A is for Apple

Our brainstorming complete!

This week was all about letter A. First, we always talk about the sound the letter makes and then think of words that have that sound. You'll notice words like August and April or students names that don't have the 'a' sound like apple, but the students identified they all start with letter A. This was due to the fact that we have these things posted around the room for them to see. It was nice to see that they could identify letter A.

After we talk about the letter as a whole group, the students then journal. Depending on their level, some focus on writing the letter and some work on writing words that begin with the letter. This is done as a quiet activity so that students can focus. I whisper, "You may move on" after they have shown me some of A's they have drawn. They can then move on to writing words. If they move on to words, they must provide a quick sketch. For example, if they write the word apple they must then draw a picture of an apple. I really emphasized the word quick when I introduced this activity as I did not want the students spending too much time drawing. The students really like this as it lets them express their creativity with their drawings, but it lets me see where they are at with their writing.