LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Letter Books

Kindergarten children are usually familiar with beginning sound "ABC" books with texts such as "A is for apple." In this activity, repeated for each consonant letter, art, writing, conventional spelling, and reading are combined to create a personal "Letter Book" for each child.

A lesson plan for grade K English Language Arts

By Clara McKenzie

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Related pages

  • Wet Your Kinders' Chops on the Sound "Op"!: Kinders will explore the sound “Op” with a reading of Charlie Parker Played Be-Bop by Chris Raschka and a showing of the PBS Between the Lions episode #130 “Be Bop,” which also features the Charlie Parker book and explores the “op” sound.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

  • associate words with beginning consonant sounds.
  • write chosen words with conventional spelling.
  • illustrate chosen words with simple drawings.
  • read chosen words using two reading strategies--picture clues and beginning sounds.
  • gain reading confidence by re-reading “Letter Books” to “Book Buddies” at school and siblings and parents at home.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

8-13 weeks

Materials/resources

Each child needs a “Letter Book.” We use laminated construction paper and 25 sheets of plain copy paper, bound on our school book binder.
Pencils, crayons, a dry erase board and markers
A classroom full of minds ready to brainstorm!

Technology resources

None

Pre-activities

Children are introduced to the sound of each consonant letter before creating a page for that letter. Filling a page in the “Letter Books” is a culminating activity for “Letter of the Week” activities. We introduce letters out of alphabetical order.

Activities

  1. For this informal, casual, non-threatening activity, children arrange themselves at tables and on the floor around a dry-erase board.
  2. Each child is prepared with pencil, crayons, and blank page in his/her “Letter Book.”
  3. “Letter of the Week” activities are reviewed--letter puppet, animals studied, books and stories enjoyed, special snacks, science experiments, math activites, and cooking projects. The beginning consonant letter sound is reviewed and reinforced.
  4. Teacher models and children write a title for the letter page with an upper and lower case letter - “Dd.”
  5. Children brainstorm words with beginning consonant sounds which can be illustrated. The class informally chooses a word to write and illustrate.
  6. Children help teacher “sound through” the chosen word, with teacher adding letters for sounds not heard. Teacher writes the word on the dry erase board and/or asks students to help in adding letters. Teacher utilizes “teachable moments” to teach casually “chunks” and blends as they appear in words.
  7. Teacher illustrates the chosen word with simple “cartoon” drawings.
  8. Children write the word in pencil, draw the illustration with crayon, using one blank page in the “Letter Book.”
  9. Class proceeds until four to six words have been chosen, or attention spans wane! Children whose names begin with the chosen letter are included in the books and illustrated with funny stick figures. Individual children may want to add names of friends or family members. These names are written on the board but added to books as an option. Children’s names beginning with vowels are added as an appendix.
  10. Children read their pages to the teacher or assistant teacher, using beginning sounds and picture clues. Books with at least four words and pictures earn a sticker or a seasonal stamp.
  11. When books are complete with all consonant letters, books are read to “Book Buddies” at school and then taken home to share with family members.

Assessment

Teacher monitors progress during the activity, noting and assisting any difficulty with handwriting or letter formation while keeping children “on task.”

Children illustrate, write, and read at least four words to the teacher or assistant teacher at the end of the activity for an appropriate sticker or stamp for that page--example: dinosaur stickers for the “D” page, etc.

Supplemental information

  • How to Draw Fun Animals A Golden Book
  • How to Draw Funny Faces Kidsbooks
  • Draw 50 Nifty Cartoon Characters Neal Yamamoto
  • Drawing Cartoons Usborne Hotshots
  • Draw Insects Doug Dubsque

Related websites

N/A

Comments

This is absolutely one of the most enjoyable activites of our kindergarten year. We do not start our “Letter Books” until after Christmas and then “catch up” by reviewing and filling two or three pages per week. The children feel real ownership of these books because, as a class, we wrote and illustrated them! The atmosphere is informal and lively, and the brainstorming is fast, furious and often funny! The most satisfying aspect of this activity is watching enthusiasm grow for drawing, writing, and reading. As the books grow, we move from “I can’t write or read or draw!” to “Oh, boy! It’s ‘Letter Book’ time!” And once we have a good laugh at MY drawings, the children are eager to elaborate and improve THEIRS.

North Carolina Curriculum Alignment

English Language Arts (2004)

Kindergarten

  • Goal 1: The learner will develop and apply enabling strategies to read and write.
    • Objective 1.02: Develop phonemic awareness and knowledge of alphabetic principle:
      • demonstrate understanding that spoken language is a sequence of identifiable speech sounds.
      • demonstrate understanding that the sequence of letters in the written word represents the sequence of sounds in the spoken word.
      • demonstrate understanding of the sounds of letters and understanding that words begin and end alike (onsets and rimes).
  • Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
    • Objective 3.03: Associate target words with prior knowledge and explore an author's choice of words.