Children’s Technology Program Plan
Grade Level: Toddler/Preschool
Theme: Alphabet Stories
Program Objective:
Children will be able identify upper and lower case letters.
Materials:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Augie to Zebra by Kate Endle and Caspar Babypants
magnetic letters, felt letters, letter cards
iPad
iPad App(s) Information: Letter School by Sanoma Media Netherlands B.V.
Description: Teaches how to write upper and lower case letters as well as numbers. This app
also helps to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination and explore different handwriting
styles.
Staff Review: The Letter School app does an excellent job introducing how letters are formed.
The app provides three different types of writing practice on each letter identified with stars at
the bottom of the screen. The first star has the learner touch the starting point of a chosen letter
and then the app demonstrates how to write the letter. For the second star, the learner must trace
the letter from each starting point of formation. The last star is intended to be written all by
yourself unless you do it wrong and then it will provide reminder formation help. Although the
app is excellent, understanding how to do each of these stars needs adult assistance until the
child understands how it works. The last star can also be too difficult for younger children.
Instructions for use: Choose a few letters to focus on. This is an app for developing the fine
motor skill of writing the letters through tracing. Uppercase or capital letters are best for
preschool and younger children. Tell the children to get their pointer finger (index) finger ready
for sky writing. Demonstrate writing in the air. Use the app to trace the letter for the three
practice times while kids sky write. Repeat with a different letter. Do only a few focus letters. If
you have some iPads. Set children up to practice this app after the story-time.
iPad App(s) Information: ABC Alphabet Phonics – Preschool Kids Game Free Lite by
Grasshopper Apps.com
Description: An exciting interactive and engaging app that allows children to learn the alphabet
through all of their senses. Use the special features to create a multiple sensory learning tool.
Staff Review: ABC Alphabet Phonics App interactively allows children to identify letters and
sounds. Because this app is more about identification of a letter and identification of a sound it
is designed so that the settings can be changed to do different things and practice various skills at
different levels of knowledge. This is the best part of this app. But it is important to think about
what skill you are testing in the different settings. The full version of this app may be worth the
purchase price.
Instructions for use: After singing “The Alphabet Song”, use the app to focus on several letters.
Have the children use their letter recognition skills to recognize the letter you’re focusing on at
the time. Continue through the app and celebrate the child’s success!
Sequence of Events: introduction, primary activity, secondary activity, evaluation
Introduction: Sing the song, “I Am Here and You Are Here”. Introduce the alphabet theme by
asking these questions:
How many of you know the some of the letters in the alphabet?
Let’s see if how many you can tell me the names of these? You can use the ABC phonics
app with the iPad or hold up a few focus letters, magnetic letters, felt letters or letter
cards?
Do you know the alphabet song?
Do you think you can sing it with me?
Parent Moment: Before we sing this song, I just want to warn you that we will sing the middle
part slow. Most young children think there is a letter in the middle of the alphabet song called the
“Elemento” because we tend to sing to song so fast that we don’t distinctly say those letters.
Memorizing the song or rote memorization of the alphabet is an important skill but it is not the
same skill as letter recognition. Letter recognition is the skill of identifying a letter by name in
both the upper and lower case form out of ABC order and without picture clues. We will do both
skills today.
Activity/Song 1: Sing the song, “The Alphabet Song”
Read Aloud 1: Read Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Materials: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault
Activity/Song 2: Present the fingerplay, “Finger Band”
Activity/Song 3: Sing the song, “Razzama Tazzama” by Ellen Feldman
Read Aloud 2: Read Augie to Zebra by Kate Endle and Caspar Babypants
Materials: Augie to Zebra by Kate Endle and Casper Babypants
Activity/Song 4: Letter School App
Choose a few letters to focus on. This is an app for developing fine motor skill of writing the
letters through tracing. Uppercase or capital letters are best for preschool and younger children.
Children usually should be at least four to try tracing lower case letters. Tell the children to get
their pointer finger (index) finger ready for sky writing. Demonstrate writing in the air. Use the
app to trace the letter for the three practice times while kids sky write. Repeat with a different
letter. Do only a few focus letters. If you have some iPads. Set children up to practice this app
after the story-time.
Activity/Song 5: Alphabet craft and/or activities.
If you have some iPads, allow children to play with the Letter School app and trace letters. To
share iPads, allow some children to do craft or activity while others do iPads and then switch. If
you don’t have iPads, provide letter tracing cards to practice tracing the letters or do salt/rice
writing on a cookie tray. Kids can practice writing letters in shaving cream, pudding, whipped
cream or finger-paint.
Conclusion: Sing the song, “I Wave Goodbye Like This”
Common Core State Standards for Language: Conventions of Standard English CC.1.a
For more information, contact:
Jamie Collett, Children’s Library Assistant
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh – West End
412.921-1717
[email protected]
http://www.facebook.com/CLPWestEnd