Submitted by: Angela Watson
In this literary skills lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades K-3, students use BrainPOP Jr. resources to develop emerging literacy skills. The lesson plan explains a variety of different ways that the Moby alphabet printable can be used to help children explore letters and letter sounds.
- Develop emerging literacy skills.
- Explore letters and letter sounds.
- Access to BrainPOP Jr. and BrainPOP Educators
- Moby Alphabet
- Card stock or heavy paper
Preparation:Print out the Moby Alphabet. The alphabet shows Moby's body in the shape of different letters, and is available in a full-color version or black and white (which students can color for you if you don't have acces to a color printer.) Glue each letter onto card stock, poster board, or other heavy paper and laminate for durability if desired.
- The Moby Alphabet can be used in conjunction with a variety of BrainPOP Jr. topics all throughout the year! Here are a few ideas to get you started:
- Mix up the cards and hold them up one at a time for the class. Have students say the name of the letter or the sound it makes. Set a timer and see how fast the class can name the letters or sounds, and encourage them to beat their time! Or, have students name, point to, write, or draw something that starts with each letter.
- Meet the needs of kinesthetic learners! Hold up different cards and challenge students to position their bodies like Moby while they recite the letter name or sound.
- Give each student a letter. Write a sight word on the board with a blank in place on one letter. Ask students to come to the front of the room and stand in front of the blank if they think the word would make sense with their letter. Does more than one letter make sense? You may want to use the Rhyming movie and features to supplement this activity.
- Pass out one letter to each child, and divide the class into small groups. Set a timer for five minutes and see how many words each group can make with the letters they have. Have students change groups and repeat the activity. Which letters were the easiest to make words with? The hardest? Why?
- Put the cards in a literacy center for students to explore on their own or with a partner throughout the school year. The corresponding activities can vary according to what you're studying each month: students can put the cards in alphabetical order, use them to make words, or sort them by self-selected or pre-determined criteria. The possibilities are endless!