Zz Zelda the Zebra roams through the zoo, zipping and zooming, and zig-zagging, too. Here’s how you make Zz: Find the Zz words Letter of the Week Flip Chart © Kama Einhorn, Scholastic Teaching Resources Zz Zz words we found in the picture More Z z words Teaching Guide Quick &and Easy Activity Try this activity after you explore the letter page. As you do the activity, emphasize the target letter: Zz . If there is a child in your class whose first or last name begins with the letter Z , you might ask him or her to lead the activity! Zz Zig-Zag At transition time, children can walk in a zig-zag line as they line up. At the art center, they can draw zig-zags or cut paper in zig-zag patterns. During outdoor play, try writing a giant Z in chalk and have children “zig the zag” (walk, run, skip, hop, or crawl along the line). Using the L etter P age FRIDAY: Revisit the laminated letter page with the whole group Presenting and exploring one letter of the alphabet each week is a great way to get kids to focus on the shape and sound of each letter. You can do this in just five to ten minutes a day. Because children will benefit from repetition and multiple experiences with each letter, laminate the letter page, then try this weekly plan: MONDAY: Share the laminated letter page with the whole Letter of the Week Flip Chart © Kama Einhorn, Scholastic Teaching Resources group at circle time. Introduce the animal mascot by reading the four-line, alliterative rhyme aloud, emphasizing the words that start with the target letter. Next, look at how the letter is formed. Using a dry-erase marker, slowly demonstrate the the formation of the letter, asking children to air-trace the letter with their index fingers as you do so. Then ask several at circle time. Invite kids to think of more target words (or names) that they know or that are visible in the room (for instance, Bobby, Ms. Barrett, book, ball). Write children’s ideas in the box at bottom right (or ask them to come up and do so, especially if it is their own name that begins with the target letter). You can go through the alphabet in letter order, or you can move around the alphabet, focusing on any letter you choose. You might choose letters based on a book you are sharing (for instance, if you are reading Where the Wild Things Are, you can take the opportunity to highlight the letter W ). Or, you can spotlight individual children on their birthdays (for instance, on Ben’s birthday, explore the letter B). children to take turns coming to the chart and practice form- Any way you present the letters, you’ll be building letter- ing the letter on the row themselves. recognition skills, developing sound-symbol awareness, and TUESDAY: Look at the laminated letter page again. Can helping kids practice letter formation. children remember the name of the animal mascot? Read the rhyme aloud. Then, examine the large picture together, inviting children to find pictures representing the target letter (there will be at least six, though Q only has four). Have a volunteer come up and circle those pictures with a dry-erase marker. Write them in the box under the picture. Aa Featured letter Attention, all! It’s Arnold the Ape. This amazing athlete Alliterative rhyme is in tip-top shape. Here’s how you make Aa: Aa. How to make Aa Find the Aa words WEDNESDAY: Look at the laminated letter page again at circle time. Have children take turns forming the letter on the practice row. Then do the suggested activity for the letter Find the Aa words of the week. (See inside back cover for quick and easy letterspecific activities.) THURSDAY: Display the chart in the writing center for children to use on their own (include the wipe-off pen if the Aa words we found in the picture Aa words we found pages have been laminated). Children can write on the flip ape airplane alligator armadillo apple ant chart itself, then practice the letters on separate sheets of paper. Designed by Jason Robinson Illustrated by Steve Cox ISBN-13: 978-0-545-22417-8 / ISBN-10: 0-545-22417-9 Copyright © 2010 by Kama Einhorn Printed in China. PO# here No part of the publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. For information, write to Scholastic Inc., 524 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. More Aa words arrow arm art acorn actor almond More Aa words