I’m looking back over your posts and shared the link with a new teammate that’s starting next year. I think Afton will love your posts. She’s moving down to kindergarten from 4th grade.
Thank you for your great ideas! I want to use the Name Game this year in my K classroom. A couple of questions - if you start on Day 1 - What does that look like since many children would not know all of the letter sounds - especially long and short vowels....just wondering how you handle it all that first month of school. Thanks.
You can click on the "instructions" for the name game and then you will see that the first time through all the names is different since, like you said, they don't know their letters and sounds yet. It is my second day of kindergarten today (8-12-21) and the Name Game looked like this: pass the puppet around to see who will be the Busy Bee (explained in the post I linked above); say the name slowly and really listen to each sound and feel what our mouths are doing; then I write the name on the board (no guessing letters the first time or even talking in-depth at all about the sounds); talk about which letters are tall, short, hang-down; do a name cheer (explained in the post I linked above). It will look like this for 24 days as we work our way through all students. Then, the second time through the names we will start listening to sounds more carefully and trying to map the letters onto the sounds since they will know some letters and sounds by then. Hope this helps! Give it a try and just keep asking questions if you feel the need!
I’m glad you’re finding it helpful! I don’t have a template; I alternate between two types of days, basically—review all sounds/introduce a new sound/do PA with the new sound and the following day review all sounds/review the new sound/do phonics (writing words) with the new sound. Did you see the post called Phonics Scope and Sequence?
I'm wondering if you're familiar with Fast Track Phonics because they use a similar template. Also, where did you get your alphabet actions/chants? And also, ha, have you tried the Better Alphabet Song from The Secret Stories?
Hello and thank you for your comment. I am not familiar with Fast Track Phonics or any Phonics program, to be honest. I have never been expected or forced to use one and so have developed my own methods and scope and sequence. I made my alphabet cards and can switch them up at any point so I have them pretty much exactly as I want them. They can be shared. have not tried the better alphabet song with my students but I think I checked into it once. Do you like it and recommend it? If so I will check it out.
Up until now, I’ve taught them in order, A-Z. Then I add in digraphs, long vowels, diphthongs, and some vowel teams. I may change this up as I learn more/start experimenting with SoR knowledge. However, how I currently teach phonics works really well so I don’t want to change too much.
Thank you for sharing your alphabet cards!
I’m looking back over your posts and shared the link with a new teammate that’s starting next year. I think Afton will love your posts. She’s moving down to kindergarten from 4th grade.
Awesome! Yes, they should give her a starting point until she’s ready to do her own thing.
Thank you for your great ideas! I want to use the Name Game this year in my K classroom. A couple of questions - if you start on Day 1 - What does that look like since many children would not know all of the letter sounds - especially long and short vowels....just wondering how you handle it all that first month of school. Thanks.
Hello and thank you for your question. Did you see this post? https://busybeekindergarten.substack.com/p/the-name-game-revised
You can click on the "instructions" for the name game and then you will see that the first time through all the names is different since, like you said, they don't know their letters and sounds yet. It is my second day of kindergarten today (8-12-21) and the Name Game looked like this: pass the puppet around to see who will be the Busy Bee (explained in the post I linked above); say the name slowly and really listen to each sound and feel what our mouths are doing; then I write the name on the board (no guessing letters the first time or even talking in-depth at all about the sounds); talk about which letters are tall, short, hang-down; do a name cheer (explained in the post I linked above). It will look like this for 24 days as we work our way through all students. Then, the second time through the names we will start listening to sounds more carefully and trying to map the letters onto the sounds since they will know some letters and sounds by then. Hope this helps! Give it a try and just keep asking questions if you feel the need!
I have been loving your blog! Do you have a lesson plan template you use for your daily phonemic awareness and phonics instruction blocks?
I’m glad you’re finding it helpful! I don’t have a template; I alternate between two types of days, basically—review all sounds/introduce a new sound/do PA with the new sound and the following day review all sounds/review the new sound/do phonics (writing words) with the new sound. Did you see the post called Phonics Scope and Sequence?
I'm wondering if you're familiar with Fast Track Phonics because they use a similar template. Also, where did you get your alphabet actions/chants? And also, ha, have you tried the Better Alphabet Song from The Secret Stories?
Hello and thank you for your comment. I am not familiar with Fast Track Phonics or any Phonics program, to be honest. I have never been expected or forced to use one and so have developed my own methods and scope and sequence. I made my alphabet cards and can switch them up at any point so I have them pretty much exactly as I want them. They can be shared. have not tried the better alphabet song with my students but I think I checked into it once. Do you like it and recommend it? If so I will check it out.
Yes! The scope and sequence is very helpful :)
Oh, good! And it’s constantly evolving. 😀
Would you share the order you teach letters and sounds?
Up until now, I’ve taught them in order, A-Z. Then I add in digraphs, long vowels, diphthongs, and some vowel teams. I may change this up as I learn more/start experimenting with SoR knowledge. However, how I currently teach phonics works really well so I don’t want to change too much.