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Alphabet Addiction!
17 April 2012

Have you downloaded our Alphabet Pattern Block cards yet? They are an absolute hit in our class during literacy rotations!

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The picture at the bottom of the card matches with the picture used on our alphabet desk chart - this helps to further reinforce the students ability to identify the sound the letter makes. As a challenge for this activity the students sometimes make their letter next to the picture card.

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Remember to keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan!

Top Teacher xx

Syl - la - bles
14 April 2012

Hearing and identifying syllables in words will be a main focus in my Kindy class this term. We will work on both aspects of syllabification - blending parts together to form a word (e.g. r-a-t the word is rat) and identifying the "beats" in words. In order to master this skill the students will require lots of time and opportunities! I find that short sharp sessions which allow all students to participate are ideal for teaching this skill.

One of the ways I plan to have the students practise this skill every day is to use these picture cards during transitions.

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Before each transitions the students will be shown a card, they will then have to tap the syllables of the word on their body. I find that body taps are much easier for the students to do as compared to hand claps - sometimes the claps continue long after the word has ended! For those of you who are wondering, body taps work like this: 1 syllable - tap head, 2 syllables - tap head, shoulders, 3 syllables - tap head, shoulders, hips, 4 syllables - tap head, shoulders, hips and knees.

During literacy rotations we will be playing the syllable house game. Before playing this game in your class you will need to download the game cards and house templates (the house templates can be used in the rhyme house game as well - 2 birds 1 stone!). To play the game each child is given a house and identifying card (e.g. 1 syllable, 2 syllables etc). The identifying card is placed at the top of the house. All of the game cards are then placed face down on the table in front of the students. Each child then selects a card and identifies the syllables in the word. If the number of syllables in the word matches their house number then the picture card is placed into a window of their house. If it is not a match the card is returned face down to the table. If you would like to make the game a little quicker the teacher could show the card to the whole group and they could all identify the syllables in the word. Then the student whose house it belongs to can claim it and place it on their house. The winner is the first person to fill all their windows.

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Happy game playing peeps!

Remember keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan!

Top Teacher xx

Ready, Steady, Spaghetti!
12 April 2012

Use these readily available materials to create this fun fine motor activity for your students. All you need is playdough and spaghetti, and your choice of threadng objects such as pony beads, fruit loops, penne pasta, buttons. 

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Have students use playdough to create a base to put the stick of spaghetti into and then add the threading objects onto the spaghetti. Change the difficulty of the task by using the different threading materials eg Fruit loops will be easier to thread than the pony beads. 

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My students enjoyed adding multiple sticks of spaghetti and making different creations. They also enjoyed racing each other to see who could fill the spaghetti stick first.

Remember keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan!

Top Teacher xx

Mad about Maths
10 April 2012

We have been inundated with requests for maths resources on Top Teacher. We listened and

MATHS IS FINALLY HERE!!

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Head to the maths tab and check out the newly added resources. This is just the tip of the iceberg, many more to come! Please head to our Facebook page and continue to tell us what maths resources you would like to see.

'Remember keep calm and pretend it's on the lesson plan'

Top Teacher xx

 

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