I have a little poppy,
as red as red can be.
To help me remember those,
who keep Canada free.
Remembrance Day is observed on November 11 in Canada. This day of reflection is meant to honour the sacrifices of the brave men and women who serve and have served in our armed forces to protect Canadian freedom. This day can be abstract for young children so I have created some resources to use in our literacy and art centers as supports. Feel free to download and use in your program!
"/P/ is for pumpkin!
After I'm done painting I'm going to write a P on my paper!"
When children are learning to read, there are many foundational skills that help set them up for success. One of these important skills is initial sound fluency.
Initial sound fluency is the ability to quickly hear and identify the first sound in a spoken word. For example, when a child hears the word sun, they can tell you that it begins with the /s/ sound. When they hear ball, they know it starts with /b/.
This may seem like a simple skill, but it is actually an important building block for both reading and writing.
Before children can connect letters to sounds, they need to be able to hear the sounds within words. Initial sounds are often the easiest sounds for young learners to identify because they occur at the beginning of the word.
When children practice identifying beginning sounds, they are developing their phonological awareness. This helps them:
Children who can quickly identify beginning sounds are often better prepared to learn letter-sound relationships and decode simple words.
The good news is that practicing initial sounds can be fun and playful.
Try some of these simple activities:
Play a game of "I Spy" using sounds instead of letters.
"I spy something that starts with /m/."
Children can look around the room and identify objects such as a marker, map, or mug.
Invite children to search for objects that begin with a particular sound. They might collect items beginning with /t/ or find pictures that start with /p/.
Pause during a favourite story and explore words that begin with the same sound.
*"Bear begins with /b/. Can you think of another word that starts with /b/?"
Gather small objects or picture cards and sort them according to their beginning sounds.
To help practice these skills in a whole and small group experience, I have created two resources. Feel free to use with your students!
