Name Talk: Exploring Letter-Sound Knowledge in the Primary Classroom

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• Name cards or blank notecards and pens.
  
  
• Anecdotal note paper/post-its or a letter-sound screening sheet on which to take notes.
  
  
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henke (1996).
  
  
• A one-sheet class list written in large font or print. Find a logical ways to group the student names—i.e. seating groups or teams—so that the list can be more easily read.

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   K – 12  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing & Publishing Prose

Stapleless Book

The Stapleless Book can be used for taking notes while reading, making picture books, collecting facts, or creating vocabulary booklets . . . the possibilities are endless!

 

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WEBSITES

• Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names

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PREPARATION

• Organize students into small, heterogeneous groups of 4–6, i.e. by seating groups, seasonal birthdays, or friendship groups. Organizing by “ability” is less advantageous for this lesson, as the diversity of responses from a range of students is an asset to the conversation.
  
  
• Create name cards for the students, as well as one for yourself, if the children’s writing is not yet conventional. (It is worthwhile to try this lesson with student-written cards and teacher-written cards to explore the relative values of each, rather than making firm assumptions about the students’ abilities.)
  
  
• If you elect to have children write their own names, have a stack of notecards and marking pens available. Cutting 9"x12" card stock in three strips works well, or 3"x9."
  
  
• Review use of the Stapleless Book student interactive.

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