- Between the Lions alphabet chart
- letter card “Kk”
- modeling clay
- pipe cleaners
- plastic straws cut into long and short pieces
- shaving cream
- middle
- slanted
- straight
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.
Letter Shaping (“Kk”)
© 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
Educator Prep: Print out the Between the Lions alphabet chart or create an alphabet chart on chart paper.
Display the letter “Kk” card. Trace over both the lowercase “k” and the uppercase “K” to show children how to form the letters. Model how to use the materials to shape each letter. Ask, How many pieces will I need to make the uppercase “K”? Yes, I will need three pieces because there are three lines. How many pieces will I need to make the lowercase “k”? Help children note that the lowercase “k” is not exactly like the uppercase “K.” They both have three lines, but the two lines on the side touch the tall line differently.
Adaptation: Adapt the materials used for shaping if younger children will be working individually. Use dough in place of modeling clay and large pieces of straws and popsicle sticks in place of pipe cleaners and short straws.