Our normal schedule in kindergarten is to intensely study one letter of the alphabet each week. We review what it looks like, how it sounds, and what words we typically read and write with it. Hence the first week we talked about L and read log, light, lamp, look, lot, like, love, and lion. We reviewed how to write it on the correct lines for handwriting. We made a lion face with a paper plate. We wrote log. We read the Lazy Lion. We looked on our class list for names that begin with L.
Usually most of my students have been to preschool and have learned to recognize the entire alphabet. It is the sounds that typically give them trouble and tax their memories. It is the applications of the letters- writing, spelling, reading-that occupy our time.
Not this year.
This year I have a larger group of children who have not been to preschool. I also have a group that went to preschool, but for various reasons only learned half of their alphabet.
So this year we revert to Plan B- every letter, every sound, every week.
We will continue our “letter of the week” schedule in order to stay on track with the other two classes and to benefit my six children who know the entire alphabet. However, we will also recognize and review five letters each day during our morning and afternoon meetings in order to speed up the process for my other students. This means I must also create different daily work and homework for my two groups. A little more work for Mrs. Maurer, but that is the premise of teaching—reaching each student where they are and taking them where you want them to be.
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