Introduction to Quick Reference Cards for Letter Sounds & Strokes Quick Reference Cards (QRCs) are included as part of Letter Sounds & Strokes (LSS), a phonics program available in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL). The QRCs provide instructional tips for teachers. Their separation from the Teacher’s Editions (TE) is purposeful: QRCs are easily accessible and provide quick instructional support for teachers in whole and small group instruction. Teachers can select the QRC needed for a specific activity and place the card in the TE to mark point of use or place it on a teacher table during an activity. QRCs can be shared with paraprofessionals, substitutes, administrators, and parents. Copyright 2005 by Sopris West. All rights reserved. 08 07 06 05 04 6 5 4 3 2 1 No portion of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. ISBN 13 digit: 978-1-59318-219-9 ISBN 10 digit: 1-59318-219-8 115692 Printed in the United States of America Published and Distributed by 4093 Specialty Place • Longmont, CO 80504 (303) 651-2829 www.sopriswest.com How to Use Letter Sounds & Strokes Letter Sounds & Strokes (LSS) is an instructional program used to teach explicit phonics, language development, and print awareness in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. Teachers use LSS to develop listening skills, letter sound/symbol relationships, alphabetic knowledge, syllabication, blending, and pre-writing strokes for print awareness. Components included in Letter Sounds & Strokes: l Letter Cards are used for explicit phonics instruction. l Flash l Memory l Blackline l Word l The LSS components are available in English and Spanish. Cards are used as alphabet cards for explicit phonics instruction, repeated practice, and in phonics assessment activities. Cards are used to play games for phonics practice and review. Masters are used to extend language experiences by retelling or creating stories, for developing class books, and for print awareness. Bank contains vocabulary word cards used individually and to create connected text for oral language activities. Learning Zoo CD-ROM is used to reinforce color recognition, math skills, word recognition, and letter sound and symbol relationships. LSS components may be used for whole and small group activities as well as individual practice. Teachers introduce each letter by fully integrating letter sound, name, and formation. A suggested order for presenting letters is included or teachers can modify the order to supplement another program. Practice opportunities vary according to children’s needs and instructional opportunities. A moderately fast pace is used with teacher-directed instruction. Opportunities for repeated practice and cumulative review are included so children have multiple experiences using letter sounds/names, print concepts, and vocabulary words. Teaching Letter Sounds and Symbols Letter sounds are introduced using the Letter Cards and Flash Cards. The Letter Cards use illustrations of animal characters to represent alphabet letters. Each Letter Card includes a story and explicit phonics instruction activities. Stories about the animal characters include vocabulary words that enhance phonological and phonemic awareness, build word knowledge, and develop oral language skills. Phonics instruction activities include teacher modeling, active participation of the children in repeated practice opportunities, and experiences with print awareness that build on previous instruction. Letter Sounds Read Stor y & Strok es—Lette rb Billie the ing, /b-b Baby Blue Bea r sees -b-b/. Bill e says, /b-b a bee. She trie s to -b-b/ and Teacher points at say the word bee Says the bee . She mak . Pretend es the sou you are nd of the Billie the sign for letter b the lett by sayer b. Mak Baby Blue Bea r. Preten e the sou d that you nd of the Students letter b see Do by saying, a bee. Point Studen at the bee /b-b-b-b ts preten /. and use d to make the the ASL ASL han see a bee and hand d sign for point whi le saying, the lett er b whi /b-b Phoneti -b-b/ le saying, c Decodin /b-b-b-b which is the *C means sound of /. g Sequ consonant, the lett ences* er b. Stu V means Short Vow dents vowel. el, CVC bag bat CVCC CCVCC Long Vow el, CVCe, CCV Ce Two Vow els Go Wal king L Control led Vow el ball baby buy begin ballet bill book by below bop bush bless base bean been bird birth bug but bomb blink bake bait beak bar bark beg bet belt bank black R Control led Vow el Irregular Words big bit bath best back block bone blank blaze bee blame boat burger burn bell bail barn bull boom body believe boot board belong © 2003 Sopris Wes boil bear before t Educatio nal Serv ices 3 Introducing Letters by Integrating Sound, Shape, Name, and Print Instructional sequences for introducing and practicing alphabet letters integrate knowledge about letter sounds, names, and shapes combined with task approach strategies about “how to” form or print a letter. Children engage in activities where they “hear, see, say and do” something to actively participate in the learning process. The integrated learning experience helps them fit information together or understand the “whole” process or concept while clearly identifying the “parts” that create the meaning or use of letters, words, and language. 8 Quick Reference Card please por favor play ) jugar (juega Letter Sounds & Strokes promotes multilingual learning experiences in English, Spanish, and American Sign Language (ASL). ASL hand signs are printed on the LSS components so that former knowledge about ASL is not required. Using ASL is beneficial in multiple ways. Teachers and children actively participate by using small muscles to form the ASL manual hand signs for letters as they listen and repeat letter sounds, locate familiar sounds, or identify letter sounds to read or spell words. Teachers know children are attending and participating in the lesson. Children stay on task as they use their hands to talk and deepen their understandings about alphabetic knowledge, phonics, and language. ente time tiempo thank you gracias talk ) hablar (habla bathroom baño come venir (ven) work trabajo Quick walk na) Reference Card caminar (cami wait ra) esparar (espe Classroom Manag Signs in AS ement English, Sp L, anish stop detención alto, parada, all done fine comp letam sit sentar show me ensañame 7 quiet callado go ir (ve) American Sign Language Alphabet 17 - ers sign and behav for classroom say the words means, what the sign teach stand ior, In the beginning, children under child’s behav nt. After the to redirect a ior manageme e. sign language performanc use only the liment on task teachers may tations, or comp clarify expec home hogar yes sí book libro eat comer (com e) reserved. West. All rights © by Sopris Multilingual Instruction Management Classroom L, Signs in AS anish English, Sp formación line up (en línea) (en fila) no no help ayudar (ayud a) listen escuchar (escucha) now ahora © by Sopris West. All rights reserved. look mirar (mira ) good bueno friend amigo Teaching Pre-Writing Strokes t Letter Chan Ideal Letter d Up and aroun d, Up and aroun up, down d; Up and aroun down Touch, pull d, Up and aroun stop d Up and aroun d, Up and aroun up, down all the way d; Up and aroun down Touch, pull d, Up and aroun a tail down, add d Up and aroun d, Up and aroun turn, turn d Up and aroun d, Up and aroun cross down, all the way d; Up and aroun over Touch, push k : l, i, t, j, b, Sequence Two Stroke Pre-Writing Letter l i t j b k Stroke Ideal Letter t Letter Chan down Touch, pull down, Touch, pull add a dot down Touch, pull Teachers introduce the pre-writing strokes in art activities that encourage children to use correct grips with no pressure, small movements in fingers and wrist, and a relaxed body posture that is appropriate for drawing and printing. Activities called Directed Drawings are used to teach children how to listen and follow directions as teachers provide guided instruction that develops pre-writing skills through art experiences before children are expected to formally print or use paper and pencil. 4 Stroke d Up and aroun down, Touch, pull cross the t down Touch, pull down; Touch, pull Quick over Touch, push Reference Card down Touch, pull down Touch, pull 7 down, Touch, pull a dot add a tail and We Can , s • Uni ! Pattern down t: Bears Touch, pull belly up, add a fat Five Pre-Writing Strokes down, Touch, pull right slant left, slant bear © 2003 Sopris West Educationa Permission is l Services. To order call 800-547-6747. granted to the Product Code purchaser to photocopy this 0178TXKT page. Stroke Two: Touch, pull down The second pre-writing stroke pattern, “Touch, pull down,” teaches children how to form a vertical straight line. The stroke is used to create geometric shapes that include squares and rectangles, and alphabet letters: l, i, r, t, m, n, h, j, u, b, k, B, D, E, F, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, T, and U. STROKE DIRECTIONS: Children begin at the top of the paper or space and pull straight down while repeating, “Touch, pull down.” Stroke Three: Touch, push over The third pre-writing stroke pattern, “Touch, push over” teaches children how to form a horizontal straight line. The stroke is used to create geometric shapes that include squares and rectangles, and alphabet letters: e, f, t, z, A, E, F, H, I, L, T, and Z. STROKE DIRECTIONS: Children begin on the left and draw across from left to right while repeating, “Touch, push over.” Stroke Four: Slant down to the right The fourth pre-writing stroke pattern, “Slant down to the right,” teaches children how to form geometric shapes and alphabet letters: k, v, w, x, y, K, M, N, R, V, W, X, and Y. STROKE DIRECTIONS: Children begin at the top, drawing downward and to the right in a slanting motion, while repeating, “Slant down to the right.” Stroke Five: Slant left and down The fifth pre-writing stroke pattern, “Slant left and down,” teaches children how to form geometric shapes that include slanted lines, angles, and alphabet letters: k, v, w, x, y, z, K, M, V, W, X, Y, and Z. STROKE DIRECTIONS: Children begin at the top, drawing downward and to the left in a slanting motion, while repeating, “Slant left and down.” oso 155 ; Slant One: Up and around Stroke down Touch, pull ; Slant left and downThe rightfirst pre-writing stroke pattern, “Up and around,” teaches children how to down to theform a circle using a left to right, counter-clockwise movement. The stroke is used to create geometric shapes that include circles or ovals, and alphabet letters: o, a, c, d, g, s, f, e, qu, C, G, O, QU, and S. STROKE DIRECTIONS: Beginning on the right side and proceeding “up and around” in a counter-clockwise direction, children form a rainbow while repeating, “Up and around.” Children complete the circle or oval by connecting to the beginning point while repeating, “Up and around.” © by Sopris West. All rights reserved. 9 g, s, f : o, a, c, d, Sequence One Stroke Pre-Writing Letter o a c d g s f Drawing of a Bear Strokes Pre-Writing Letters for Printing Quick Card Reference reserved. West. All rights © by Sopris Activities in LSS introduce five pre-writing strokes that are specific fine motor movements with verbal chants to facilitate recall of letter formation. The five pre-writing strokes are used to create shapes or drawings and letters or numerals. Children recite a short verbal chant while making each stroke. The verbal chants are strategic supports for children as they learn to draw and develop skills for printing. Teachers model and demonstrate how to combine strokes to create geometric shapes using circles, lines, and shapes. Pattern 36 Dire cted © by Sopris West. All rights reserv ed. Quick Card Reference 4 Children listen and observe as teachers model how to use the five pre-writing strokes by forming shapes or drawing objects. Later, they build on this skill by learning to print letters and numerals. This is not art instruction but preparation for printing using strategies and chants to recall how to form a graphic figure, either shapes, letters, or numerals. 1 3 2 4 caballo potrillo Yo puedo dib un caballo y un ujar potrillo. The five pre-writing strokes are presented on Quick Reference Cards (QRCs) that may be copied and shared with paraprofessionals, parents, and children. Activities using the pre-writing strokes are included in the We Can! Pre-Writing Program called I Can Draw. Integrating Technology Throughout the Curriculum The Learning Zoo: Games and Activities CD-ROM provides practice opportunities in English and Spanish that reinforce recognition of shapes, colors and color words, numerals and number words, counting skills, and letter sounds and names. Children use pre-writing strokes to complete Directed Drawings they can illustrate by selecting colors and using color words. They can print their pictures and color them with crayons and markers. Children develop computer skills while participating in six interactive activities whose content aligns with thematic units and classroom instruction. l Zippy the Zebra’s Match Colors and Shapes l Kiki l Match the Sounds l Name Game! l We l Gifford the Kangaroo’s Match the Colors Game! Can! Draw and Color! the Gorilla’s Count to 10 5 Introducing the Alphabet Using Letter Cards and Flash Cards Letter Sounds & Strokes includes twenty-six Letter Cards, each representing one letter of the alphabet. The front of each card includes an illustration of an animal character and the lowercase and uppercase letters. The animal character’s name usually begins or ends with the letter sound, and the illustration often resembles the printed alphabet letter. l Teachers select the Letter Card(s) that are needed for skills instruction. They hold up one card at a time as they read the story on the back of the card. Children practice naming words with the letter sound(s) and making the ASL hand sign for each letter. l Position l Engage l Hold l Repeat l Have l Give l Have children in a group where they can hear the instruction and see the Letter Card or Flash Card. children’s attention by saying and/or signing “Pay attention, please.” up a Letter Card or Flash Card to introduce the alphabet letter sound, name, and shape. Begin the instruction by saying, “Listen to this sound. (Teacher makes the sound of the letter on the card). That is the sound of letter _____. (Make the letter sound) is the sound of letter __”. the instruction several times while making the ASL hand sign for the letter. children listen, make the ASL hand sign, and repeat the letter sound and name. the Letter Card or a Flash Card to a child who holds the card and models how to make the ASL hand sign. children make the ASL hand sign and repeat the letter sound and name. The text printed on the back of each Letter Card includes four sections: Read Story, Teacher Says, Students Do, and Phonetic Decoding Sequences. 1. R ead Story: This section includes a story that is read aloud to children about the animal character. The story reinforces the letter sound and name. This story is told and animated on The Learning Zoo CD-ROM for additional practice. 2. T eacher Says: This section includes explicit, teacher-directed instruction regarding how to make the letter sound and the letter name. 3. S tudents Do: This section describes the expectations for children as they vocalize the letter’s sound and make the ASL hand sign. 4. P honetic Decoding Sequences: This section lists vocabulary words by decoding strategies and vowel rules, ranging from easy to difficult. Irregular words are useful for oral language activities that encourage children to identify letter sounds in more difficult words. Use the vocabulary words listed on the back of the Letter Card that contains the letter sound. Help children listen and identify the letter sound in spoken words. The words are scaffolded from easy to difficult. The decoding sequences are appropriate for introducing decoding strategies for sounding out words beginning with vowel-consonant (VC) and consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words. The words are presented in word families progressing from short to long vowel sounds and irregular patterns. Have children practice listening for sounds in words, using words in oral language experiences, making rhyming pairs, identifying beginning sounds, and forming sentences. 6 American Sign Language (ASL): Each card includes the manual alphabet hand sign that represents the alphabet letter. Hand signs may be used to prompt the recall of letter names and sounds or to assist children who struggle with discriminating letters that are similar in print such as b and d. Teaching Tips for Extending Lessons l Use the Blackline Masters to encourage creative storytelling, to form Class Books, and to practice printing IF student demonstrates readiness for printing. l Use l Individualize l Connect l Use l Children l Use vocabulary words on the back of the Letter Card to practice syllabication (breaking words into sound parts and clapping the parts, identifying beginning sounds, etc.). Class Books instruction by selecting easier words for activities involving emergent skill learners and more difficult, multisyllabic words for children who demonstrate readiness for more challenging work. experiences with former instruction by practicing letters previously introduced, extending learning experiences to include guided practice with corrective feedback, and assessing progress to determine future instruction. pre-writing strokes to create each alphabet letter. Have children practice the strokes in the air using a finger or flashlight while simultaneously repeating the verbal chant. Combine pre-writing strokes to create shapes, letters, or numerals. may combine cards to create nonsense blending patterns, e.g., s-o-g, or to create consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words such as c-a-t. Cards may also be used to practice blending sounds and initial consonant substitution if students demonstrate readiness. Word Banks to create connected text and model oral reading fluency and prosody (reading with expression). 7 115692