Numbers All Around: Building a Solid Foundation 0-10

Numbers surround us; they are part of our lives every day. Before coming to school, students see numbers on clocks, remote controls, license plates, etc. We need to continue to surround our students with numbers. Have the numbers permanently displayed, post numbers with that number of objects, and put up charts for number chants (1 Potato, 2 Potato) and nursery rhymes (1,2, Buckle My Shoe). 

Although we will expose our students to many numbers during the kindergarten year, we need to develop a sound foundation with the numbers 0-10. Instead of rushing on to the teen numbers when your students recognize the numbers to 10, continue working with those numbers. Students need to be able to recognize the numbers 0-10, write them, count out the correct number of objects again and again, compare numbers, match number and quantity, and (eventually) add and subtract numbers within 10. If you develop a solid foundation, then using numbers beyond 10 becomes much easier for students.

To help your students recognize and use numbers, check out the following materials:

Rhyme Away!

When students are familiar with a few nursery rhymes, you can help them develop a greater awareness of rhymes by having them complete a well known line. For instance, start the first line of Jack and Jill, then pause to have the students name the missing rhyming word: Jack and Jill went up the _________. By highlighting the rhyming words of familiar rhymes, students will tune in more to the word play of rhymes.

As students continue to develop a better sense of rhymes, they need opportunities to match rhymes. Games can provide the practice needed to help students move from matching to producing rhymes. As students master the production stage of rhyming, they can then focus on reading rhymes within word families.

Rhymes help develop the foundation for reading. Capitalize on the “fun” of rhymes through books, songs, and games to help your students progress through the stages of rhyming. For games, activities, and supporting materials, check out these products.

  

Oral Language Development and a Nursery Rhyme Program

     

The ability to listen, ask questions and communicate, together with a rich and varied vocabulary, will allow students to have an easier time comprehending text as it is read.In fact, some studies claim that developed oral language skills alone is the best indicator of future school success.

Singing is a very effective way to build these important language skills. Not only are songs filled with complex words and thoughts, children naturally love music! What better way to practice language than within the safety of spontaneous chants, rhymes, and songs.

Today we presented our program, The Land of Rhymes. The kids loved singing those dear Mother Goose Songs that have been passed down for generations, and that we have been signing since the first day of school. Students especially loved bringing those characters to life as they introduced their characters in the microphone and then danced and sang the songs.

If you also love Mother Goose, and perhaps looking for ways to better develop oral language skills, you might wish to try:

                                

Teaching English Language Learners Phonological Awareness Skills: Learning To Rhyme

Learning to rhyme is a very important phonological skill that will lead students to future reading success. You can read about its importance here. 

Phonological awareness skills are especially import when teaching second language learners. To teach these children skills such as rhyming, it takes strategic teaching and knowledge of the fact that some phonemes are not present in a student’s native language (for example Spanish speakers use half the amount of phonemes as English speakers). Because of this, the vocabulary, context of the word, and pronunciation (including mouth positioning) must be strongly considered to make the rhyming practice meaningful and productive.

The first step in teaching ELL’s to rhyme is to start with traditional "lap time" activities. "Lap time" activities are known as such because they are the activities that a mother would typically engage in when playing with language with a young child on her lap, i.e. nursery rhymes, finger plays, and songs. We have to start with these primary activities with second language learners, because, for them, this is their primary language experience.

Start with activities that are easily memorized. Call attention to rhymes in songs, fingerplays, and rhymes as you sing them with your students. Use full or cross-body actions that will increase brain-power. Don't be afraid to start small, intact starting small is a must! The students do not need to learn how to rhyme in one week or even in one semester. Start with words that rhyme with cat. I love these little rhyming tubs. Children love the little objects and the auditory/visual connection assists ELL learners. To begin, I simply dump out the -at tub of objects in a pile, pick them up one-by-one, and identify them.  We take the time to discuss each object's label and definition. Don’t take anything for granted. Not all children know what a baseball bat is. Always throughly define the item. 

After all objects are named, I then pick them up again one-by-one saying only their name and ask, “Does anyone see anything these words have in common?” If there is no answer, I again pick up each object and exaggerate each word, opening my mouth wide, holding my chin, and pointing to my mouth (giving the children visual cues for clarity). I again ask the question, and usually a child will quickly mention my mouth. I will then say the word cat and ask students repeat the word as they place their hands on their cheeks. All of these objects are rhyming words and so my mouth is the same for each word. At this point I pull out my hand mirrors and ask students to say the name of each object as they watch their mouth. After we have watched our mouth “speak” each rhyming word. I ask the students to say a word that uses complete opposite mouth positioning such as chip. I then have the students hold their cheeks as they say the words in the object pile: cat, rat, bat, sat, mat, followed quickly by chip. “Did you feel your mouth move differently?” Well that word can’t rhyme with cat then, because your mouth must stay the same at the end of each rhyming word. 

I continue this process for the first several sessions with these students, reviewing a learned rhyming family at the end of each lesson, always having students hold their cheeks (or jaw if the words contain jaw-dropping vowels) as we list the rhyming words. I do this review in a my-turn, your-turn fashion. For example. I hold my cheeks and say pig and then point both hands at the students while they say pig.

After I have taught the vocabulary that I want rhymed, the mouth positioning, and practiced rhyming families, it is time to slowly ask students to produce and then generate rhyming words using meaningful games and activities. This process to teach rhyme may seem labor intensive. It is, but it also doesn't take as much time as you might expect, and, spelling out the workings of language in such an explicit way is essential for students who come from a different language background.

Five Senses: Thematic Common Core Unit

This thematic unit, “Five Senses,” offers cross-curricular support with strategic activities in language arts, music, math, science, writing and art while studying a familiar scientific concept. All math and language arts activities are strategically linked to the common core standards.

Activities include: 

Songs/Fingerplays

 Good Day

Five Senses

Guided Reading Books

Little Bear’s Five Senses

My Five Senses

Science

Name That Sound: Using Hearing to Make Observations

It Feels Like: Using Touch to Make Observations

Taste Test: Using Taste to Make Observations

How Does it Smell: Using Smell to Make Observations

I Spy With My Little Eye: Using Sight to Make Observations

Pop Pop Pop: Engaging the 5 Senses

Writing

Word Wall: Five Senses Six Poster Cards

Writing Prompts: My Five Senses

Label It: Label the 5 Senses

Art Projects

My Five Senses:Portfolio Page

Five Senses: Coloring Page

Scripted Math Lessons:

Sorting Senses: Representing Numbers in Different Ways

Graph It: Graphing Categories

Tactile Number Hunt: Matching Quantity to Numbers (Using the Sense of Touch)

Math Workpage

Five Senses: Sorting Data

Scripted Literacy Lessons:

Feel the Alphabet: Identifying Letters of the Alphabet

Touch and Seek Letters: Using Touch and Sight to Match Alphabet Letters

Nursery Rhyme Time: Listening to Nursery Rhymes to Identify Rhyming Words

Benefits of Mother Goose Rhymes

"Experts in literacy and child development have discovered that if children know eight nursery rhymes by heart by the time they're four years old, they're usually among the best readers by the time they're eight." -Fox, M. (2001). Reading Magic. San Diego, CA: Harcourt.
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I love to use Nursery Rhymes and Traditional songs as a staple in my Kindergarten curriculum. One program I love to use is Singlish! I found this great resource many years ago at a conference in Texas. I can't say enough to advertise their products. I have found that it truly builds oral language development.
Also, you might want to check out our Nursery Rhymes Thematic Unit. I love using this unit in my kindergarten classroom. My students have always enjoyed acting out the rhymes in our annual performances. This year my class performed a Spring program, "An Adventure in Nursery Rhyme Land." Kids do love these rhymes all year long!
My grandchildren (ages 2-6) love to play the games and activities in this thematic packet, kids of all ages love Mother Goose. It is a great tool to use at home as well as school.

You might also want to head over to Fairy Dust Teaching. She is always full of great ideas when it comes to the arts and traditional tales. She has some great ideas posted 

Common Core Book Study

I am participating in a book study on the Common Core.

This book, “Common Core Curriculum Maps in English Language Grades K-5,” is a terrific guide when implementing the common core standards!

As every kindergarten teacher knows, kindergartners enter school with an extreme range of knowledge. The Common Core Standards have been developed to assist teachers to better meet the needs of this diverse range. This book takes those standards and provides a pacing guide that guides instruction in phonological, phonics, print awareness, fluency, etc. 

Unit 1: A Colorful Time with Rhythm and Rhyme focuses on the first six weeks of kindergarten when students should be introduced to colorful picture books, traditional poetry, playful songs, and rhythmic nursery rhymes. 

We have developed two beginning of the year units to compliment this unit of color and rhyme. Check them out at our online store. You will quickly be on your way to building early readers!

Check out other unit summaries here: 

Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes: Thematic Common Core Curriculum Essentials

This Developmentally Appropriate thematic unit, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, is strategically linked to the Common Core Standards. It is divided into areas of literature, music, art, literacy, math, worksheets, science, creative writing, word wall, and guided reading. The activities are clearly written, easy to use, and need limited amounts of preparation. The lessons (games or activities) included are scripted. They are written in a format that can be easily taught by the teacher or readily handed off to a parent volunteer or a classroom aide with complete confidence that objectives of the lesson will be reached. 

And, if you are a homeschool mom, don't forget we have 50+ thematic units that will plan your kindergarten year for you!

Table of Contents:

Shared Reading Activities

Mother Goose Rhymes: Saying or Singing Nursery Rhymes

Nursery Rhymes: Sequencing Nursery Rhymes

Hey Diddle Diddle Pocket Chart Activity 

Scripted Literacy Lessons With Independent Options:

Mother Goose Mix-up: Building Working Memory

Humpty Dumpty Rhymes: Matching Rhymes

Blind Mice Chase: Identifying Letters

Mary Goes To School: Using Preposition Words

Independent Activities

Mary’s Letters: Tracing Letters A-Z

Little Lost Lambs: Hunting For Alphabet Letters

Scripted Math Lessons With Independent Options:

Little Bo Peep’s Sheep: Counting Objects to Match Numbers

Under The Haystack: Identifying Shapes

Nursery Rhyme Patterns: Naming and Creating Patterns 

Independent Activities

Hey Diddle Diddle Numbers: Identifying Number Names

Nursery Rhyme Puzzles: Developing Spatial Reasoning Skills

Fetch The Pail: Counting & Writing Numbers

Songs/Fingerplays

Humpty Dumpty

Jack Be Nimble

Mary Had a Little Lamb

Little Bo Peep

Little Boy Blue
Jack and Jill

The Fly & The Bumblebee

Little Miss Muffet

Art Projects

Mary’s Schoolhouse: Construction Project

Mary’s School Portfolio Sample

Humpty Dumpty on a Wall

Writing

Hey Diddle Diddle Prewriting Practice 

My Favorite Nursery Rhyme

Science

Insects & Spiders: Making Comparisons

Guided Reading Books

Mother Goose Land

Class Made Books

Mother Goose Rhymes