Names Unit

Back to Integrated  Units

Indicator 1:  Analyze U.S. historical eras to determine connections and cause/effect relationships in reference to chronology.

DAY ONE TO DAY LAST:

Each child's name will be on a popsicle stick to be placed in the "name can".  Choose a name as you explain that each child will have their own day and they will have to wait to find out each day whose name it will be. Then follow the routine below:

• choose name from sticks

• write the chosen name on sentence strip as the child tells you what letter to write. As you write,  talk about each letter and ask if they know what will come next, saying the name and stretching it each time you write a letter, use the teachable moment!

• cut apart to make “puzzle”, I usually am very dramatic about the cutting..they like big cuts, fancy zigzag cuts etc.  Good time to use the Fiskar pattern scissors.

• child will put together the individual letter "puzzle pieces" in a pocketchart, in name order

• turn original over to match, make corrections in placement if needed.

• the next day, before a new name is chosen, place the previous name on the word wall

“Cheer/Chant” name…EX:  ”give me an A, give me an N etc.  what does that spell…ANNIKA…" repeat 2 more times, then move both the sentence strip original and the puzzle to the puzzle name center.

OTHER CIRCLE ACTIVITIES:

"Roll the Ball" - name game

Have all of the children sit in a circle on the rug. Pass a ball around the circle and as each child receives the ball they say their name aloud (to help everyone learn everyone's name). Go around the circle several times. You can vary it by having the children SHOUT their names or whisper their names. You can increase the speed so that everyone tries to say their name quickly as they pass the ball around quickly. The length of this activity may vary depending on the children's interest . Then tell the children when they get the ball, they can say a new friend's name and roll the ball to that person (Help with the names, if the children are unsure.). Continue rolling the ball across the circle until everyone has at least one turn. You may choose to play another round depending on the children's interest.

Alphabet Name Game

Hold up a letter (on a card, or write a letter on a chalkboard) and ask the children whose name begins with that letter. Teach the children the following song using that letter:

(to the tune of "Mary Had a Little Lamb")

If your name begins with _,
begins with _, begins with _,
If your name begins with _ stand up please.

Encourage children whose names begin with that letter to stand up. Then they sit back down. Repeat until you've used the first letter of everyone's name (You may not use all letters of the alphabet.)

Other uses for Name Cards

Lining Up:  When you're ready to have students line up, silently show one name at a time. When a child reads his name, he gets in line. *a cute version of this from The Virtual Vine is to use your Ellison to make white rabbits, label each with a name and laminate.  When ready to line up , draw the names from a hat, the children read the name and line up

Random Groups:  Fan the cards and have a volunteer choose a given number of cards.  Those children will be in that child's group.  Continue until the groups are set.

CENTERS

Center One:

Name Center:  Children take a bag that contains a sentence strip with a name on it and another strip cut into "puzzle pieces".  The children are to put the pieces in order to spell a classmates name or their name, they may or may not need to use the other strip to spell the name.  Eventually the goal is that they will be able to arrange the letters of their name and their friends, not using the master strip, other than to check at the end. 

Center Two:

Rice Name:  Names will be pre-printed using the computer to ensure good size, traced with glue, and colored rice added to the glue for a textured name.  Can also use glitter, but very messy as we all know! Or: beans, pasta cereal aquarium gravel.  The rougher the item when glued, the better the tactile experience.  Try having them close their eyes and trace their names!

Center Three:

Trace Names:  Using the light table, the children will "rainbow trace" their names using the name templates  or spell independently.  Remember you may want to instruct them how many colors are in a rainbow(7)!  

Center Four:

Magnetic Letters:  Find the letters in their name and match to the template or spell independently, on magnetic surface, cookie sheets work well as do the "TV" trays...check with a magnet before you buy!  I bought many at "Saver's", any second hand type place would work though.

Center Five:

Trace the beginning letter of each child's name on a piece of cardstock/tagboard, I suggest including arrows and starting dots!  You can either have just small cars to "drive" the formation of the letter OR you can have metal cars and a strong magnet to make the car drive around by manipulating the magnet under the paper

Center Six:

Names from print. Have newspapers, scissors, glue, constructions paper and "decorative" items.  Encourage each child to search through the magazines and newspapers and cut out the letters in her name.  As each letters is count out, they need to glue it to a sheet of construction paper.  When the name is completed, decorate the border as desired.

Center Seven:

Memory with names and faces:  Two sets of cards are placed in the center, one has a picture of the child, the other has the name.  Both sets are mixed up and then placed face down in rows  the pictures on one side and the names on the other,to form a square. The first player turns over a picture card and then a name card, if there is a match the cards are kept.  If they don't match the cards are returned to their original positions. Continue with the next player until all cards are matched.

Center Eight:

Friendship station:  Make sheets that have Uppercase letters A-Z down the left side of the paper with a little space available to write beside each.  The students will copy classmates names from the word wall onto the sheet.  I wait until two or three names are up at least.  I make this a continuing center over several days.

Another version is to have just the child's name down the side:

J--Jolene

I--Ike

L--Lilly

L--Luke

However, there are usually many names that don't match their letters to names available, so I prefer having the entire alphabet available to them. 

A more difficult version is to replace the picture cards with another set of name cards, the object being to match two same names.

Other Activities:

Cookie Names:  Purchase a roll of cookie dough.  Give each student a slice or two of cookie dough.  Show them how to roll the dough into a ball then into a snake.  Use the snakes to form student initials.  Bake according to package directions.  The students can make their initials extra special by sprinkling on colored sugar.

Individual Books:

Begin "I Am Special Book". Decorate the front of it to look like yourself. Add a page or two each day. Some topics could include the following:

My name is ________________and I am ____________years old.

I have______sisters and _____brothers.

I have a pet___________.
I like to ____________________at school.
My best friend is _______________________________.
I like to _______________________at home.
I have ______________hair and __________________eyes.

Possible ways to answer:  stamps depicting answer, child writes, teacher writes child dictation, stickers depicting answer, coloring swatches to indicate color.

Name Train:

Pre-cut one engine, one caboose, cars ( for each child), 2 wheels for each car, when they have mastered their first name, one wheel goes up, last name, second wheel goes ukp

COMPUTER

Students will use the KidPix program to type their name or using the writing tool, write their name.  They will have a copy of their name on tagboard to follow and will use it as needed.

SONGS

BULLETIN BOARD:

Title:  Our Little Stars

Dark Blue background, Yellow stars big enough to have a child's face in the center,  each star will have a hole punched also, so that a light can be inserted through the back.

POCKETCHART POEMS:

NOTE:  Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?

In addition to simply chanting, you can have the children slap their legs and clap to the beat while chanting.      Children like to sing the chant and substitute name cards in the chart.

Class Books:

Friend Book

Patterned after "Brown Bear, Brown Bear"

Take a picture of everyone in your class and then as a group.  The first page  write after the children illustrate:  "_____________, _____________ Who do you see?" The back of the first page is a photograph of the subject of the second page since the author of the second page will be drawing a picture of the subject and it will then match the picture.  Words for the top of the page:  "I see _______, looking at me!" Bottom: "__________,_________ who do you see?" etc. The last page is "Teacher, Teacher etc.

My Friends

Each page has the programmed text of  "My friend is_________, we like to___________." I pick who their friend will be to make sure all get a friend, after all,  we are working towards that!  I also provide a picture again to match with the artist's illustration as well as one of the artist, to face the illustrated page.

Who We Are (also a predictable chart)

Actually made as part of the "name cheer" done daily.  Using the students name for that day, complete the following sentence frame( I laminate a chart page and use the same one each day, you could also use a new page and send it home with the student)

My name is___________.   I am_______years old.   I like _________________.

Read it several times , by reading every day it becomes a predictable chart and they'll soon recognize the words. (Be sure to track along with a pointer as you read with your students)  Have each student draw a picture of the "spotlight" student and write their name below it.  Compile all the pictures keeping the selected child's separate.  Two books will be made:  One is a class book made with the selected child's self-portrait, and the other is a book for the child of the classmates drawings. 

Predictable Charts:

Read the book Chrysanthemum.  Make a predictable chart using large chart paper.  List each student's name on a line with a colon behind it.  Beside each student's name, write the sentence from:  I wish my name was_______.  Have each student dictate their answer.  Read over the chart daily, teaching name recognition, sight words, and one/one word match. Track with a pointer as you read!

Who We Are

Additional Notes:

Providing Boundaries:  a good tip from our special ed teacher! Some children have difficulty writing within the lines due to developmental or perception difficulties.  Use a highlighter to trace the top and bottom lines, you can also use a different color for each line if needed.  Instruct the child to either have their pencil go all the way to the yellow line and all the way to the green line(if different) OR to make sure they fit their letter between the lines. 

RESOURCES:

www.hummingbirded.com/name_phone_address_time.html

The Mailbox:, Kindergarten  Aug/Sept 1997

Mrs. Griffin

Mrs. Williamson

Virtual Vine