one outHelp students distinguish the sounds of /a/ and /u/.Tell them that you are going to say three words.Students need to listen to the first sounds andchoose the one that is different. Use these sets ofthree words: umbrella, under, apple; ant, us, and; up,ugly, antelope; umpire, animal, upside-down.

Craft ideasHave students paint or draw themselves holding anumbrella. When these are dry, cut them out. Overlapthe pictures and paste them together in a collage.The overall image will be one of a crowd of childrenunder umbrellas. Write “Look at us” as a title for thedisplay.

Starts withShow students Worksheet U p. 46. Students willwrite the letter u on top of the upside-downumbrellas. Students should circle the words with acapital u at the bottom of the page.

Looks likeLet your students go on a U Hunt. Give students avariety of printed materials (magazines, newspapers,junk mail), scissors, glue, and a piece of constructionpaper. Tell the students to find all the us they can.Challenge students to find whole words that beginwith the letter u. Cut them out and glue them to theconstruction paper.

Vegetables in a vanLooks likeDiscuss with students the similarities and differencesbetween the formation of the letter v and the lettersw and u. Take students outside and have them workin small groups to form the letter v with their bodies.

Making noisesPlay a game of Traffic Lights. Take students outsideor into a hall for this game. Ask them to pretendthat they are the driver of the van full of vegetables.They need to make /v/ noises to indicate when theirvan is moving. Students ‘drive’ their van around thespace. When you call out ‘red’ drivers must stop theirvan as if at a red light. When you say ‘green’ driversdrive around making ‘vvvvvv’ noises.

Craft ideasThis activity could be set as a homework activity.Otherwise, ask for help from family and communitymembers and have students work in small groupsunder supervision. Show students a selection ofvegetables and have them make a vegetable personor animal. Students can attach ‘body parts’ usingtoothpicks or strong glue.

Beginning soundShow students Worksheet V p. 47. Each pair ofstudents will need two counters, Worksheet V, and adie with the numbers 1 to 3 on it. Students take turnsrolling the die and moving the counter accordingly.When they land on a picture, they must say the nameof the picture aloud. If it is a word that starts with v,they can have another turn. If not, they go back 2places. Play continues until one student reaches theend.

Teaching notesUnder umbrellasVegetables in a van

46

Name

Worksheet U Under umbrellas


Write a u on the upside-down umbrellas.

Circle the capital U in these words:Uncle up under Umbrella

Name

Worksheet V Vegetables in a van


Roll the die. Move your counter.If the picture starts with the letter v,take another turn. I f it doesn’t, goback 2 spaces.

STA

R

T E

N

D

Wet whalesX as in fox

48

Wet whalesLooks likeHave students talk about the similarities between theshape of the letter w and the shape of waves. Drawa wave shape along a board and then ask studentsto find ws within these wave shapes. Allow studentsto go outside and ‘paint’ waves and ws on the wallsor sidewalk with water. Make sure that students areforming the letter correctly and starting in thecorrect place. Next, show students Worksheet Wp. 49. Explain that they need to circle the letter w.Then students complete the words at the bottom bywriting ws on the lines provided.

Making noisesStudents use their finger to draw a wave shape inthe air. While drawing the shape, encourage them tosay ‘wwwww’. As their finger makes the upwardwave the www sound can get higher. As their fingermakes the downward shape, the www sound canget deeper. This activity could be repeated bychildren standing in a circle and moving their bodieslike a wave as they say the www sound.

Wonderful wordsHave students locate the question marks in the textof Wet whales (pages 2 and 12). They ‘write’question marks with their fingers on the floor infront of them and on their knees. Talk to studentsabout the differences between a question and astatement. Tell them that lots of questions beginwith words that start with /w/. Make a list of theseon paper. Examples might include: who, what, why,where, when, would, will. Students think ofquestions that begin with each of these words.

X as in foxIn the alphabetHave students say the alphabet aloud. Commentabout where x lies. Students should recognize that x,y and z are the last three letters of the alphabet andthat x is the third to the last letter. Show studentsthe position of x in a dictionary and telephone book.

Odd one outAsk students to listen to the position of the /x/ in thewords in X as in fox. Talk about /x/ at the end and inthe middle of words. Ask students to listen to threewords and work out which is the odd one out. Usethe following examples: fox, box, exit; exercise, ox,six; foxes, fox, mix.

Looks likeShow students Worksheet X p. 50. Read each wordaloud without the missing letter x. Have the studentssay the x sound as a class. Half the class says thebeginning of the word and then the other half saysthe x sound. Now ask what word they made. Havestudents write xs in the blanks. At the bottom of thepage have students sound out the names of thepictures and write the letters on the lines.

X marks the spotCreate a map of the classroom or playground. Makemultiple copies. On each map, mark a different spotwith an x. Give the maps to small groups of studentsand have them find where x marks the spot. Youmay want to hide a small token or treat at eachlocation. Ask students to create treasure maps withtheir own x to mark the sport.

Teaching notes

Name

Worksheet W Wet whales


Circle each w.

Circle each W.

Fill in the missing w.

w v y w o wa x w b w Z

T W M W R W

E Q W S G P

__ __ eb __ __ agon __ __ hale __ __ ave

50

Name

Worksheet X X as in fox


Fill in the missing x.

Write the words.

wa__ __ o__ __ ne__ __ t mi__ __

e__ __ it fi__ __ a__ __ __ __ -ray

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

6

51

Yellow yo-yoLooks likeMake a fresh batch of yellow play dough. Allowstudents to make lower case and capital ys with rollsof play dough. Make sure students understand thecorrect formation of these letters and the correctstarting point.

In the alphabetDiscuss the position of y as the second to the lastletter of the alphabet. Have students turn towardthe back of a dictionary, an encyclopedia or atelephone book to find the words that start with y.

Starts withAsk students to make a list of all the words in Yellowyo-yo that start with /y/. Have students say thesewords aloud and encourage them to emphasize the/y/ sound. Next, show students Worksheet Y p. 52.Explain that they need to read each question andthen answer yes or no.

Craft ideasOn poster board, draw a large yak like the one onthe last page of Yellow yo-yo. Students will paint theyak yellow. Once the paint is dry, have them gluestrands of yellow yarn on the yak to represent itsthick coat.

Zebras in a zooIn the alphabetStudents should recognize that z is the last letter ofthe alphabet. Have students say the alphabet aloudto confirm this. Have students try to say the alphabetbackwards. Use a pointer and an alphabet chart tohelp the students.

Looks likeThe diagonal line of the z can be difficult for somestudents to master. Provide lots of time for studentsto practice forming the letter z. Take studentsoutside with small containers of water and paintbrushes. Allow students to use the water to ‘paint’ zsin as many places as they can find. Students couldhave a competition to see who can paint the largestz before it dries. Students might be encouraged touse square or rectangular shapes such as bricks orpavers to guide them as they write the z shape.

Making noisesHave students work with a partner. One partner canbe the zebra, the other can be the ‘zipperupper’. Asthe zipperupper pretends to zip up their zebra bymoving their hand from the base of the spine to theneck, they can make a zzzzz noise that graduallygets higher. As they unzip their zebra they can makea zzzzz noise that gradually gets lower.

Craft ideasProvide students with strips of black paper and stripsof white paper. Help them make zigzags byconcertina folding each strip. The teacher could drawthe outline of a zebra on paper and have studentsattach their zigzags to the zebra.

Tracing lettersShow students Worksheet Z p. 53. Ask studentswhat animal is on the worksheet. The students willtrace the zs on the zebra. Ask the students whatdesign is on the zebra.

Teaching notesYellow yo-yoZebras in a zoo

52

Name

Worksheet Y Yellow yo-yo


Yes or no?

Do you like yellow? _______________

Do you like yellow yo-yos? _______________

Do you like yellow yolks? _______________

Do you like yellow yogurt? _______________

Do you like yellow yaks? _______________

Draw some more yellow things.

Name

Worksheet Z Zebras in a zoo


Trace the zigzag zebra’s zs.

53

54

Letter cards

A B C D E F

G H I J K L

M N O P Q R

S T U V W X

Y Z

55

a b c d e f

g h i j k l

m n o p q r

s t u v w x

y z


WEBSITESABC Order

http://www.learningplanet.com/act/abcorder.aspStudents click on the correct barrel to put theletters in ABC order.

Alphabet Soup Resourceshttp://www.alphabet-soup.net/resource.html Alphabites gives you a list of activities andlesson ideas for each letter of the alphabet. Aprintable coloring sheet for each letter of thealphabet is provided.

Bembo’s Zoohttp://www.bemboszoo.com/Each letter of the alphabet represents ananimal. The letters of the animal’s name arethen moved around to create a picture ofthe animal.

DLTK’s Alphabuddies Crafts for Kidshttp://www.dltk-kids.com/alphabuddies/This site features lots of printable items, andactivities to go with each letter of thealphabet.

Play Kids Games: Alphabet Gameshttp://www.playkidsgames.comThis site includes a variety of simple alphabetgames that students can play.

Yellowstone Animal Alphabet http://www.nps.gov/yell/kidstuff/Alphabet/Each letter shows you a photograph of ananimal from Yellowstone National Park whosename starts with that letter.

BOOKSCapucilli, Alyssa Satin. Mrs. McTats and Her Houseful

of Cats. New York: Magaret K. McElderryBooks, 2001.Mrs. McTats and her cat Abner open theirhome to twenty-four new cats and a puppy.This book uses watercolor illustrations to teachthe alphabet and counting.

Demarest, Chris L. Firefighters A to Z. New York: M.K. McElderry, 2000.Brightly colored images take readers on a tripthrough the alphabet and a firefighter’s day. Itincludes information about fire safety.

Floca, Brian. The Racecar Alphabet. New York:Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2003.This book explores the alphabet as well as awatercolor history of racecars from 1901 to2001.

Inkpen, Mike. Kipper’s A to Z. San Diego: Harcourt,2001.This humorous alphabet book has Kipper thedog and his friend Arnold the pig looking foran animal for each letter of the alphabet. Theycannot always find an animal, but they alwaysfind something.

Milich, Zoran. The City ABC Book. Toronto: Kids CanPress, 2001.For this wordless book, Milich found eachletter of the alphabet in the Torontolandscape. He presents the images in black andwhite photographs with each letterhighlighted in red.

Most, Bernard. ABC T-Rex. San Diego, CA : Harcourt,2000.Cartoon drawings show a young T-Rex eatinghis way through the alphabet. Acorresponding noun or adjective representseach letter. Pictures of food and objects thatbegin with each letter surround T-Rex.

Pinto, Sara. The Alphabet Room. New York:Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2003.The alphabetical text appears on the left sideof each spread and a large image of acorresponding item appears on a flap on theright. Lifting the flap reveals a room thatslowly fills with the items from the text.

Rose, Deborah Lee. Into the A, B, Sea: An OceanAlphabet. New York: Scholastic Press, 2000.This alphabet book features a sea animal foreach letter of the alphabet.

Seeger, Laura Vaccaro. The Hidden Alphabet.Brookfield, CT: Roaring Brook Press, 2003.This lift-the-flap book highlights one object foreach letter of the alphabet. The picture of theobject becomes part of the letter once the flapis lifted.

Spirin, Gennady. A Apple Pie. New York: PhilomelBooks, 2005.This adaptation of the English nursery rhymeuses Victorian-inspired watercolors to illustrateeach letter of the alphabet. It is possible tofind something new in each intricateillustration every time you read the book.

Additional Resources

funny photo alphabet teaching guide - … yyy zzz name date assessment 8 funny photo alphabet...

Documents