Sounds+and+Letters

=Sounds, Letters and Background Knowledge, oh my!=

ESL students come to us knowing their own language and the sounds their alphabet makes, but adapting to the English sounds can be a challenge. Kindergarten kids are the best audience for any sound and letter flashcard activity, however another challenge with sounds and letter cards and their lovely pictures is that they never change. The students (and the teacher!) quickly tire from the same ol' picture day in and out, so why not deliver the same sounds with new content? Content the students will be able to use to fill out their background knowledge?

How-To
Sounds and letters are part of our warm-up routine. I show the sounds and letters presentations to the class over the television and keep a beat with my foot or a marker. The kids can join in with clapping, though I usually reserve this for after we've used each presentation several times so they really get a chance to hear the letters, words and sounds. I'll start the chant with the letter, the name of whatever is in the picture followed by the sound the letter makes and then the students chant it back.

Example Teacher: "Ay, ant, /a/" Students: "Ay, ant, /a/"

If I hear that students are off, or if they missed a letter, I'll simply repeat it. Sometimes I call out their name and a reminder to the beat to get them back on task, and often the rest of the class will repeat the chant-reminder, allowing everyone to giggle and re-focus.

I've started with the (mostly) basic sounds and letters using animals. Over time I'll expand into the blends and different topics, roughly following the topics and themes in "Let's Talk About It!"

Insects
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Birds
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nb: It is not unwise to send an email to the teachers giving them a heads-up about the blue-footed booby picture in the slideshow. This way the students won't get into any trouble for any mistaken "inappropriate language.'

Mammals
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