Submitted by: Angela Watson

Grade Levels: K-3

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.

 

Lesson Plan Common Core State Standards Alignments

Students will:

  1. Develop emerging literacy skills.
  2. Explore letters and letter sounds.

Materials:

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 (invite students to color in if you don't have access to a color printer.) Glue each letter onto card stock, poster board, or other heavy paper and laminate for durability if desired.

Lesson Procedure:

  1. Mix up the Moby Alphabet cards and hold them up one at a time for the class. Have students say the name of the letter or the sound the letter 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.
  2. To 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.
  3. Give each student a letter. Write a sight word on the board with a blank in place of one letter. Ask students to come to the front of the room and stand in front of the blank where their letter should be. Does more than one letter make sense? You may want to use the Rhyming movie and features to supplement this activity.
  4. Distribute one letter to each student, 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?
  5. 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!