Introduce writing a letter
From FreeReading
| Activity Type: Introduce |
| Activity Form: Standard |
| Grade: K |
| Group Size: Small Group, Whole Class |
| Length: 10 minutes |
| Materials: Lined paper and pencils for each student; Letter Formation Guide |
| Goal: Given a printed letter, the student writes it ( a -> |a| ) |
| Items: The letter whose sound students learned most recently |
What to do
(Note that this activity describes the steps for the letter a, but can be used to teach any letter.)
- Draw guide lines on the board; then, write the letter, preferably in a different color from the lines. Make the letter at least a foot tall.
- What's the name of this letter? Students say the name. And, what's the sound? Students say the sound.
- Good. Today, I'm going to show you how to write this letter.
- First, you need to get into your writing position: pull in your seat, put both feet on the floor, and put your hands on the desk. Wait until all students are in position. Okay, next, hold your pencil by pinching it between your thumb and pointing finger. (Note that, if students already know this, you can replace this step with: First, go ahead and get into your writing position.)
- Watch me as I write the letter a. I'm going to ask you to write a row of a's in a moment, so pay really close attention. Write the letter as shown in the Letter Formation Guide. As you do so, tell students what you are doing: I start on the top line, and draw a circle that touches the bottom line, etc. Then, write the letter again.
- Now you write the letter a on your paper. Start on the left and write a whole row of a's. Walk around the group and make sure everyone is writing the letter correctly. For students who make an error, write the letter for them on their papers, and ask them to do the same.
- Praise everyone when they have completed the row of letters.