Operation: Alphabet

Ann George Greater Victoria School District

Teacher Resources

  • 100 Ways to Celebrate 100 Days – Bruce Goldstone
  • Alphabet Action Songs – Denise Gagne
  • An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement (second edition)

– Marie M. Clay

  • Comprehensive Literacy Resource for Kindergarten Teachers – Miriam P. Trehearne
  • Drawing With Letters and Numbers – Syd Hoff
  • Letters and Sounds – Rosemary Wells
  • Musicplay Kindergarten Music Program – Denise Gagne
  • YogaKids – Marsha Wenig, founder

Children’s Stories

  • ABCs of Yoga for Kids – Teresa Anne Power
  • African Animal Alphabet – Beverley and DereckJoubert
  • alphabet adventure – Audrey Wood & Bruce Wood
  • AlphabetCity – Stephen T. Johnson
  • alphabet mystery – Audrey Wood & Bruce Wood
  • alphabet rescue – Audrey Wood & Bruce Wood
  • Avalanche – Michael J. Rosen
  • Bad Kitty – Nick Bruel
  • Butterfly Alphabet – Kjell B. Sandved ( (free e-cards)
  • Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
  • Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! – Mo Willems
  • Dragon’s Merry Christmas – DavPilkey
  • Elephant and Piggie stories – Mo Willems
  • E-MERGENCY! – Tom Lichtenheld & Ezra Fields-Meyer
  • exclamation mark – Amy Krouse Rosenthal & Tom Lichtenheld
  • Froggy Goes To School – Jonathan London
  • Hooper Humperdink...? Not Him! – Theo. LeSieg
  • Hug – Jez Alborough
  • if rocks could sing – Leslie McGuirk (excerpt available on youtube)
  • It Looked Like Spilt Milk – Charles G. Shaw
  • It’s Mine! – Leo Lionni
  • Jousting With Jesters, An ABC for the Younger Dragon – Martin Springett
  • L M N O peas – Keith Baker
  • Lettermen series – Roger Knights
  • Letters Are Lost, The – Lisa Campbell Ernst
  • Mixed-Up Alphabet, The – Steve Metzger
  • Mouse’s Hide-and-Seek Words – Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook
  • Mouse Makes Magic – Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook
  • Mouse Makes Words – Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook
  • Pigeon Wants A Puppy, The – Mo Willems
  • Ralph Tells A Story – Abby Hanlon
  • Reading Makes You Feel Good – Todd Parr
  • Santa’s Book of Names – David McPhail
  • TeddHuggly – Susan Canizares & Samantha Berger
  • Toot & Puddle – Holly Hobbie
  • We’re Going On a Nature Hunt – Steve Metzger
  • Why Can’t I Fly? – Rita Golden Gelman
  • Why Write? – Daniel Moreton and Samantha Berger
  • Yo! Yes? – Chris Raschka

Levelled Series for Guided Reading and Home Reading

  • alphakids series – multiple series and levels of difficulty
  • AlphaTales series (Scholastic)
  • Brand New Readers series
  • Circle of Life – Learning from an Elder (Nelson)
  • Discovering My World series
  • Guided Science Readers series
  • High Frequency Readers
  • National Geographic Kids readers
  • Phonics Tales series (Scholastic)
  • Reading Line series – multiple series and levels of difficulty
  • Ready to Read series
  • Sight Word Stories series
  • Sight Word Tales series (Scholastic)
  • Step Into Reading readers
  • Word Family Tales series (Scholastic)
  • Word Family Readers series (Scholastic)

Computer Games and Activities

  • A to Zap
  • Book Creator app from iTunes
  • EA Kids (Electronic Arts)
  • Photo Story for Windows
  • Tumblebooks
  • Tux Paint
  • Tux Typing – Fish Cascade, Comet Zap

Websites

  • or

Daily 5 (thedailycafe.com)

  • Read to yourself
  • Read to someone else
  • Listen to reading
  • Work on writing
  • Letter and word work

Poems (to sneak in literacy)

I am glad

That

You’re my dad.

The dragon loves red,

Lots of noise, too,

He brings good luck,

To me and you.

Groundhog, groundhog,

What did you see?

Winter or summer?

Which will it be?

Rain, rain,

Go away,

Come again

Another day.

Mr. Sun, Sun,

Mr. Golden Sun,

Please shine down on me.

“Who is that tickling my back?” asked the wall.

“It’s me,” said a small caterpillar. “I’m learning to crawl.”

What’s like jelly

With lots of strings?

Ouch! Watch out!

It really stings.

We’re Going on a Nature Hunt – Steve Metzger

We’re going on a classroom hunt,

We’ll search high and low.

We’re going to find lots of things,

Now it’s time to go!

  • suggestions - find something that begins with a particular letter, words containing a particular letter, words beginning with upper case letters, signs etc.

Bear is Sleeping (tune - Frère Jacques)

Bear is sleeping,

Bear is sleeping,

Let it snow,

Let it snow,

Sleeping all the winter,

Sleeping all the winter,

Snug and warm,

Snug and warm.

  • suggestions – have the first line of each pair already printed and insert the matching line, or cut into 8 sentence strips and reassemble the whole song

“A student’s level of phonological awareness at the end of Kindergarten is one of the strongest predictors of future reading success, in Grade One and beyond.”

- Miriam P. Trehearne -

(phonological awareness – sound, letter, word, rhyme)

Daily Schedule

Block 1

  • Family book time
  • Calendar and news
  • Story
  • Table job
  • Snack
  • Recess - outdoor play time

Block 2

  • Sharing
  • Story
  • Table job
  • Music (30 minute blocks, 3 times per week)
  • Indoor play time
  • Lunch – outdoor play time
  • Lunch – eating time

Block 3

  • Book time
  • Story
  • Table job
  • Library (30 minutes, once per week)
  • Computer lab (40 minutes, once per week)
  • Gym (30 minute blocks, 3 times per week)
  • Indoor play time
  • Review, reminders
  • Dismissal

I divide the day into 3 learning blocks, each incorporating a “table job” session, and organize my instruction around themes (e.g. fall, apples, Halloween, Hanukkah, animals in winter, 100 Day, chicks, butterflies, Father’s Day etc.).

“Table jobs” refers to all learning tasks incorporated into the current theme including literacy, numeracy, social studies, science, and art. “Table jobs” are not limited to table tasks, however, as they can take place on the carpet, in the hallway, outdoors or wherever the learning activity dictates.