MA Standards:
Foundational Skills/RF.PK.MA.2.c: Identify the initial sound of a spoken word and, with guidance and support, generate several other words that have the same initial sound.
Head Start Outcomes:
Social Emotional Development/Self-Regulation: Follows simple rules, routines, and directions.
Literacy Knowledge/Phonological Awareness: Identifies and discriminates between sounds and phonemes in language, such as attention to beginning and ending sounds of words and
recognition that different words begin or end with the same sound.
Literacy Knowledge/Alphabet Knowledge: Attends to the beginning letters and sounds in familiar words.
PreK Learning Guidelines:
English Language Arts/Reading and Literature 8: Listen to, identify, and manipulate language sounds to develop auditory discrimination and phonemic awareness.
Word Play: Simon Says: /s/
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Gross Motor Skills, Phonological Awareness, Follow Directions
Gather children in a circle and stand in the center of the circle to demonstrate the activity.
- Explain to children that you are going to play a game with them.
- Tell children that you will be Simon and they are to follow what you say to do. Say, I am going to say some words that begin with the letter /s/ sound and you have to act them out. Ready?
- Say, “Simon says act silly!” (sing, skip, snort, snooze, sneeze)
Encourage children to take over as Simon once they understand the game. You may want to review other letters as you play.
Educator Tip: Guided and independent letter, sound, and word practice continues to take place in center activities. It is helpful to set up the literacy center immediately after the direct instruction and repeat instruction before children work in the literacy center identifying letters.