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Let's go shopping!
8 March 2013

This year our school has implemented a new phonological awareness plan in the hopes of bringing our school up to speed with the Australian National Curriculum. This means that in Kindy we are now teaching syllables and rhyme in term 1 (previously taught in terms 2 and 3 respectively). Phew! It sure is a lot to get through in a short time, particularly when you take into consideration we do half groups for half days for the first 2 weeks. Throw in public holidays (4 days this term!!), testing days (speech screen) and professional development courses there really isn't much time left in term 1!

With all of this in mind I have revamped the structure of my day to include lots of opportunities for the students to play quick syllable games. Some of the games we have been using include the syllable house game and a syllable flower game that I found on TPT by Young and Lively in Kindergarten. The students love picking flowers and then sorting them into the correct pot.

File 5180

Still in need of another syllable game I created a syllable shopping game. Be honest, who doesn't love shopping?! Well now you can shop with your students while practising segmenting words into syllables!

To play this game I attached the 1-3 syllable cards (we left 4 syllable words out of it to start with) to a shopping basket, though you could use a box or brown paper bag - whatever you have to hand really! The students then took turns to go shopping for 1 item and brought it back and show their group. They then named the item (great for improving vocabulary too!) and body tapped the number of syllables in their item. For example potato was po (tap head) - ta (tap shoulders) - to (tap hips). They then counted the number of syllables and placed it into the correct basket. So much fun!

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I found a large tub of plastic food at Kmart (I think!!) for less than $10 so this is what we used to sort into the baskets. However if you don't have plastic food I have also included 6 pictures for each number of syllables so simply print and laminate them!

For those of you who aren't members of Top Teacher we will also be adding this game to out TPT store so you can grab your copy there.

 

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

Top Teacher xx

Hear all about it!
27 October 2012

In Kindy we have been spending lots of time focusing on hearing the initial sound in words. This is an important pre-reading and writing skill. I try to include at least one initial sounds activity in each literacy rotation, as well as 2 quick mat sessions each day. The focus of this is quick recall and this is why short sharp mat sessions work better! 

We have been playing (and loving!!) some of our new initial sounds games. Unfortunately I keep forgetting to take photos of the games in action so hopefully my explanation will be clear enough...

 

Sound Chicks

To play this game we place a mixture of chicks into the plastic chick (we found the plastic chick at the dollar store at Easter time - how cute is it!). Students in my low group only work on hearing and discriminating between 2 different sounds. Students in the middle and top group work on up to 6 differnet sounds at a time.

If you don't have any of these chicks you could also play memory with the chicks, or just a simple game of lucky dip where the students have to reach in, select a chick and identify the initial sound.

Download your copy of the game here

  File 4477File 4476

 

Sound Spinners

The sound spinners are a great literacy station.They have been grouped according to focus sounds (long/continuant sounds, stop/short sounds, sounds grouped according to the order they are taught). My Kindy class has been focusing on the long sounds (low group) and stop sounds (middle and top group).

Instead of using plastic spinners I found this nifty way of making a paperclip spinner, such a money saver! 

  • Take a paperclip and punch a small hole in the center of the spinner.
  • Open a small paperclip so it is shaped like an “s.” (see below)
  • Place the open paperclip over the hole you made and place the split pin/brad over the clip.
  • Insert the split pin/brad into the hole and open it in the back of the game board.
  • Tape the split pin/brad on the back to keep it in place.
  • You now have a spinner!

Download your copy of the game here

 File 4451

 

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Enjoy your weekend peeps!

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

 Top Teacher xx

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