Letter+Knowledge

[ ] = Directions to presenter
 * Bold ** = Storytime Element ||

**Family Storytime ** **#5 - Letter Knowledge ** **Look What We Can Make **  [Music in background as people arrive. Gather people together. Encourage people to sit with their children. Everybody participates! Write nametag for each child and adult as they arrive. Adults can write them too. Use upper AND lower case letters, not all upper case.]  OK, let’s start with our opening song.    Here’s a little way to remember what we are talking about today. Remember to **PAWS** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Let’s start with a board book. **//Black on White// by Tana Hoban** or //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> [|**My Shapes/ Mis Formas**] //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> ** by Rebecca Emberley ** <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="color: black; font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">This book is good for babies because the pictures are very clear and there is a nice contrast between the picture and the background. We can all look at the shapes of the items and guess what they are. Ready? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">[Hold up the book and have everyone guess the shapes and call out what they are.] GREAT! <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">In our next book some mice use shapes to save them from the cat. What do cats like to do to mice? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Right! Eat them. So let’s see how clever these mice are. [Read the book.] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">[Alternate activity: Cut out shapes from felt for a flannel board. Retell the story using the flannel board (after the book) and/or people could play with it afterwards. Other option is to provide paper shapes, a piece of paper and glue, and invite families to make things out of them. You decide if you want to do either of these activities or don’t expand on this book.] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">OK! In our next rhyme, we use our hands to make a circle. Let’s try it first with our thumb and index finger on both hands. Hold them up. Good! Now put them together, finger to finger and thumb to thumb. See how that looks kind of like an “O”, like a circle or oval. Listen for the word “eggs” and that’s when we’ll use our hands to make them look like an egg, like this O. Ready? <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">[Show words on flipchart.] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Hickety pickety, my black hen, She lays eggs for gentlemen; <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> [Make hands back into a circle] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Sometimes nine, sometimes ten, Hickety pickety, my black hen. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> [Repeat one or two more times.] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">[Make mitten pairs out of felt, using different shape patterns and/or colors for each pair (each pair would match). The presenter passes the mittens out randomly, breaking up the pairs. Hold one mitten back. Put one mitten on the flannel board and describe it: a light blue mitten with two circles, one green and one yellow, touching each other. Ask: “Who has a matching mitten?” Invite the person to come to the front and put it on the flannel board. Then ask an adult to put up another mitten and ask “Who has the matching mitten?” Continue until all the mittens are matched. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Our next book is a story about the letters of the alphabet. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">First let’s sing the alphabet song. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">[Read the book with rhythm but slow enough to be able to point out some letters.] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Look at all the letters, upper case and lower case, at the beginning and end of the book. You will be taking your own copy of this book home today. When you are at home, see if you can find some of the letters in your name. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Start a letter book using magazines. [Blank booklets are provided for the project and you may want to show an example of one you’ve done ahead of time. You may need to send these with families to do at home and encourage them to bring them back next week to show you!] <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Today you have seen some ways to encourage your children’s letter knowledge. <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Every Child Ready to Read @ your library® **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Introduction: (Can be before or after opening song) **
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">To All: __**<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Welcome! So glad you could be here today for our special Every Child Ready to Read @ your library family storytime. In our storytime today I’ll be sharing with you some information on early literacy skills, skills that researchers say are important to help your children get ready to learn to read when they are taught to read in school. The poster here lists all six skills. At each of our six storytimes I’ll highlight one skill. Also, at the end of each storytime, you’ll be able to take home a book to keep and to read over and over again. [Use a host puppet to say this if you like.]
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Opening Song: **//<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Open Shut Them, //<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">or song/rhyme of your choice (use same one each time)
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Adult Aside __**<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">: The skill we’ll look at today is Letter Knowledge. For young children this means knowing that the same letter can look different, that letters have names and are related to sounds. Even now you can do things to help children develop letter knowledge. I’ll be pointing out some things as we go through storytime today.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">P **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> for play with letters
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> for alike and different
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">W **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">for write and draw
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">S **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> for shapes
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Book: //Mouse Shapes//, by Ellen Walsh **
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Adult Aside: __**<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Helping your child see shapes will help them when they try to recognize and make letters. A circle later becomes an O (oh). The circle shape is also used in lots of other letters like the b, d, G, C. Triangles can be seen in A, W, V, M. [As you mention these, hold up some large letters as examples.] Being able to see the difference between shapes is the first step in seeing the difference between letters.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Rhyme: Hickety Pickety, My Black Hen **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Activity: Mitten Match (or do the puzzle partner activity below) **
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Adult Aside: __**<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; msobidifontfamily: Arial; msospacerun: yes;"> <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Helping children see what is alike and different helps them with letters. A lower case “n” and a lower case “h” are similar but different. They need to be able to see those differences. Even when they help you match socks as you put the laundry away, they are getting this skill.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">[Alternate Activity (can also do at the beginning or end of program): **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> Puzzle Piece Match Up: Cut the fronts of old greeting cards in half. As families enter and get their name tags give one half to each family and then ask them to match up with their puzzle partner and introduce themselves. When everyone has done this, explain that when children do even simple puzzles like this one, they are learning about “Visual Discrimination” which helps them tell the difference between letters that look alike depending on which way they are facing! Hold up a cut-out of a lowercase “p” and turn the paper so the “p” looks like a “b,” “d,” or “q.”
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Adult Aside: __**<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> The alphabet song is helping children to learn the NAMES of the letters. This is important for later reading. Be sure to enunciate “l, m, n, o, p” because young children tent to say, “elemonopee” as one letter name! Here’s a little trick—try singing the alphabet song to the tune of Mary Had a Little Lamb. It breaks up the letter sounds differently.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Book: //Chicka Chicka Boom Boom//, by Bill Martin, Jr. **
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Adult Aside: __**<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> On your name tags, we asked that you write in both upper and lower case letters. It is important for children to learn that the same letter can look different. Using both sets of letters helps them understand this idea. When you help your child learn letters, you need not start from A to Z. Start with words that are important to them, like their names or something of interest like dinosaurs or princesses or whatever it is.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Alternate Activity: **<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> [If you can buy a real coconut from the store before the program, pass it around for everyone to hold and shake.] Ask: “What does the coconut feel like?” “Did you hear anything when you shook it?” You could also pass around a bowl of shredded coconut for people to smell and/or taste.
 * __<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Adult Aside: __**<span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> In Idaho, we don’t get to see coconut trees because they only grow where it’s warm all year around. By showing your child something like a coconut at the grocery store and letting them use as many of their senses as possible, it helps strengthen their brain pathways and expands their vocabulary. That’s one way you can use a book like //Chicka Chicka Boom Boom// to build vocabulary, like we just did, or phonological awareness like we talked about in the first session because it’s also a great rhyming book. Or narrative skills by asking if they’ve ever had a cookie with coconut in it and talking about that. You can really use any book to build any of these six skills!
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Craft/Activity: **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial Narrow','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Wrap Up **