Letters and Sounds With a Fall Theme

Just wanted to share some of the fun Fall themed activities we have been using here in small group to help reinforce the letters and sounds!

A current favorite is the Pumpkin Letter Identification pack!  

This pack includes

~  2 sets of small pumpkins, one with upper and the other with lower case letters

~ 2 sets of larger pumpkins, again one with upper and the other with lower case letters. 

~  1 upper and 1 lower case pumpkin alphabet chart (for students to color as they reinforce their letter/sound identification) 

My Monster Love Identification pack includes very similar activities, but I incorporated some not so spooky monsters!  

(Want to know a secret??  I use this pack now and even again around Valentine's Day because of the hearts and "love" theme!) 

This pack includes: 

~ 2 sets of letter cards: 1 set of upper case letters and 1 set of lower case letters

~ 1 page of game cards to play simple letter and sound identification game
~ 1 upper and 1 lower case alphabet chart with hearts (for students to color as they reinforce their letter/sound identification) 

Fun activities you could do with either of these packs, include:

~  Practice pointing to and reciting the alphabet with one of the alphabet charts!

~  Match upper to upper, lower to lower, upper to lower, lower to upper case letters by putting the targeted cards into a festive container and having your students select them one at a time and then coloring the matching letter on the alphabet chart!

~  Practice naming letters and/or sounds by putting the targeted cards into a festive container and having your students select them one at a time and name the letter and/or the sound!

For some fun finding cute and matching cute candy corn and pumpkin letters, try my Fall Letter Finds and Mix Ups!

You will find both upper and lower case versions of candy corn and pumpkin:

~  Letter Finds (letters are listed in alphabetical order)

~  Letter Mix-Ups (letters are mixed up on the page)

~  Some suggestions for use at each level, that include using candy corn, candy pumpkins, bingo dotters, and bingo markers!

Finally, my Daisy Scouts had lots of fun creating their snack this week by making a peanut-free spider and mummy juice box!!

Didn't they come out great?

Letter Identification with Alphabet Charts

As a reading teacher, I work with many kindergarten students who come to school having little to no exposure to the alphabet.  So in addition to building their critical phonemic awareness skills, I spend a lot of my time exposing them to letters. 

The first place I like to start with my kiddos is with the 
ABC Song and an alphabet chart.  

We begin by singing the traditional melody of the ABC Song because many of the children are familiar with it.  (However there always seems to be a child or two who is not, so the extra practice and reinforcement is generally helpful to all.)  As we sing the song, we point to each letter of the alphabet.  This can be challenging at first, especially for the little ones who do not yet realize the relationship between the letters they are speaking and the letters in print.  It is important to slow the song down so that each letter can be heard, especially the L-M-N-O-P.

We use many different tools for this activity, including fun pointers, our own fingers, alphabet strips, and alphabet charts.  As the students become more proficient, we use different ABC songs and gradually transition into reciting the alphabet (removing the melody and pausing at the end of each row), while pointing to each letter.  

Seems pretty simple, doesn't it?  Alphabet charts provide so many opportunities for teachable moments!

I like working with alphabet charts in this manner for two main reasons:
First, this helps to build understanding of the organization and basic features of print as they follow the letters from left to right and top to bottom.  (Sound familiar to anyone?)  Not only are they improving their ability to recognize and name the upper and lower case letters of the alphabet, but they are tracking print from left to right (understanding directionality), tracking print from the end of the line to the beginning of the next (return sweep), 
and pointing to individual letters (using one-to-one correspondence).  These are big skills for our little literacy learners!

Secondly, this activity provides the students with a strategy to use to help them figure out unfamiliar letters on their own.  Almost every classroom environments are rich in print.  Every classroom in our building has the alphabet posted and most students have the alphabet printed on their name tags at their seats.  So as long as they have the alphabet in front of them and can recite or sing the ABC Song as they point to the letters, they will have a means to name unknown letters.   

Here is a FREE Alphabet Chart to share with you!  To help our little literacy learners develop return sweep, you will see that I alternated the bee and the butterfly for each row.

I also created some letter cards and letter matching/identification worksheets to go along with the alphabet charts.  
You can find them here:

(Here is the link for my TPT shop.)

Here are some links to other letter matching/identification activities I have made to go along with the Fall that include alphabet charts:

 Do you use alphabet charts yourself?  Where do you start with the children who come into school who have had little to no exposure to the alphabet?

It is Fall!!

It is Fall!  The air is crisp in the evenings and the leaves are beginning to change color here in the Northeast.  I am looking forward to the beautiful changes Mother Nature has in store for the season!

Just for Fall, I wanted to share with you one of my Emergent Student Readers called, "The Colors of Fall"

This Student Reader is a part of my 
Emergent Student Readers Set 1

Here are some other products I have available that are perfect for the season to help reinforce early literacy skills for your little literacy learners!

Fall Letter Finds and Mix-Ups

Pumpkin Letter Identification