ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Needs Assessment/Rational

I feel that kindergarten students are expected to know a lot more now than they did 10-15 years ago. I would like to develop lessons that foster the child’s ability to comprehend these skills that are necessary before they transition on to first grade. When reviewing last years test results on the Metropolitan Early Childhood Assessment Program, I noted that approximately 21% of my students left kindergarten in the below average range in beginning consonants. I need to develop activities that will assist those children that are not mastering the beginning consonant sounds. After attending the IRA Reading conference, I noticed lots of stress placed upon phonemic awareness and the success with reading in the later grades. I feel even more strongly now that this component of language must start developing in kindergarten for a child to become a fluent reader as they grow older. With this knowledge, I feel that this unit of instruction will enhance my students language skills, which are proven to be critical in the early years.

Equipment/Materials Needed

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: I would like for my students to recognize and name all 26 letters of the alphabet and know their corresponding sounds. Once they have mastered those skills, I would like to see them putting the sounds together in a meaningful way to make words and sentences. I also want my students to understand the value of written and spoken language as it goes way beyond the kindergarten experience.  Goal(s): The students will say the alphabet. The students will recognize the letters of the alphabet. The students will name all of the letters of the alphabet. The students will correspond the letter to its associating sound. The students will begin to put the sounds together to make simple words

Questions Answered

Essential questions: How many letters are in the alphabet? Why are letters important on our world? What can we do with the letters of the alphabet? What does each letter have that is important to us? Why is it important for us to learn the sounds of the letters? ! Objectives:The students will sing the alphabet song daily to understand the order of the letters. The students will identify letters of the alphabet by looking at flashcards. The students will write the letters of the alphabet in order on a white board with guidance from an alphabet chart. The students will identify letters in printed material through daily charting. The students will state the sound that associates with each letter by looking at flashcards. The students will place an object in a tub that begins with that letter. The students will write the letters of the alphabet in random order during quarter testing. The students will begin to put letters together to form words by using magnetic letters and magnetic boards.

Assessment

What quiz and test items e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? As per teacher observation, can the student sing the alphabet song? As per teacher questioning, can the student name the uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet by looking at flashcards? As per teacher observation, can the student identify letters in print? As per teacher testing through quarter testing, can the student write letters of the alphabet in random order? As per teacher observation, can the student put the correct object in the correct tub that begins with that letter? As per computer lab sessions, the student will complete the Essential Skills program by working at their own pace. As per teacher observation, can the student tell me why learning the alphabet is important in our world. What academic prompts (e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? Most of the assessments that take place in kindergarten are teacher observations. I will ask the students to list as many items as they can that begin with a certain letter and we will write them down. I will also give the students a few words to listen to and they will have to pick out the one that does not begin with the letter of the week. What performance tasks and projects (e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding? The students will have to find objects at home to bring that begin with the letter of the week and talk about it for show-n-tell. They will also be assigned to find all the letters they can in any kind of print. They will then report back to class with all of the letters they found and where they may have found them (ex. a S in a STOP sign) What other evidence (e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? Again, most of kindergarten assessment is done in the form of teacher observation and classroom participation. I ask my students lots of questions and this will assist me in assessing my students on what they have learned. I collect some samples of work for parent conferences or student produced books. I also check their papers periodically during a work time so if they are not understanding a concept we can cover it again to make sure they understand it. During computer lab sessions, I will have the students print their work off and we will review it when we get back to class or share it with the class.

Instructional Strategies

A project-based approach will work best in my kindergarten classroom. Kindergarten students need a lot of hands on activities that encourage movement and their own personal creativity. I plan activities such as “Caps for Sale” for the letter C where the students each make their own personal cap and we act out the story “Caps for Sale” by getting up on the tables and throwing down out caps. I will periodically stop the lesson and ask the kids why we are doing this and what other letters could we be learning about with this one activity. After the activity, the student would be required to write the letter C and the word cap would be written on the word wall. Students will also be asked to complete a project like a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom tree. I will give them a package of alphabet stickers and they will be required to find the sticker that I call out and place it on their own personal tree that they had previously created. Young children need lots of hands-on activities, thus I try to create my lessons around this concept