Karen Birk Movement Lesson Sight Words, Word Shapes and Letter Touches Revised Lesson Plan 8-19-09

Title of Lesson: Sight Words, Word Shapes and Letter Touches

Grade Level: First Grade

Movement Strategy: Kinesthetic Movement

Main Objectives: Students will recognize that words are comprised of letters, that when written together, create a word shape. Students will recognize the shape of sight words and use movement to indicate letters in relation to handwriting lines. Students will be able to practice sight word shapes in small groups or with partners. (Variation- Students will verbally spell the words or say sounds while acting out letter touches/word shapes to reinforce word recognition and spelling)

Cognitive: Letter placement in relation to top, middle and base lines in writing sight words, shape of sight words, automaticity of reading sight words (recall spelling of sight words)

Affective: Energized, confident

Social: Team building, performance, helpfulness, leadership

Artistic: Freedom to act out height difference in letters

State Standards: - 3.3.3 Knows and applies appropriate grade level writing conventions; writes legibly -1.4.1 Apply word recognition skills and strategies to read fluently; know common sight words.

Time: 20-30 minutes (including initial explanation and warm up song)

Space Requirement: For initial lesson gather students in open, whole group space. Future lessons and practice may be done in large personal space, spread out in partners or small groups.

Materials: For whole group, 1 set of sight word cards as they are introduced each day/week. Or 1 set for each partnership or small group. I suggest beginning with whole group. In subsequent lessons, you may want to divide students into small groups or partners as they are able to practice more independently. Song: “Letters Touch”- words on next page. A drum may be used to give nonverbal rhythm cues to time the actions for letters/word shapes. Karen Birk Movement Lesson Sight Words, Word Shapes and Letter Touches Revised Lesson Plan 8-19-09

Warm up: “Letters Touch” song (adapted words by Karen Birk) sung to the tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. This will come initially after a brief introduction, but will be used in future lessons to begin the activity as a warm up.

Lesson: First explain that when we write letters together to make a word or to spell your name, they create a word shape. Draw on the board or large easel tablet the shape of the word “hay” . “This is a word shape for the word hay”.

Then prove by writing the letters h, a, y inside the shape. *

“When we write letters and words using handwriting lines to guide us, we see that some letters are tall and touch the top line (quickly draw a top line), some are short and come only up to the middle line (draw the middle line), and some go below the base line. ” (draw the bottom/base line) Write the word “hay” in the 3 handwriting lines.

*Quickly superimpose 3 handwriting lines on the word shape that has the word “hay” inside.

“You’re probably so smart that you remember about those 3 lines from last year! In fact, there’s a song that tells about this. It’s called “Letters Touch”. It goes like this…” Sing song slowly to the tune of Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes while demonstrating exaggerated movements.

Song:

Top line, mid line or go below, go below (stretch/reach up high, hands at waist, bend and stretch to floor as for letters y, g, p, j) Top line, mid line or go below, go below Every letter that I write will do one of these three, (use large-whole arm writing motions in air as though touching top line, mid, hang below) Touch the top line, mid line or go below, go below

Ask students to stand and sing/do movements with you. Praise exaggerated motions. Karen Birk Movement Lesson Sight Words, Word Shapes and Letter Touches Revised Lesson Plan 8-19-09

“I will write the letter o. (write each in 3 lines on board or tablet) Can you show me the motion that tells what line this letter touches? (hands at waist) Exactly! How about for letter l ? (reach high above head) Right! Let’s put letters l and o together (write them on board together) and show their word shape by silently moving our bodies. OK, let’s add letter g. (reach low) While I point to each letter, silently show this word’s shape (log) with your body movements. (reach high, hands at waist, reach low) “Awesome! Your body examples are very high, right on your waist, and bent over low!”

*At this point you may want to introduce the drum beat as the nonverbal timing signal to show movement for the next letter.

Show and say the first sight-word card I for this day. Ask all students to “act” out this word shape without talking. Encourage and praise exaggerated high reaching. “Turn, and without any sound, show someone else how high you reached. Terrific!”

“Now see if you can show me the word shape for look beginning with l (point to each letter to give initial guidance in the timing of the movements. Add the drum as students are ready) You’re really getting the hang of this. Let’s all silently act the word shape for look. Now turn and show someone else. Wonderful!”

Assessment: Review the sight words and shapes learned in the lesson noting any who seem unsure as to the sequence of movements. Have several volunteers simultaneously act out the shapes of the words again. All students repeat to give practice without calling attention to those who have trouble. Quickly draw the word shapes for I and look on the board.

“So, which of these word shapes is for the word I? For the word look? When I show you the word card, you act out the word shape without sounds or talking. Ready? (show cards, giving time for them to act the shapes. Use the drum to indicate timing if appropriate)

“Now turn and silently show someone else or me this word shape.” (show a word card) “Great word shape actions! You’ve got it.” *With the introduction of each new sight word or each new day of several sight words, review the word shapes/sight words already learned. Karen Birk Movement Lesson Sight Words, Word Shapes and Letter Touches Revised Lesson Plan 8-19-09

In future reviews for sight words, you may want to have a student show the word cards for the class to act the shapes of.

Culminating Activity: Sing the “Letters Touch” song again.

 These lessons may precede a handwriting practice activity or where tracing or writing words are used to practice for word recognition automaticity.

Adaptations:

 To aid in learning the spelling of the sight words for use in future creative writing tasks, you may want to add naming the letters (spelling the word) as each letter shape is being acted. For further practice, say only sounds of letters while acting out the word shape.

 After the word shape is acted while spelling the word, students can create a tableau to add at the end of word-shape actions for words such as nouns, verbs etc. that can be shown in a tableau. This may help students associate the printed word with meaning. Examples are look (add the action of looking), I (point to self), go (point away emphatically)

 For review of sight words already practiced, divide students into small groups. Give each group a stack of word cards placed face down. Each student in group takes a card. Taking turns, students show their card to the group who acts the word shape together (while spelling, and ending in tableau if desired)

 Partners may also take turns picking a card for their partner to act the word- shape movements to.

 Word shapes may be drawn on the board and students may select all words learned that can “fit” that word shape. Further “clues” may be given to refine the search for a particular word by acting a tableau for a particular word, or by giving initial sounds, medial sounds, or ending sounds etc.

 Teacher may act a word shape, and students, each having a set of word cards, hold up a word card that “fits”.

 Whole group silent practice may be used as a transition activity. Karen Birk Movement Lesson Sight Words, Word Shapes and Letter Touches Revised Lesson Plan 8-19-09

 Use as an activity to refocus attention. As students become aware of others acting out word shapes, they will join in the “word shape dance”.

 Students may create a word shape dance for their name.

 Practice spelling words creatively through acting word shapes. Students may “drill” each other by acting the shape while the partner locates the word and spells it back verbally. (A different take on spelling the word on a partners’ back)

 Do an “Alphabet Dance” using light drum beats to indicate advancing to the next letter in the alphabet that students should act the shape of. Connecting them in slow sequence creates a dance. Add lateral movements to make the dance more fluid. Karen Birk Movement Lesson Sight Words, Word Shapes and Letter Touches Revised Lesson Plan 8-19-09