Subject:         Language Arts
Topic:            Letter Recognition and Letter Sounds
Grade Level:  Kindergarten
Student Lesson name and URL:

Kindergarten
Language Arts: 
1.6 Recognize and name all uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet. 
1.14 Match all consonant and short vowel sounds to appropriate letters.  

1. Students will be able to attach a clothespin labeled with the letters from A-Z to a sentence strip marked with the letters from A-Z.  If appropriate, the children will use clothes pins marked with lower case letters to a sentence strip marked with capital letters from A-Z.
2. Students will think of words that begin with a given letter by playing "Move Along."
3. Students will be able to fill out their own Alphabet BINGO game card and successfully play the game.
4. Students will think of many words that begin with a particular letter sound in the game "Circle of Knowledge." 
5. Students will create an alphabet book of their own.

Introductory Activity

• Set up a bulletin board using a flower that has the partner capital and lower case letter for each letter of the alphabet at the center of the flower.  Put leaves with words that begin with that letter on the stem of the appropriate flower.  Or, take pictures of children in groups whose names begin with the same letter.  Put the pictures under an alphabet strip.

• Place a variety of alphabet books in an accessible and highly visible place and allow time for the students to enjoy them. 

• Preview some alphabet software (See the Resources section):
• Visit some ABC Web Sites (See the Resources Section):

Enabling Activities)

Day 1

• Read Bill Martin's book, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom to the students.
• The students will use clothes pins that are labeled from A-Z and pin them to identical letters on a sentence strip.  If appropriate, have the students use clothes pins that have lower-case letters and pin them to their upper case partners on the sentence strip. (Small group activity)
• Select a few letters and play the game "Move Along."  To play this game, select one student to start at one end of the room.  The student is to think of a word that begins with the given letter.  If the student needs help, she/he may ask someone from the "peanut gallery" (Students raising their hands from their desks).  If the student correctly states a word that begins with the given letter, he/she takes a step forward.  If he/she states a word that does not start with that letter, they take a step backward.  The student may choose to take the advice of the peanut gallery participant or choose someone else.  Once the student crosses the finish line on the other side of the room, give the entire class a reinforcer such as a sticker. (Small group or whole class activity).

• Play Alphabet BINGO.  To play: Have the children fill in their choice of letters onto a nine-box grid.  Use an overhead projector to write the letters that you call.  The students cover the corresponding letters on their cards with markers as they are called.  When they get a line of letters covered (either diagonally or horizontally), they yell, "BINGO!"  They then repeat back their cards.  If they indeed got a BINGO, give them a reinforcer.  (Small group or whole class activity).
• Play Circle of Knowledge:  Assign a letter of the alphabet to the whole class. To play, divide the class into small groups and assign one person in the group as the "Speaker."  Each group must form a circle.  The children must take turns within their group stating a word that begins with that letter.  The children must record their answer by making a picture, or using invented spelling if they cannot write the word.  All answers must be recorded somehow (You can walk around and help).  After about 10-15 minutes get the students' attention.  The speaker will read the answers given by the group.  Record the student's answers on the board by group.  If there are any duplicate answers, cross them out.  The team with the most words that begin with the given letter wins.

• Create an alphabet book.  This task may take a few class periods.  To make the book print out the pages supplied at alphabet_book.  The students should copy the letter in the appropriate blank and supply an illustration.  You may help them with the word blank if necessary, or let the students use created spelling. To add even more interest, allow the children to look in a clip art program, or visit a graphics site such as gograph.com and print out pictures that they like to paste into their books.
• Create Rhythm Instruments: Decorate paper plates using alphabet stamps.  Staple them almost shut.  Fill with dried beans.  Reread the book and allow the students to shake their instruments in rhythm with the text. An alternative instrument can be made by using a rubber band to hold a peice of paper on to the end of a toilet paper roll.  Fill this with dried beans and secure another small piece of paper on the top with another rubber band. 
• Enjoy the taped version of the book which is read by Ray Charles.  This book/tape set is available at Barnes and Noble.  There are some nice songs on the tape during which the students can enjoy their newly created instuments.

Culminating Activity

• Administer a letter recognition test and a letter sound test to each child.

• Administer a letter recognition test and a letter sound Pre and Post Test.

Introductory Activity
Alphabet Software:
A to Zap! by Sunburst Communications
Alphabet Soup by Sequoia International
Elmo's Preschool by Creative Wonders
Franklin's Reading World by Sanctuary Woods
Grandma Ollies Morphabet Soup by Kinderactive
Kid Phonics by Davidson
Let's Go Read! An Island Adventure by Edmark
Let's Go Read! 2: An Ocean Adventure By Edmark
Let's Start Learning by The Learning Company
Millie & Bailey Kindergarten by Edmark
Reading Blaster Jr. by Davidson & Associates

ABC Web Sites:
ALFY--The Web Portal for Kids
www. alfy.com

Animabets Character Book
www. animabets. com/charbook/contents.html

Children's Television Workshop
www.ctw.org

Cozy Corner for Kids
www.meginc. com/newkids/preschool.html

Disney's Mouse House, Jr.
disney.go.com/mousehousejr/today/index.html

Free Worksheets--Ages 4-6
www.freeworksheets.com/sub_cat1.asp?cat=Ages4to6

Funschool
www.funschool.com

Kids Domain Online Games
www.kidsdomain.com/games/online.html

KinderArt Littles: Early Childhood Activities
www.bconnex.net/~jarea/litles.htm

Little Explorers
www.EnchantedLearning.com/Dictionary.html

Preschool Playground
www.ctw.org/preschool/guide/

Reading Rainbow
gpn.unl.edu/rainbow/

Seussville University
www.randomhouse.com/kids

Theodore Tugboat: Interactive Stories
www.cochran.com/theodore/activities/interactive stories/

A World of Kindergartens
www.iup.edu/~njyost/KHI/KHI.htmlx

Enabling Activity
List and link the web resources for your learning activity(ies) here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.

Culminating Activity
List and link the web resources for this activity here. Also link supplementary materials such as PDF files and /or document files.