Print Conveys Meaning

Teaching children that letters form words, words form sentences, and that those sentences carry meaning can be a very abstract concept.  This is why I introduce it with printed words coming directly out of their mouths.  

I started this process the first week of school.  I gave them a large sheet of watercolor paper & crayons and had them decorate it anyway they like.

The next week they added watercolor.

On the third week I interviewed them.

The last and most fun step is to get the kids to pose with their mouth open.  Print and cut the outline of their head and then glue their responses .

Each child had an opportunity to "read" their sentences to their friends.  

Pete the Cat

Rocking In Our School Shoes

We love reading Pete the Cat books! That cat really does LOVE his shoes and so do we!

After reading Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes, I took a photo of everyone's shoes.  

I made a Powerpoint with the pictures and displayed it on the Smart Board.  As each shoe was displayed we answered the following questions:

1. What kind of shoes are these?

2. Do you wear these shoes when it's hot, cold, or both?

3. Are these shoes best for walking or running?

4. Do these shoes belong to a boy or a girl? How do you know?

5. Who do these shoes belong to?

Class Book
I printed the slides from the powerpoint and made a class book.

Shared Writing
We graphed each child's shoes by color.  We then wrote how their shoes got to be that color.  For example:  Angie stepped in a pile of ketchup (she has red shoes)

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Download free Pete the Cat Activities and songs:

http://www.harpercollinschildrens.com/feature/petethecat/