Building the ABC Wall

Begin the week with a literacy activity, such as reading aloud a favorite nursery rhyme. This
rhyme serves as the source of words for the ABC wall. Key words for the wall are chosen on the
strength of their beginning sounds, since children will use these cues to make connections to new
words. Words beginning with single consonants are added to the wall first: later, we add words
beginning with consonant digrahs. !icture cues may accomany word walls to lend suort to
beginning readers. Words are chosen on "onday, their beginning sounds racticed and reviewed
throughout the week. Word cards containing the words are added to the word wall on #riday.
$esson %outine
&. %ead aloud a rhyme, oem, chant, or song.
'. Choose key words.
(. )evelo honemic awareness.
*. Associate sounds with letters +honics,.
-. !ractice letter formation.
.. %evisit the rhyme throughout the week.
/.
&. %ead aloud a rhyme, oem, chant, or song.
Lets Get the Rhythm
Lets get the rhythm of the game. Snap, snap.
Now youve got the rhythm of the game. Snap, snap.
Lets get the rhythm of the hands. Clap, clap.
Now youve got the rhythm of the hands. Clap, clap.
Lets get the rhythm of the feet. Stomp, stomp.
Now youve got the rhythm of the feet. Stomp, stomp.
Lets get the rhythm of the hips. Swing, swing.
Now youve got the rhythm of the hips. Swing, swing.
Lets get the rhythm of the knees. Slap, slap.
Now youve got the rhythm of the knees. Slap, slap.
Lets get the rhythm of the head. Shake, shake.
Now youve got the rhythm of the head. Shake, shake.
Now youve got the rhythm of the game
#irst recite the chant to the class. As students catch on they sing the chant and movement is
added. Call attention to the rint. #ocus on one0to0one corresondence of words and sentences.
1olunteers can oint to lines as they are read. 2tudents become more adet at one0to0one
matching and other concets of rint.
!oint to other asects of rint. #or e3amle, the word the because it is already osted on the
word wall. "aybe use a ointer to note the word0sace0word0sace attern of the rint.
'. Choose key words.
T:4ow that we know 5$et6s 7et the %hythm8 retty well, let6s look closely at some of the words
so we can add them to the word wall. 9 heard a word that begins like food, fudge, and favorite.
We need a word with the :f: sound to hel us read and write other words with the :f:. )id you
hear a word that begins with:f:;
2: #eet<
T: =es, the word feet +frame the word on the oster, starts with :f:, the first sound in food, fudge,
and favorite. Watch as 9 write feet on a card 9t begins with the letter f. We will work on learning
the letter f and its sound :f:. Who would like to draw a icture of feet to ut on the word wall
with the word card;
Continue to identify key words +in this case :g: and :h:,.
(. )evelo honemic awareness.
#ocus on beginning sounds. %ead a list of words and ask student to identify which have the same
beginning sound as one of the key words.
*. Associate sounds with letters +honics,.
T: The words game, hands, and feet will make great additions to the word wall because they will
remind us of letters and sounds in words we read and write. %ead each word with me.
+2tudents and 9 read each words,
T: $isten carefully to the sound this word begins with: game, g0g0g0g0game. The sound is :g:.
The letter g often stands for the sound we hear at the beginning of the word game. $isten to other
words that start with :g:: gate, ghost, gas, garage. What is the sound;
T > 2: :g:
T: 7ive a thumbs u or thumbs down sign for each word 9 say. )oes it start with :g: like game;
)oes it begin with the letter g;
+2ay several words, one at a time. 2ome should begin with :g:? others should not. 2tudents give a
resonse after each word.,
T: Can you think of other words that begin with :g: like the word game;
-. !ractice letter formation.
T: $et6s work on writing the letter g. 2ee how it looks at the beginning of the word game; $et6s
make a g in the air. !oint out the arts of the letter and how these relate to other letters. #or
e3amle, 5Circle around like an o, then draw a line down and curve around like a @.8 Talk
continues as letter formation is modeled.,
T: 4ow let6s try it again. Write the letter g. 9t is imortant to know how to write the letter g so
that when you hear words with :g: and see words with g, you will know how to write and read
them.
.. %evisit the rhyme throughout the week.
#ollow these with one last choral reading of the chant.
!id"#eek $ractice %ctivities
$icture &unt' hunt for ob@ects or ictures whose names begin with :g:, :h:, and :f: and sort into
grous.
Sound (ooks: make individual sound books, sorting reared ictures into ile and gluing into
books.
Letter Sort: 2ort uer0 and lower0case letter cards written in different styles.
!agnetic #ords: "ake key words with magnetic letters or letter cards.
#ord &unt: Aunt of g, h, and f words in books and writing. Add the words to class osters.
!orning !essage: Circle the words that begin with the target letters.
#ord Sort: 2ort collected words in a sorting center.
La)el *t: $abel classroom items whose names begin with g, h, and f.
Sentence Strips: %eread the chant from sentence stris and:or word cards in a ocket chart.
They take the words and sentences, mi3 them u, and reorder them.