- Between the Lions alphabet chart (or similar)
- name chart (a simple list of children’s names)
- sound
MA Standards:
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.
Learn About Letters Together: Letters in Our Names (“Nn”)
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Letter Recognition, Name Recognition
Educator Prep: Print out the Between the Lions alphabet chart or create an alphabet chart on chart paper.
Use the “Letters in Our Name” routine to help children recognize the letter “Nn” in their names.
- After finishing the routine, ask children with a letter “Nn” in their names to make a sound using one part of their bodies (clap, pat, etc.) Have all other children repeat the sounds.
Letters in Our Name Routine
Help children find the target letter “Nn” in their names.
- Hold up the letter card and say what letter it is. Ask children what they notice about the shape of the big, uppercase letter and the little, lowercase letter. Ask, Do they look the same? How are they different?
- Invite children to find the letter on an alphabet chart. Move your hand along all the letters, beginning with “Aa,” and ask children to tell you when you touch the target letter. You can also ask a volunteer to come up to the chart and touch the letter.
- Invite children to look at the name chart. Ask if anyone has the target letter in his or her name. If so, point to the name on the chart and talk about the location of the letter and whether it is an uppercase letter or a lowercase letter.
- Remind children that we always use the uppercase letter when we write the first letter of our names.
- Ask if anyone else has the letter in his or her name and repeat the process.
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.