Oh, what a week Ihad in South Dakota! The weatherwas incredible and the teachers were amazing!!! From the beautiful Black Hills through the Badlands and theprairies to Sioux Falls, it was an exciting week. If you’ve never seen Mt. Rushmore, it will take your breathaway!!!
South DakotaSong (Shirley Whitney)
(Tune: “Frere Jacques”)
Are yougoing? Are you going?
To South Dakota,to South Dakota?
Buffalo are agrazing
Pheasants are aflying.
Come, come, come!
Come, come, come!
The Word on theBus (Laura Gerlach)
Draw the outlineof a bus and place flashcards on the bus as you sing:
The word on thebus is was, was, was.
The word on thebus is was.
That’s the word onthe bus.
Counting inSpanish (Judy Knodel)
Sing to ten inSpanish to the tune of “I Had a Little Turtle.” Flip and clap your hands as you wiggle your hips.
Uno, dos, tres,
cuatro, cinco,seis,
Siete, ocho, neueve, diez.
Earworm (KathyLiesinger)
When a song gets stuck in yourbrain it’s called an “earworm.”
Use the letter bus song to singthe different sounds one letter can make. For example, the “A” on the bus says /a/ /ay/ /ah/.
Attention Grabber(Vanessa Prasnicki)
Teacher sings to the tune of“Old MacDonald”: (Teacher’s name)had a class.
Kids respond: “A – E – I – O – U”
Eaglets
Search “decorah eagles” and youcan watch eagles hatching and growing.
Buggy (Denise Harford)
Write letters of the alphabeton popsicle sticks. On some of thesticks have a picture of a bug. Children pull a stick out of a bag and tell the name and make the sound. When they pull out a picture of a bugthey stand up and go “buggy” until you swat (clap hands) the bug down.
Hugs and Bubbles (Jo AnnHittle)
Before going in the hall remindchildren to give themselves a hug (cross arms over body) and put bubbles (puffout cheeks) in their mouths.
Tisket A Tasket Letters(Pam Uecker)
I can make a letter.
I can make a letter.
I use my arms (or hands),
I use my legs,
And I can make a letter.
(Call out a letter for thechildren to make with their bodies. You could use these for sign language or other signs from your phonicsprogram.)
Cell Phone (Janet E.)
You will need a picture of acell phone for this activity. Children can practice punching in their phone numbers, lunch accountnumbers, etc. on the phone.
Picture Walk (MelissaRoel)
Invite your students to take a“picture walk” through a new book. Ignore the words and have them focus on the pictures as you askquestions:
“What’s happening?”
“Who is that?”
“Where are they?”
“What do you think this storyis about?”
You can use this for vocabularydevelopment, prediction, and other pre-reading skills.
Post It Letters (LisaMiller)
Teach the children to recognizetheir name and learn letters with this activity. Put their name on a folder or poster board andlaminate. Write letters on post itnotes and have them match the letters in their names.
Singing Names (ErinRempfes)
Teach children how to spelltheir names using the tune of “BINGO.” Write their names on flash cards and have them hold them up as you sing:
I have a friend who has a nameand child’s name is his/her name-o.
(Spell out), (spell out),(spell out),
And child’s name ishis/her name-o.
Stove Burners (RuthStabile)
Give children stove burners touse as their “work station” with magnetic letters.
Spinners (Ann Parsells)
Make a circle board with aspinner. Divide into pie wedgesand put letters, colors, shapes, pictures, etc. in the wedges. Children can spin and identify theinformation. Adapt for categories,math, vocabulary, phonics, etc.
Letter Chart (KathyBarren)
Pass out cards with thechildren’s first names. Place aletter you are working on in a pocket chart. If their name has that letter they place it on the pocketchart. If their name does not havethe letter, place it under the “no” sign. Count the number of names with and without the letter. Repeat for last names.
Names (Pam Bonenberger)
Make flash cards withchildren’s first and last names and their picture. Place 8 names at a time in a pocket chart and sing to thetune of “Are You Sleeping?”
Joe Smith,
Frank Wilson,
Amy Craft,
Susan Wells….
Pumpkin Teeth (SusanKraemer)
Draw a pumpkin face with teethusing a permanent marker and laminate. Color in some of the teeth with a water soluble marker to make themdirty. Let children brush theteeth with a toothbrush and water as you sing, “This is the way you brush yourteeth…”
