Letter Cut-out Exercise

Context:

The goal of my lesson will be to strengthen students knowledge letters, sounds, and words. I

will begin with a pile of cut out pieces of paper with letters written on them. Students will be seated in a

circle around the instructor. The instructor will present students with a slip of paper and ask them to

either name the letter, create that letter sound, and to name a word that starts with that letter. If the

student is able to correctly complete one of these assignments than they will be given to piece of paper

to hold onto. Kindergarten students are at a developmental point at which their understanding of the

alphabet is an essential focus in their learning. The letters printed on the paper will be mostly the ones

already covered by Mrs. Shifflett, with some extras thrown in as a bonus challenge.

Objectives and Assessment:

Developmental Objectives Assessment

The Students will demonstrate their knowledge An observer will mark a tally for each of the three

of the alphabet by completing up to three literacy objectives the student is able to correctly

based objectives after being presented with a complete. The name of the letter, ability to say

piece of paper with a letter written on it. The the letter sound, and creating a word using that

letter name, letter sound, and a word beginning letter. The observer should also mark which

with that letter are the three objectives. letters the student is working with.

Data collection form (tentative letter list):

 Letter Letter Name Letter Sound Word starting with

letter

Related Standards of Learning:

K.7 The student will develop an understanding of basic phonetic principles.

a) Identify and name the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

b) Match consonant, short vowel, and initial consonant digraph sounds to appropriate letters.

Materials needed:

Precut stack of cut out letters (multiple copies in case of damage)

Writing device for observer

Separate assessment sheet (multiple copies)

Procedure:

Preparation of learning environment: On the carpet, have the precut stack of letters face down in a

central location. In between groups the letters will need to be collected from the students, checked for

damage, replaced if necessary, and rearranged face down in the central location. Make sure that the
letters the students have not been introduced to are toward the bottom of the stack so that the bonus

questions comes toward the end of the activity.

Engagement and introduction of the lesson: After having the students sit in a circle on the rug, pick up

one of the pieces of paper and explain the three objectives of the exercise. Tell the students that we will

start with on the student seated to the instructors left and go around in a circle taking turns with each

student being presented with their own letter. Enthusiasm on the part of the instructor is essential to

grab students attention. The instructor may want to ask students what letters they have covered so far

in their classroom before starting to gauge students previous knowledge.

Implementation of the lesson: As each letter is pulled the instructor will ask the student, Can you tell

me the name of this letter? This will be followed by, Can you say the sound this letter makes?

Followed by, Can you create a word that starts with this letter? In between each of these objectives

positive encouragement will be provided for each students answer, correct or incorrect. As students

begin to collect a pile of letters congratulations will be in order to celebrate the letters the students

have accumulated.

Closure: As the activity is wrapping up the instructor will have a quick debrief with students about the

importance of understanding letter sounds and how they are combined to create words. This can be

extended depending on the time.

Clean Up: Cleaning up for this activity consist of regathering the stacks of letters from the students and

combining them into one central stack.

Differentiation:

The nature of the three different assessment categories is designed to create a learning

environment that is suited toward students of varying learning types and ability. Less advanced
students may only be able to name the letter, whereas more proficient students may be able to create a

variety of words using their letters. If students do not seem challenged by naming a word beginning

with their letter, they may be asked to spell the word they create. Spelling the whole word will be a

more enriching experience for those that are especially proficient.

What could go wrong?

There is a possibility that some students will be unable to complete any of the three objectives.

If this occurs than the instructor should provide encouragement to the student and may have to

guide their answers.

If all of the letters slips become damaged or if all replacement slips become damaged a new

sheet may have to be created on the go. A pair of scissors in the classroom should be identified

and the instructor should be ready to whip up new slips on the go if necessary. Again an extra

set of slips will be available so as to reduce the chances of making a new list in the classrooms

If there is a fire-drill ask the students to leave their stacks where they are on the rug and follow

the procedure for evacuation set in place.

If students seem disinterested or distracted, the instructor should do their best to gently remind

the students to stay on task. If students behavior is becoming a serious issue, the classroom

teacher should be informed of the problem.

If there is not enough time to finish the full stack of letters than the activity can should end after

the last student picks up their letter

If the stack of letters have been exhausted and the children have counted up their own stacks,

then the activity should be restarted and repeated.