- bag of magnetic letters
- cookie sheet
- curved
- letter
- straight
MA Standards:
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.1.d: Recognize and name some uppercase letters of the alphabet and the lowercase letters in one’s own name.
Language/L.PK.MA.5.a: Demonstrate understanding of concepts by sorting common objects into categories (e.g., sort objects by color, shape, or texture).
Measurement and Data/PK.MD.MA.3: Sort, categorize, and classify objects by more than one attribute.
Head Start Outcomes:
Literacy Knowledge/Alphabet Knowledge: Recognizes that the letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 7: Develop familiarity with the forms of alphabet letters, awareness of print, and letter forms.
Mathematics/Patterns and Relations 8: Sort, categorize, or classify objects by more than one attribute.
Letter Sort (“Yy”)
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
Skill Focus: Letter Recognition, Sorting, Vocabulary
Spread the magnetic letters on the cookie sheet. Ask children to sort the letters by shape. Say, Which letters have straight lines like the letter “Yy”? Which letters have curved lines? Demonstrate for children by sorting letters into different categories.
Adaptation: For younger children, you may want to limit the number of letters.
English Language Learners: If children are having trouble understanding what is meant by straight and curved lines, draw examples for them or guide their fingers as they draw the lines themselves. Have children trace the drawn lines with their fingers as you have them say the words straight and curved.