Have you posted a video of your revised Name Game later in the school year? I would love to see what it looks like after the halfway point of the year. I'm especially interested in seeing what it would look like if the name ended in a silent e
I will video the Name Game again soon. I doubt there will be a silent e on the end (it’s random), but I can tell you that we just stick it on the end with no line under it (a line represents a sound).
These names are perfect for teaching that letter a can make the /u/ sound! Count the sounds in the name, for example four in Lennah. Draw four lines. Determine the letters to be used. Both n’s share one line. Good time to talk about “doubles.” Kids love doubles. When you get to the /u/ sound explain that a can be used to spell /u/. If your class does not already know this, you can put a heart under it and say that it is “weird” and “a hard part to remember by heart.” Stick the h on the end (with no line under it) since it’s not making a sound. You can put a heart under it too. This is how we do it with Mariah in my class.
Super! Thank you. We know the a can make the u sound, but I wasn't sure how to explain the silent h. I so appreciate how quick you are to respond to questions! Your site has been invaluable to me, and I'm a 20 year veteran teacher!
I'm trying to think of which video you watched. Probably round one. Round two is harder, not sure if a sub should try it. You will count the phonemes in the student's name and write that many dashes on the board. Then, you talk about what letter should be used for each sound. (Map the letters onto the sounds; this promotes orthographic mapping.) We have been putting stars under the letters that make sense and hearts under the "hard part to remember by heart." Some names are really tricky. For example, I had Dakota today. It looked like this: five sounds --> Dkota. We squeezed the silent a (I know it' a schwa but we don't talk about that in kindergarten) in and also talked about how we were using t for the d sound. It can be complicated for the teacher, let alone a sub!
I just saw this comment & realized it addresses what I just asked in my comment. My students are ready to be only given the number of phonemes and then map the letters onto the sounds. I would love to see you in action doing this!
Great question! If it lands on someone who has already has their first turn, then they will pass it to the next person (and maybe the next, and maybe the next) until someone who hasn't had their first turn is holding it. The kids get good at understanding how my Busy Bee chart works and they will soon be very aware of whether they've had their second turn, third turn, etc. Some of the other kids keep track of their classmates, too. That is my plan so far. Any better ideas? Let me know!
Also, I will make another video of the name game in a couple weeks after we've switched to the second round through the names. Things change after everyone has had their first turn.
Have you posted a video of your revised Name Game later in the school year? I would love to see what it looks like after the halfway point of the year. I'm especially interested in seeing what it would look like if the name ended in a silent e
I will video the Name Game again soon. I doubt there will be a silent e on the end (it’s random), but I can tell you that we just stick it on the end with no line under it (a line represents a sound).
I started doing this and am down to a few names that I don't know how to explain. How do you explain the ah at the end of Lennah, Jonah, Marlah?
These names are perfect for teaching that letter a can make the /u/ sound! Count the sounds in the name, for example four in Lennah. Draw four lines. Determine the letters to be used. Both n’s share one line. Good time to talk about “doubles.” Kids love doubles. When you get to the /u/ sound explain that a can be used to spell /u/. If your class does not already know this, you can put a heart under it and say that it is “weird” and “a hard part to remember by heart.” Stick the h on the end (with no line under it) since it’s not making a sound. You can put a heart under it too. This is how we do it with Mariah in my class.
Super! Thank you. We know the a can make the u sound, but I wasn't sure how to explain the silent h. I so appreciate how quick you are to respond to questions! Your site has been invaluable to me, and I'm a 20 year veteran teacher!
Thanks, Stephanie! So glad it’s helpful.
What's your plan for the next round? I'm writing up substitute plans and we'll be in the next round!
I'm trying to think of which video you watched. Probably round one. Round two is harder, not sure if a sub should try it. You will count the phonemes in the student's name and write that many dashes on the board. Then, you talk about what letter should be used for each sound. (Map the letters onto the sounds; this promotes orthographic mapping.) We have been putting stars under the letters that make sense and hearts under the "hard part to remember by heart." Some names are really tricky. For example, I had Dakota today. It looked like this: five sounds --> Dkota. We squeezed the silent a (I know it' a schwa but we don't talk about that in kindergarten) in and also talked about how we were using t for the d sound. It can be complicated for the teacher, let alone a sub!
I just saw this comment & realized it addresses what I just asked in my comment. My students are ready to be only given the number of phonemes and then map the letters onto the sounds. I would love to see you in action doing this!
Coming soon (to a theater near you).😀
How do you make sure kids aren't chosen a second time before others?
Great question! If it lands on someone who has already has their first turn, then they will pass it to the next person (and maybe the next, and maybe the next) until someone who hasn't had their first turn is holding it. The kids get good at understanding how my Busy Bee chart works and they will soon be very aware of whether they've had their second turn, third turn, etc. Some of the other kids keep track of their classmates, too. That is my plan so far. Any better ideas? Let me know!
That is just what I had decided to do! Pass it along!
I love your name game! Do you possibly have a video of how it looks at the beginning of the year? I am planning on implementing it this year!
I have footage and will post it on Wednesday!
Bless you!!! Thank you so much!!!
You are so welcome. Video coming soon.
Would love to see this too!
Try this https://busybeekindergarten.substack.com/p/the-name-game-video?r=dzflv&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&utm_source=copy
Also, I will make another video of the name game in a couple weeks after we've switched to the second round through the names. Things change after everyone has had their first turn.