Letters & Literacy

Letters & Literacy

Additional Literacy Experiences for the Gee Whiz Unit "Make It Move"

? 2021, Gee Whiz Education, LLC

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Important Information

The following experiences are designed to complement the November 2021 Gee Whiz teaching unit, "Make It Move." These experiences are not required! Instead, they are a tool you can use to integrate an exposure of letter names, letter sounds and creative writing into the curriculum IF you feel your children are ready. This website has great information on print and alphabet knowledge. There are four sections to explore: KNOW, SEE, DO, IMPROVE. Check it out: effective-practice-guides/print-alphabet-knowledge

Keep in mind that children develop at their own rates. Many four and even five-year-olds may not be ready to identify letters and this is OK. You need to think about each individual child and his/her level of development. These activities and experiences should only be used with those children who you feel are ready to explore letter concepts.

Additionally, to make sure that you are exposing children to letter names, letters sounds and writing in a meaningful way, this document provides suggested times when we feel it would be meaningful to do so.

? 2021, Gee Whiz Education, LLC

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Letter Exposure Activities for "Make It Move"

Activity Title

Page #

Letter(s) to Integrate

How?

Movin' to the Music

5

Fast & Slow Fingers

7

Little Jump! Big Jump!

9

? 2021, Gee Whiz Education, LLC

During this experience, the children will explore how

they use their muscles when moving to music. This

opens the door for you to incorporate the letter M.

M

After the children move, print the words muscles,

move and music on a sheet of paper while children

watch. Name each letter as you write it. What do the

children notice that is the same about all of the words?

Hopefully, they will notice that they all begin with the

same letter ... M. Next, have the children use blocks

or blue painter's tape to construct a giant letter M on

the floor. Then, turn on music and invite the children to

move around the letter M. Can they think of any ways

they could move their bodies that also start with the

letter M? (hint ... march).

Many different letters

(children's choice)

This experience invites children to move their fingers as they fingerpaint. For children who are ready, writing in fingerpaint is a great way to explore writing letters or even their names. After children finish creating, provide them with additional paper and fingerpaint that they can use to practice writing letters. Keep in mind that each child will write what is developmentally appropriate for him/her. This means that some children may only be able to write one letter while more advanced children may be able to write many (or even their names). As the children write with their fingers, talk about how they are moving them as they do so.

J + letters you choose

During this experience, the children with move their bodies using the large muscles in their legs as they jump from X to X. If you have children who are developmentally ready, instead of simply using Xs, use letters instead. Use the first letter in each child's name as a starting point. Before the children begin jumping from letter to letter, print the word jump on a sheet of paper. Name each letter as you write it. Do any of the children have a name that begins with the same sound? What other words can the children name that also begin with the sound J makes? Then, have the children move along the letter path ... making big and little jumps. As they land on letters, see if they can name them. Record this information in each child's developmental record. You may want to add video as well.

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Letter Exposure Activities for "Make It Move"

Activity Title On Target

Make It Roll My Own Wheeled Vehicle

Page # 11

13 17

Letter(s) to Integrate

How?

Letters in the words in and

out

During this experience, the children will attempt to toss or kick balls into a target. This is the perfect experience for creating a data chart. To begin, print the words in and out at the top of a large sheet of white paper. Name each letter as you write it OR (if the children are developmentally ready), challenge them to name the letters for you. Draw a line down the middle between the two words. Then, after each child tosses or kicks his/her ball, record how many balls went into the target and how many misses. You can do this using tally marks or numerals. Have the children use the chart to compare that data when the experience is over. Did the number of balls landing in the target get bigger or smaller as they practiced more? Why do the children think this is?

Letters children choose

During the experience, children will roll playdough into balls and "snakes." As part of this experience, with children who are developmentally ready, see if they can then shape the "snakes" they create into letters. This is an excellent experience for you to sit back and observe. Now would be a great time to record an anecdotal note about each child as well. Talk with the children as they create letters. Why did they choose to create the letters they did? Were some letters easier to create than others? Why do they think that is? Their answers to these questions will give you keen insight into their knowledge of letter and their thinking process.

During this experience, the children use construction

toys to build their own wheeled vehicles. After the

children complete their wheeled vehicles, it is time to

write about them. For most children, you will want to

have them dictate to you. As you write down what they

say about their wheeled vehicles, be sure to talk about

letter names, letter sounds, words, sentences and even

Many different punctuation. Keep in mind that some children may have

letters

a lot to say about their vehicles while others may have

very little. That is OK! Once you finish writing down what

each child has to say about his/her vehicle, be sure to

read it back to him/her as you point to the words. Then,

after all of the children finish their vehicles, plan a time

for them to present them to the group. This will provide

these children with the opportunity to hone their oral

communication skills while talking about something they

created.

? 2021, Gee Whiz Education, LLC

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