Erica Walker

Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School

Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program

ANIMAL ALPHABET HUNT Identify the letter of the alphabet that makes the sound the instructor uses.
Once you identify that letter, hunt for an object nearby that has the same beginning letter sound. Children
who have elevated word recognition will be given three letters of the alphabet that can form a word: such as
the letters A, P, and T can make the word PAT and TAP.

CONTEXT OF LESSON

This lesson is appropriate for kindergarten students, because it is helping them with their oral
development and word recognition skills. Lauren has told us that the students in Ms. ___s class have
learned the letters of the alphabet, so this activity helps reinforce students memory of all 26 letters
and how they sound when they say them.

I observed the children in the classroom creating sentences for animals that do certain activities. This
showed me that students know the alphabet and how to incorporate it into sentences. I noticed the
teacher would make the sound of the first letter of the animal to reinforce their oral development of
sounds. I will be reinforcing the teachers practice of emphasizing the beginning sound of words and
show how it connects to the letters of the alphabet.

Students in the classroom are learning how to read and write sentences, which I observed in the
classroom. The teacher had her students write about animals they like and a fact about that animal.
This hunt will reinforce and possibly introduce the students to wild animals and the sound of the first
letter in each name. I saw that the students worked well independently playing and learning. They
could do activities on their own, except for the guided lessons on the carpet. From my observation, I
think students work best through observation and exploring through play. They can investigate
different subjects they are interested in and enrich themselves using strategies that they prefer. Not all
classroom strategies fit every student, so I think it is beneficial to give the kindergarten students a
choice in what they learn on their own. Literacy and language, however, should be enforced more by
the teachers.
OBJECTIVES AND ASSESSMENT

Developmental Objectives Assessment

1. The students will be able to find the
letter of the alphabet in the station based
on the sound of the letter.
2. The students will be able to identify
what surrounding figurines make or do
not make the same beginning sound as
the letter found.
I will record how the students approach looking for the letters. This will
show their ability to observe and identify the letter connected to the
sound. I will also record if they found the letter and were able to
differentiate what animals started with the beginning letter of the sound
I made or not.
I will record the students explanation to why a certain figurine does or
does not make the same sound as the letter I tell them to find. For
example, if there is a pig next to the letter P, they will be able to tell me
they make the same beginning sound. However, if there is a pig by the

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

letter Z, they should be able to identify that the first letters of each word
do not make the same sound.

RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (K & 1) OR FOUNDATION BLOCKS (Preschool)

English Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools

K.4 The student will identify, say, segment, and blend various units of speech sounds:
.
a) Begin to discriminate between spoken sentences, words, and syllables.
c) Blend and segment multisyllabic words at the syllable level.
e) Identify words according to shared beginning and/or ending sounds.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Magnetic Letters of the Alphabet- Ms. _______

Animal figurines to place next to the letters I will provide include
A tiger, turtle, zebra, panda, pig, cow, snake, squirrel, elephant, rabbit, rhino, giraffe, cat, cheetah, horse,
ant-eater, American black bear, and dolphin.

Instruction Cards
Camera

PROCEDURE

Preparation of learning environment- My station is in the back corner of the room, which
has a bookshelf (not magnetic) where I will put the magnetic letters and the
corresponding wild animal figurines inside of. I will find objects on the bookshelf I can
hide the letters (in plain sight) for the students to find. Then, I will place 3 figurines next
to each letter: 2 figurines have the same shared beginning sound and one does not. For
example, I will put an ant-eater, American black bear, and dolphin figurine next to the
letter A. I will then prompt the students to name the animals and which one have a
shared beginning sound. This group is tricky, so I will only use the letter A to test the
children with higher literacy skills. Next to the letter C, I will put a cat, cheetah, and
horse. For the letter P-which I will use with lower literacy levels- I will put a panda, pig,
and cow next to it. For R, I will put a rabbit, rhino, and giraffe. The letter S will have a
snake, squirrel, and elephant next to it. Lastly, the letter T will have a turtle, tiger, and
zebra next to it. I have grouped which letters I will use for each group based on their
skill levels. Groups Red, Blue, and Purple are the highest groups, so I will give them
more challenging letters. For example, the letters for Group Blue and Red are C, A, and
T. The letters for Group Purple are C, R, and T. Group Green and Pink (lower levels)
will have the letters S, R, and T. Lastly, Group Orange and Yellow (lowest level) will
have S, P, and T.

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

Engagement and introduction of the lesson- I will introduce my activity to the students by
telling them we are on an alphabet hunt and we need to find 3 different letters based on their
beginning sounds they make. I will have all 7 groups of 2-3 students work together to find the
letter of the alphabet that corresponds to the sound I make. Once they find the corresponding
letter and group of animals with it, I will have them bring the animals down to the carpet for us
all to look at. They can feel the animals and be able to observe what the animals look like up
close Then I will directly ask each student after we find the letter to identify the animals that
make the same or different beginning sound as the letter we find. For example, I will have a
turtle, tiger, and zebra next to the letter T, I will check the students ability to notice that zebra
does not make the same beginning sound as tiger and turtle.
Implementation of the lesson- Hi everyone! Today, we are going on an alphabet hunt. We are
going to be looking for the magnetic letters -in this station- which I will ask you to find! Does
everyone know their ABCs? Ok, then lets start. Can you find a letter of the alphabet that makes
an pah sound? Thats it, you found the letter P. The letter P makes the pah sound. Now, do
you see anything else next to the letter P? Yes, there are some wild animals. Lets bring our
animal friends down to the carpet, so we can all see them and play with them. Now tell me
(name of one of the students), can you name one of those animals that has the same beginning
sound as the letter P? Yes, a pig! Good job! (Name of another student), do you see another
animal that makes the same beginning sound as the letter P? Yes, a panda! (Name of a different
student), does this last object make the same beginning sound as the letter P? No, why not? Yes,
a zebra does not start with the letter P or make the same beginning sound (repeat instructions 1-2
more times with different letters of the alphabet).
Closure- will tell the students that they were able to show their ability to recognize words and
match them to the sounds they make. The students could differentiate which animals made the
same sound in the first letter of the word as the letter they are next to.
Clean-up- I will have the students put the animals back on the bookshelf where they found
them, with the corresponding letter and group of animals. Once the students begin moving to the
next station, I will reorganize my station based on which group is coming to my section in case
the students messed up the order which I put the animals.

DIFFERENTIATION

We are dividing the students into groups of 2-3 students. Each group will be divided by their reading
abilities. The teacher provided us a list of the students who are advanced in reading (red group) and
those who are slightly behind (orange group). There is a student in the classroom that does not talk, so I
will ask this specific student to nod their head yes or no if they understand something. Lauren told us
that this student- _____- is familiar with the first letter in her name. Since she knows the letter P, I will
ask her to look for that letter. Lauren told us not to prompt her for the correct answer, instead ask her
for comprehension. Depending on their recognition of words, I will either hide multiple letters that do
not relate to each other or letters than can spell out a word. For students who have lower word
recognition skills, I will hide letters that do not form a word. For students with a higher word
recognition, I will hide letters that create a word: like the letters C, A, and T make the word cat. If
students are struggling with my objectives, I will support their learning by explaining at the end of the
activity the purpose of the hunt and how it applies to their class. I will discuss how each objective
applied to information they are learning or have learned in the classroom.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

I could potentially not have time to reset my station for each rotation. It could take me some time to re-hide the
letters and I have limited time (1 minute) to reorganize. I could limit this issue by using similar letters for each
group, so I do not have to change every letter and hiding place for them. Also, I can organize my figurines ahead
of time so that I can quickly hide them on the bookshelf. If I run out of time and do not have all the letters ready,
I can tell the students to turn around and count to ten so I can finish hiding the letters. Another issue that could
arise is that I could set up my station for the wrong group. For example, the letter A has animals that children at
lower reading levels would not know: the animals I have for the letter A is an ant-eater and an American black
bear. They would be confused and not be as engaged if they are unfamiliar with the animal or sound of the first
letter.
Also, the students could try to search the entire classroom looking for the letters. Before this could happen, I will
tell the students that they are limited to the perimeter of my station. The students may get distracted by the
animals, but I will make sure to connect the activity back to the animals by asking questions about how the letter
connects with the animal.

There are 3 groups that consist of 2 students and the length of their hunt may be shorter since there are
less people. It also depends how quickly they can answer the questions I ask them. If it takes them a
short time to answer questions, I may not have enough time with them at the end. However, I can solve
this by asking the students what other animals make the same beginning sounds as the letters they
practiced in class.

Lesson Plan Reflection

As soon as possible after teaching your lesson, reflect on the experience. Use the questions/prompts below to guide
your thinking. Be thorough in your reflection and use specific examples to support your insights.

A. How did your actual lesson differ from your plans? Describe the changes you made & explain why you made
them. Be thorough & specific in your description. (3 pts)

B. Evaluate the impact of the lesson based on your plan for assessing learning and the individual data you
collected on each objective. Cite multiple examples of student behavior & language that document your
conclusions. (8 pts)

C. Describe at least one way you could incorporate developmentally appropriate practice in a better or more
thorough way if you were to present this lesson again. (2 pts)

D. If you were the teacher in this classroom, what follow-up experiences would you plan? (Develop your answer
based on the data that was collected and your observations during the lesson.) (2 pts)

E1. Share something you learned about young children as a result of planning and conducting the activity. Relate
this new knowledge to principles of child development or appropriate curriculum from your ELED 308 and
ECED 372 courses. (2 pts)

E2. Share something you learned about teaching as a result of planning and conducting this activity. Describe
how you will apply this new knowledge to upcoming opportunities for developing learning experiences for
children. (6 pts)

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

E3. Share something you learned about yourself as a result of planning & conducting this activity? (2 pts)

COLLECTION OF ASSESSMENT DATA

Students Name Reading Group Group for Found the Letter Found the figurine
Assessment (Y/N) (Y/N)
Student A Green- Highest Red A____ C_____ Ant Eater _
T_____ American Black
Bear __
Dolphin __
Cat (animal) ___
Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse___
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student B Green Red A____ C_____ Ant Eater _
T_____ American Black
Bear __
Dolphin __
Cat (animal) ___
Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse ___
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student C Green Red A____ C_____ Ant Eater _
T_____ American Black
Bear __
Dolphin __
Cat (animal) ___
Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse___
Tiger ____

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student D Yellow Blue A____ C_____ Ant Eater _
T_____ American Black
Bear __
Dolphin __
Cat (animal) ___
Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse___
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student E Green Blue A____ C_____ Ant Eater _
T_____ American Black
Bear __
Dolphin __
Cat (animal) ___
Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse___
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student F Green Blue A____ C_____ Ant Eater _
T_____ American Black
Bear __
Dolphin __
Cat (animal) ___
Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse___
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student G Yellow- High Purple C_____R_____ Cat (animal) ___
T_____ Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse ___
Rabbit ___

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student H Yellow Purple C_____R_____ Cat (animal) ___
T_____ Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse ___
Rabbit ___
Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student I Yellow Purple C_____R_____ Cat (animal) ___
T_____ Cat (word for
advanced students)
___
Cheetah__
Horse ___
Rabbit ___
Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student J Blue Green R_____S_____ Rabbit ___
T_____ Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student K Yellow Green R_____S_____ Rabbit ___
T_____ Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

Student L Blue Green R_____S_____ Rabbit ___

T_____ Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student M Blue Pink R_____S_____ Rabbit ___
T_____ Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student N Red Pink R_____S_____ Rabbit ___
T_____ Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student O Blue- Low Pink R_____S_____ Rabbit ___
T_____ Rhino ____
Giraffe _____
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student P Red- Lowest Yellow P ____ S_____ Panda ___
T_____ Pig __
Cow __
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student Q Red Yellow P ____ S_____ Panda ___
T_____ Pig __
Cow __

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 Erica Walker
Ms. _____s Kindergarten at ________Elementary School
Lesson Presented on October 13th at 8:30am
Written Plan Submission: October 2nd, 2017

Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student R Red Orange P ____ S_____ Panda ___
T_____ Pig __
Cow __
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____
Student S Red Orange P ____ S_____ Panda ___
T_____ Pig __
Cow __
Snake _______
Squirrel ______
Elephant ____
Tiger ____
Turtle ____
Zebra____

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