Pre-K teaching times, Vol. 6, Issue 1 (Aug. 2009)

Pre-K Teaching Times

SPOTLIGHT ON:
Millionth Child Celebration
Phonological Awareness in Pre-K
Introducing the Alphabet in Pre-K

VOLUME 6, ISSUE 1

BACK TO SCHOOL 2009

Welcome Back!

Can you believe another school year is here already with new families, new children, new faces, new smiles, and new challenges? The first few weeks of school are never boring. Teachers are busy -- learning about your children, creating engaging activities, and helping families settle into a new school year. Big things are happening in
your classroom! And, big things are happening outside your classroom for Georgia Pre-K across the state. Georgia's Pre-K Program will experience a milestone during the 2009-2010 school year. The millionth Pre-K child will pass through

the doors of one of your classrooms, and we're planning a BIG celebration!
Things to be looking for: A classroom makeover for the classroom with the millionth child (funded by a special
sponsor)

Collecting pennies -- we're aiming to collect a million pennies for char-
ity. Reading books -- you can start now. Look for details on our website at
www.decal.ga.gov A special Pre-K book: How Much is a Million? by David M. Schwartz The book (selected by Governor and Mrs. Perdue) and lesson plans will be
available in October. A special section in each newsletter to keep you updated on millionth child events, activities,
and opportunities.

Setting up your classroom for success

The beginning of school means change and transition for many children. For some, Pre-K will be their first time in a school setting with teachers and other children. Others may have attended preschool or child care but the transition to a new classroom could be difficult.
We expect children to need time to adjust in the first months of Pre-K. During this time some children may be quiet and reserved while oth-

ers may scream, cry, bite, hit other children, and throw tantrums.
If you are experiencing any problems in these first weeks of school, try to work with the families and children to ease the transition for them. Bringing a special toy/blanket/ stuffed animal from home may add comfort and familiarity to the classroom. A certain child or teacher in the classroom may make them feel more comfortable. If so,

try to pair them up during the
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Setting up your classroom for success (cont.)

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anticipated difficult times. Most children should transition to the new environment within a month or two of the beginning of school. We recommend that you always talk with your Project Director or principal and the families about any issues you are having with a child as well as start documenting problems when they arise. Several forms to help you track and document behavior and to help

with family conferences can be found on our website at www.decal.ga.gov
Also remember: If you have any questions or concerns, call your Pre-K consultant -- we're here to help!

Phonological Awareness: Where to Begin and When to Move Forward

A foundation of phonological awareness is necessary for children to succeed in early literacy instruction.

What is phonological awareness? Phonological awareness is the auditory ability to understand the relationship between sounds and spoken words. Phonological awareness refers to the ability to hear, discriminate, and manipulate the sounds of spoken language. It is different from alphabet knowledge and letter awareness. Research tells us that a foundation of phonological awareness is necessary for children to succeed in early literacy instruction.
Do any of the Pre-K Content Standards specifically deal with phonological awareness? Five Pre-K Content Standards relate to phonologi-

cal awareness? These five content standards should be referenced in lesson plans for each planned phonological awareness activity. The Content Standards are listed in the developmental continuum.
LD2a Listening: Differentiates that sounds are the same or different
LD2b Rhyming: Repeats rhymes, poems, and finger plays
LD2c Alliteration: Recognizes the same beginning sounds in different words
LD2d Segmenting: Shows growing ability to hear and discriminate separate syllables in words
LD5l Sentences:

Recognizes that sentences are composed of different words LD2e Manipulation: Creates and invents words by substituting one sound for another
When is an appropriate time for phonological awareness activities? Most teachers plan a time for explicit phonological awareness activities. But, any time during the day is appropriate (large group, small group, informal learning times, transition times, outdoor time). Something to remember: When producing sounds in isolation, don't add a vowel. For example, if you are producing the "p" sounds,
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Phonological Awareness: Where to Begin and When to Move Forward

don't add an "u" sound which makes the sound "p" sound like "pu." If you add a vowel to every consonant sound you produce, children will not develop an awareness of pure consonant sounds.
Where do I begin and how do I know when to move to another level of phonological awareness? Key to remember: Phonological awareness activities develop along a continuum. Don't rush children through the levels of phonological awareness. It is better to stay at one level until students have a solid understanding before moving to a more complex level where they may not be successful. Begin with listening activities.
Are there different types or levels of difficulty for listening skills? Yes, see the following examples of listening activities. Begin with presenting and listening for a variety of sounds

(musical instruments, sounds in the environment [inside and outside, animal sounds, etc...])
Did You Hear That? Place several musical instruments behind a barrier. Make a sound with each instrument and let students identify a matching instrument or photo of the instrument. Let the children play with the instruments and play the game with each other or with the teacher having to guess which musical instrument was played.
Patty Cake: Children can develop skills to reproduce visual, auditory, and motor patterns by playing traditional hand clapping games such as: Patty Cake, Miss Mary Mack etc...
Close Your Eyes and Listen: Have children close their eyes and identify the sounds they hear in the classroom. Repeat this activity outside so children can identify different sounds. Do these indoor and outdoor listening activities at different times of the day. Explain that the reason you close your eyes

MaSneSigepmgumelanettiniontnignogwfosserodnustneidnnsctoeinssywinllotaorbdlwseos rds Alliteration Rhyming Listening

is to help your ears work all alone, without seeing everything in the classroom or outside.
Pass It On: Begin by whispering a word to a child and have children whisper the word to their neighbor. See if the word is the same when it gets to the end of the line. This is a fun transition activity when standing in line.
Same or Different: Before playing same/different games with sounds, be sure that students can visually identify objects that are the same or different. Example: (shoe, shoe), (shoe, sock) (boat, bus), (boat, boat), (cat, cat), (cat, cow), (flower, flower) (flower, tower), (red block, red block), (red block, blue block) etc... Do this activity using any items found in the classroom.
Sound Matching: Collect several items that make distinctive sounds. Collect two sets of items. Have children match their object to the one you used to make a sound. If you have enough identical sets of items, students can do this in a small group activity. Using a cardboard barrier so the objects are hidden from view makes this a challenging and fun activity.
Now you are ready to move

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Phonological awareness activities develop along a continuum. Don't rush children through the levels of phonological awareness.

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Phonological Awareness: Where to Begin and When to Move Forward

Children first need to be exposed to rhymes and have ample opportunity to repeat simple rhymes
It is important that you are say-
ing the words aloud so children
can hear the rhyming

this same/different game to a different level.
Play two sounds using musical instruments, and ask children if they heard the same sounds or different sounds.
Say two names, and ask children if they heard the same names. Use the names of children in the classroom (Brady, Brady), (Pam, Cam), (Monica, Sonica)
Say two words, and ask children if they heard the same words. (goat, boat), (cookie, cookie) etc.... This is fun to play with topic related words, i.e., farm animals, zoo animals, etc....
Sound Sequencing Activity: Collect several items that make distinctive sounds. Collect two sets of items. Begin by making only one or two sounds in a sequence and have children repeat the sequence using their set of objects. Examples of items that make a distinctive sound: a bell, drum, maraca, tapping a pencil, shuffling cards, a squeak toy, clicking an ink pen). As children develop this skill, place a barrier between your set of objects and the child's set of objects. Continue the activity beginning with only a couple of items and slowing increasing the difficulty level.
Are there different types or levels of difficulty for rhyming skills? Yes, chil-

dren first need to be exposed to rhymes and have ample opportunity to repeat simple rhymes before they can begin matching objects whose names rhyme. Matching two items that rhyme is easier than making up or generating words that rhyme.
Ideas for Identifying Words That Rhyme:
Find objects or pictures of objects that rhyme and have children match them. It is important that you say the words aloud so children can hear the rhyming pairs.
Pair two items and ask children if they rhyme: "Do tree and bee rhyme?" Children need to develop the skill of answering yes/no questions to show their understanding of whether two words rhyme.
Having children generate rhyming words is a higher level skill than identifying rhyming words or reciting rhymes. For a child to generate rhyming words, they must first be able to identify whether two or more words rhyme as described above. Generating rhyming words can be fun and exciting if students are ready and possess an understanding of rhyme. Don't rush this stage of phonological awareness.
Ideas for Generating Words That Rhyme:
Use the names of children in the class to generate words that rhyme. Tom rhymes

with _____. Stephanie rhymes with ________. Use vocabulary related to your current topic to generate words that rhyme. Zoo rhymes with ______. Bear rhymes with ______. Lion rhymes with _______. Remember that when children generate their own rhyming words, they do not have to be real words. Nonsense words that rhyme are just fine. Boo, Zoo, Goo. Foo, Moo, Loo etc....
Is it appropriate to work with children on various listening skills for several weeks? Yes, in fact a solid foundation for listening skills is critical to their success with other levels of phonological awareness.
Can playing following directions games help develop listening skills? Yes, and remember to vary the complexity of the directions. This is also a comprehension skill.
Can I work on listening skills and also introduce simple rhymes? Yes, Just because your main focus may be on listening skills, children can be introduced to simple rhymes and fingerplays.
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Phonological Awareness: Where to Begin and When to Move Forward

Can transition activities provide additional support for phonological awareness development? Absolutely.
Examples of using phonological awareness for transition: Instead of calling children's names to line up for lunch, recess, washing hands, choosing centers, etc., say, "If your name begins with "b," stand up, If your name begins with "k," stand up etc... The most important component to this game is that you use the sound

for the letters, not the letter name. Sing a simple rhyme while transitioning from one activity to another. Play a CD that has rhymes and have children sing or recite the rhymes while cleaning up centers, washing hands, lining up, etc.
What other helpful phonological awareness resources can you recommend? Here are a few:

Ladders to Literacy
Phonemic Awareness in Young Children I Hear with My Little Ear
Fee, Fie Phonemic Awareness
Note: not all resources begin with critical listening skills. Some jump right into rhyming activities.

Coming Soon...to Your School!

Often parents are confused about which schools offer Georgia's PreK Program funded by the Georgia Lottery for Education and which schools simply provide pre-k programs for four-year-olds.
This year, as part of the Millionth Child celebration, the Georgia Lottery is partnering with Bright from the Start to help recognize all Georgia's Pre-K Program locations.
Each location will be given a large, colorful, weatherproof banner to display -- letting everyone know that they participate in Georgia's Pre-K Program.
Be watching for your banner -- and after you hang it, send pictures of your students with the banner to your Pre-K consultant.

Celebrating 1,000,000 Pre-K Students

Literacy Corner: The Alphabet in Pre-K

Teaching Sounds and Alphabet in Context
What this means is: Teaching letters/sounds in isolation is not an acceptable practice, i.e., no more "letter of the week."
Sounds and letters should be introduced and reinforced through daily activities, not in isolation.
Planning activities using children's names, placing materials in learning areas, and introducing vocabulary related to current topics of study are effective ways to expose children to sounds and the corresponding letters.
Remember, children hear sounds, and they see letters. Children must first hear sounds, and then letters can be incorporated in the

context of daily instruction, not in isolation.
Children will begin to make the connection between sounds and letters when they are ready. Your task is to provide ample opportunity to incorporate sounds and letters into daily instructional practices. You can't force students into making the connection.
Following are suggestions for activities to incorporate sounds and letters:
Play games with children's names and emphasize the initial sounds.
Introduce vocabulary related to current topics of study and emphasize the initial

sounds.
Provide environmental print in your learning areas.
Make an "I Can Read" board with examples of print that children bring from home.
Make an alphabet clothes line and attach children's names beneath the letter with which their names begin.
Encourage children to bring in environmental print that begins with the same letter as their name or a classmate's name. This is an activity that can be built on throughout the year.
Look for more environmental print ideas in our next issue.

Check out the new Bright from the Start website: www.decal.ga.gov