- alphabet chart
- highlighter marker
- letter card “Ee”
- word card engine
MA Standards:
English Language Arts/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:
Literacy Knowledge/Alphabet Knowledge: Recognizes that letters of the alphabet have distinct sound(s) associated with them.
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: Target Letter (“Ee”) and Word (engine)
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Alphabet Awareness, Letter Recognition, Word Recognition
Tell children they are going to learn about the letter “Ee” and the word engine. Use the “Target Letter and Word” routine to introduce children to the letter and word.
Target Letter and Word Routine
Introduce children to the target letter by showing them the letter in context of the target word.
- Hold up the target word card. Point to the letters as you say the word.
- Talk about the meaning of the word.
- Point to the first letter of the word as you say the name of the letter aloud. Highlight the letter in a different color.
- Cover all of the letters following the first letter on the word card. Focus children’s attention on the letter. Ask what they notice about the shape of the letter.
- Ask, Does it have straight lines? Curved lines? Both straight and curved lines?
- Hold up the letter card. Talk about the difference between the lowercase and uppercase letters. Say, The uppercase “E” and the lowercase “e” look different. One has all straight lines, and the other has mostly curved lines. Can you tell me which one has all straight lines? Have children find the letter on an alphabet chart.
- Introduce children to the sound the letter makes. Emphasize the /e/ sound at the beginning of the target word.
English Language Learners: Ask children to give a word in their home language that begins with the same initial /e/ sound they hear in the vocabulary term engine.
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.