- letter cards “D,” “d,” “E,” “e”
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.
Sing Together: “Alphabet Hokey Pokey” #2
© Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Department of Early Education and Care (Jennifer Waddell photographer). All rights reserved.
ELA Focus Skills: Follow Directions, Gross Motor Skills, Letter Recognition, Phonological Awareness
Give each child a letter card. Review the melody and movements of the “Alphabet Hokey Pokey.”
- Ask children who have the letter “Dd” to move their letters in and out of the circle as everyone sings the first verse.
- Then ask children who have the letter “Ee” to move their letters in and out of the circle as everyone sings the second verse.
- Ask all children to move their letters in and out of the circle for the last verse.
Alphabet Hokey Pokey
You put your “Dd”s in, (put hand holding letter in)
You put your “Dd”s out, (pull hand holding letter out)
You put your “Dd”s in, (put hand holding letter in)
And you shake them all about. (shake hand holding letter)
You do the hokey pokey (hands up, wiggle your fingers, wiggle your hips)
And you turn yourself around. (turn around)
And that’s what it’s all about! (clap your hands after last word)
You put your “Ee”s in, (put hand holding letter in)
You put your “Ee”s out, (pull hand holding letter out)
You put your “Ee”s in, (put hand holding letter in)
And you shake them all about. (shake hand holding letter)
You do the hokey pokey (hands up, wiggle your fingers, wiggle your hips)
And you turn yourself around. (turn around)
And that’s what it’s all about! (clap your hands after last word)
You put your “Dd”s and “Ee”s in, (put hand holding letter in)
You put your “Dd”s and “Ee”s out, (pull hand holding letter out)
You put your “Dd”s and “Ee”s in, (put hand holding letter in)
And you shake them all about. (shake hand holding letter)
You do the hokey pokey (hands up, wiggle your fingers, wiggle your hips)
And you turn yourself around. (turn around)
And that’s what it’s all about! (clap your hands after last word)
Adaptation: Simplify for very young children by using just one letter, the “Dd.” Give children either a big uppercase or little lowercase “Dd.” Rephrase the lines to specify put your little "d" in,”or put your big "D" in.
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.