- Between the Lions alphabet chart
- craft sticks (piles of large and small)
- glue
- letter card “Xx”
- square box with the letter “X” written on the top (corners of “X” touch corners of the box)
- tape
- yarn
- corner
- cross
- middle
- slanted line
- square
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/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.
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.
“Xx” Hangings
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
Skill Focus: Fine Motor Skills, Letter Formation, Letter Recognition, Vocabulary
Display the letter “Xx” card. As you trace over both the lowercase and uppercase “Xx,” ask children to imagine a square box (or hold up the box and trace along the box). Demonstrate the steps you take as you write the letter. Say, First, I start at the upper left corner and draw a slanted line to the lower right corner. Then say, Then you make another slanted line from the upper right corner to the lower left. Emphasize how the two lines cross in the middle.
Have children make “Xx” hangings by gluing together craft sticks. Focus their attention on the size of the craft stick needed to make an uppercase and a lowercase “Xx.” Tape a piece of yarn on each “Xx” and hang them around the room.
English Language Learners: If children are having trouble understanding what is meant by slanted, draw an example for them. Have children trace the drawn line with their fingers as you have them say the word slanted.