Fitting It All In - Names, Week 2 (Part 2)

If you visited the blog on Monday, you might have read my post detailing my lesson plans for week 1 on Names (a thematic unit I like to incorporate at the beginning of every year).  I love incorporating name building and identification because these are the most important words our kids will read.  I love to see their sense of accomplishment when they correctly identify their friends' names or use them in their daily writing.  If you didn't have a chance to read about my first week of name plans, you can check those out HERE or just scroll down to the next post.

As I said before, I love incorporating this theme and I usually do so for at least two weeks.  Here are my week 2 name plans (typically the 4th week of school).

If you compare my first week's plans to this week's plans, you'll see that I didn't have to change most of my centers.  Consistency is the key these first few weeks of school while we're still trying to establish routines and expectations.

MORNING WARM-UP

Just like last week, on Monday my kids will be focused on making something.  Instead of using different mediums to create their names, they'll be using different mediums to create a self portrait.  Again, their choices are set out on different tables and when they come in the room, they choose the medium they want to use and then sit at that table to make their self portrait.  I will set out things like markers, crayons, watercolor, modeling clay/play doh, construction paper, etc.  I don't like to limit their creativity.

Tuesday's morning warm-up activity didn't change from last week's and Wednesday looks the same, but this week it's a different "wonder".  This week's wonder is "Where do last names come from?"  Again, the kids will take out their "I wonder" journals and record their questions, thoughts, etc. in both written and illustrated form.

Creative Thinking Thursday always stays the same.  I had a question about where to buy the Doodle Loops book I mentioned in my previous post.  Doodle Loops are created by Sandy Baker and you can download them in her TpT store.   Y'all...I LOVE these.  Like I said before, I've been using these in my classroom since I started teaching.  They are such a great tool to help your kids think outside the box.  Sandy even has a free sample of her Doodle Loops that you can download HERE.

Fun Friday's morning work changes just a bit and for this Friday we're getting our hands dirty with things like play doh, shaving cream, wikki stix, etc. to make names.  Again, just set the different materials on different tables and let students choose when they come in the room.

Literacy Centers/Stations/Small Group / Guided Reading

Still introducing letters for my K babies and you can read about how I do that HERE

And for my 1st Graders we're using the small group activities in this packet to guide our phonics instruction/warm-ups before diving into reading/comprehension strategies.

You will notice that three of my word work centers stay the same.  Name Baggies, Name Sorts, & Mystery Bags.  I like to keep the name baggies and mystery bags out for several weeks so that I can give all of my kids a chance to be "chosen" for the mystery bags and to give my kids the opportunity identify/read/assemble new names in the name baggies.  The concept of the name sorts stays the same while the sorting mat/objective changes, but kids are still familiar with it.  This week they'll be sorting the consonants and vowels in names.

The Sight Word Station choices stay the same as well.  

Here's what's changed...

Pocket Chart

Instead of sorting names by beginning sound/letter, the kids will be matching names to pictures and reading simple sentences (My name is _______ (student picture).)  Students match the name card to the picture to complete the sentence.  I also set out a simple recording sheet for them to write 5 different sentences & transfer print).   They love this one.

Writing

I keep the class roster from the week before in the writing center and prompt my kids to practice writing lists.  I make sure to provide different types of writing sheets as well and let my kids choose their own.  My kids are encouraged to make lists of boys names, girls names, names of classmates, names of teachers, etc.  If they have OTHER ideas for writing names, I let them do that as well.  As long as they're practicing their list making skills.

Word Work #3 - Clothesline Names

This is a pretty simple activity to prep and I love that it gives my kids a chance to work on sequential ordering and fine motor skills in addition to name building and recognition.  Basically, you just string a "clothesline" (in my case it was a piece of ribbon tied on to my drawer handles) and then cut up the letters in each student's name (sentence strips) and place them in a basket.  You'll also need an additional set of clothespins in another basket as well as a visual class roster (I create a single sheet class roster with names and pictures using power point.  I make sure to take a picture of each of my kids the first week of school.  Each picture is placed in the file and their first names are typed underneath the pictures).

Art

Art this week incorporates alliteration.  I got this idea from Julie Lee (Mrs. Lee's Kindergarten)

As I said before, the Sight Word Station choices stay the same, so that's another center I'm not having to change and recreate.

The sight word station has a variety of activities with which the students are familiar and they will choose an activity to do giving them an opportunity to practice spelling/identifying/reading their sight words.  These are some things from which the kids can choose...

Sight Wordles

Sight Word Studies

Solve & Stamp Sight Word Mysteries

Spelling Sticks

Now let's move on to Phonics and Poetry...

To keep the familiarity, the independent phonics activities are the same as last week's, but we're working with a new word family..."an".  The poem has also changed.  In last week's plans I mentioned the Name Chant.  We do this as a quick warm-up prior to our phonics instruction.  You can grab the graphics below.

You can download the Name Chant (for free) below.

  All of the independent activities pictured above are in my Short Vowel Ventures - Short A packet.

I also try to fit in this predictable chart for whole group.  It makes a great class book.

Although it doesn't appear in my plans above, this is a great activity to work on throughout the week as a transition piece.  When they come to the carpet for whole group, before recess/lunch, etc.  About 2-3 names a day.  In K, my kids just write their names.  In first grade, I let them write the whole sentence unless I need to modify the activity for certain friends.  

I even let my kids vote on the title of the book.  This is a great way to introduce or review the purpose of a book title.  

Now for Math

This is Tuesday's whole group activity.  My kids LOVE it!!!

For Friday's RACE TO COVER activity, I split my class into two teams.  The first player from each team gets an expo marker.  I place the 120's chart on the whiteboard where they can reach it.  I call out different "clues" and the first players from each team run to the chart to see who can fill in the correct number on the 120's chart first.  If this is something you're interested in, the number chart prompts will be added to my store this week so be on the lookout for that!

You'll also notice that I warm up with our Number Line Prompts.

I'm keeping my name measurement tub out for an additional week for familiarity and to give my kids the opportunity to work with different names than the week before. 

MATH TUB #1

The Ten Apples Up on Top activity is done just like this and you can differentiate as needed.  Since we're still establishing routines and procedures, I won't make this too difficult, but I still want them engaged in meaningful work.  

via Pinterest 

(and I know Pinterest isn't a person, but this was "uploaded by User" and I can't find the original source.  If it's you,let me know so I can give you credit :))

MATH TUB #3

THe Vowel and Consonant addition is an activity from my Say My Name packet and it's a different take on the Choose It.Build It.Add it activity from last week's plans.

MATH TUB #4

This activity is a take on this one from Amy Lemons.  Instead of my kids working on the worth of their names, I'm setting out a container of base 10 blocks and name cards.  My kids will work with the actual base 10 blocks and build their names.  I will have them record their work with the camera on the iPad so that I can look through them at the end of the day.  I really just want my kids identifying tens and ones and I'll have them write down the number of tens and ones on a dry erase sleeve and make sure to include that in the picture of their base 10 block name creation.  

MATH TUB #5

Name Math is a simple activity where my kids will be breaking down their names with numbers. They will do exactly as the recording sheet indicates.  Write their name and record the number of letters in their name.  Record that number in their tens frame and show it with tallies as well.  Then they will write the number of vowels and consonants in their name and write a matching equation.  They will also find two different classmates names and write them down based on who has more and fewer letters in their names.   You can download your copy HERE or click on the pic below.

Again, I can't say enough about Deanna and Deedee's writing units.  I use these to guide my instruction and that's what you see in my writers workshop block.

To answer any questions about the Science/Social Studies plans, here we go.

The "All About Me Bags" I'm referencing for student share are a little show and tell activity I send home with my kids the week before.  I send home a paper bag (brown lunch sack) with a note attached asking my kids to bring 3 things to school that fit in the bag and tell a little bit about themselves.  They have to be able to articulate why they included those items.  I have them share throughout the week so that it doesn't take so long all in one sitting.

Monday's activity looks like this...

In Kindergarten, we put the sentence together. In first grade, my kids will write a sentence telling what makes them special using the prompt, "I am special because...".

You can read more about that HERE.

On Tuesday, we'll be doing completing these darling flip books from the talented Reagan Tunstall from Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits.

And Friday's Sci Fri experiment looks like this...

You can read more about that HERE and grab a recordable observation sheet for science journals as well.

Whew!!!  

I **think** that concludes my plans for incorporating names into my instruction!  I'd love to hear what you do in yours so that I can add those ideas to my teacher toolkit :)  

If you're interested in incorporating a focused study on names into your plans, you can grab many of the activities mentioned in last week and this week's plans in my Say My Name unit.

Deanna Jump also has a great name unit....

And I love these activities from Julie Lee as well...