Kimberly Granato

EDR 317
Fly Swatter
Grade: Kindergarten
Objectives:
Students will be able to identify the upper/lower case letters of the alphabet when they
are called out by hitting it with a fly swatter.
Students will be able to recognize and state the sounds that individual letters make.
Students will be able to state words that begin with a certain letter that is given to them.
Formative and Summative Assessment:
Students will be assessed formatively by observing which flower they go to and hit with
the fly swatter. Make sure to keep a record of which flowers the students hit, and
whether or not they got the answer correct with the form provided below.
Materials/Standards:
CC.1.1.K.B - Recognize and name all upper and lower case letters of the alphabet.
Flowers with upper/lower case letters and sight words printed on them
Fly Swatters
Sheet with the letters/words written out for reader
Instructional card
Introduction:
Introduce the activity by asking the students if they can say the sound a letter makes
and a word that begins with that letter. This will get the students thinking about the
alphabet and the individual sounds.
Before we start the activity, I am going to give you a challenge! I am going to say the
name of a letter and when it is your turn, you will say the sound that the letter makes
and then if you can think of one, a word that begins with that letter. Before you say the
sound or word out loud, I want you to think about it first and lock it in your brains so you
remember it for later when we start the game!
Teaching Model:

Demonstrate for the students how you want them to respond to your question about
what sound a letter makes and a word that begins with it. When saying a word, try to
say a word that they have been learning and reviewing. If not, make sure that it is grade
appropriate.
Before you each get a turn, I am going to demonstrate the challenge so you know what
to do. I am going to ask myself what sound the letter L makes and then a word that
also starts with it. Before I shout out the answer, I am going to think hard about it and
lock it in my brain so I remember it for later. Now, I am going to say the sound it
makes.L, and a word that starts with it, which is Look.

Guided Practice:
Once the students have completed the challenge, start explaining the activity to them.
While explaining the activity, begin laying out the flowers out in front of the students to
minimize transition time between the challenge and the actual activity. Once all of the
flowers are laid out, demonstrate the proper way to play the activity, and lead them
through a practice round. Also explain and demonstrate safety precautions when using
the fly swatters since all of the students are swatting at the same time.
Now that everyone has mastered the challenge, we are going to move on to the activity!
Each of the flowers that I am laying out in front of you has a letter name written on it.
The letter name is written in its upper and lower case form so you can see both. What I
am going to do is say the sound of a letter. Your job is to find the flower that has that
letter name written on it, and swat it with the fly swatter! For example, if I were to say the
letter sound /l/, I am going to think first to myself, which letter makes that sound, then I
am going to lock it in my brain so I remember it for later, and I am going to swat it with
my fly swatter. When you go to use your fly swatter, make sure that none of your
friends are too close to you so you do not accidentally hit them! For example, if I am
standing shoulder to shoulder with Dan, do you think it is a smart idea to try to use my
fly swatter? Or do you think I should be an arms length apart from him? It is best to be
far enough away that you will not hit any friends! Does everyone understand?

Independent Practice and Application:

Begin by saying letter sounds for the students to start the game. Avoid saying the
letters in alphabetical order. This will prevent students from relying on previous
knowledge of the order of the alphabet to play the game. Throughout the activity
observe the students and take note of which letters they get correct and those with
which they struggle. If there is a letter that they keep getting incorrect, make note of it
and call it out more frequently. Check for understanding at the end of the activity.
Closure:
Close up the activity by praising the students on how well they did with recognizing the
letters of the alphabet and the sounds they make. Use the letters the students struggled
with as a way to see if their understanding has improved by the end of the activity. Then
ask the students to share their favorite part of the game.
Good job friends! I had no idea I had alphabet all-stars in my classroom! Since youre
on such a roll with the letters I am going to give you one more challenge and say a letter
for each of you. All you have to do is say the sound that that letter makes for me.
Before we move on to the next activity, I would like each of you to tell me what your
favorite part of that activity was!
Differentiation:
For students who are not comfortable with sight words yet, use the side of the flowers
that contains upper/lower case letters for review. There are also various levels of sight
words to choose from for the students depending on their levels. If the students struggle
more with recognizing the letter from its name, say the letter name. If the students are
struggling more with recognizing the letter from its sound, say the sound. You could
also provide the students with an option to recognize the letter. For example you could
say Does the word cat or dog begin with the letter /c/. If needed, there is the option to
have a student call out the letter names or sounds. This would be a perfect opportunity
for individual practice. Take turns with the students and have them call out five words
each ,then switch.
For the students who are advanced with the sight words, have them use more
challenging sight words with a few lower level ones mixed it. Also have the students
pronounce the word. Another option for advanced students is to call out the ending
sounds of the words.

Reflection on Planning
Planning this activity was a bit challenging in the sense that I do not know the levels of
the students with whom I will be working. Because of this, I tried to think of every option
provided by this activity that would challenge the various levels of students. I also have
to think about the risk factor of giving students fly swatters, for example the students
hitting each other with them, or getting distracted and waving them around. Explain
basic safety rules to them as well. If the fly swatters are too big of a risk for the
students, I will have them use their hands instead. I planned this activity the way that I
did because I thought it would be a fun and interactive way to learn letter names and
sounds.
Reflection on Teaching