Notice all the ways that Oak Room students are engaged with letters, words, reading, and writing. This interest was evident on our very first day of school and continues to this day.

Bananagram letters are available for open-ended play with letters.

Combining letters in lots of different ways, then sounding out the invented word, is a source of delight. Some children spell their names, or their parents’ names.

Often we notice small groups of children creating words together. We hear comments such as, I can’t find any E’s! Then a friend replies, Here’s one!

Magnetic lower case letters are combined here with banana-gram pieces. Carlin knows how to spell WICKED from a TV show, and adds EYE.

Individual exploration of the letter pieces.

The connected letter trays have become a word tunnel.

Here’s a video showing the word tunnel construction:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ux7m15YxKEbKZTeS7

Playing a game with the letters.

On Cal’s first day of school in the Oak Room, he noticed no symbols were available. So he made his own.

Practicing letters.

An X made at our mini-studio table.

The tactile experience of tracing letters is another way to learn letter formation.

Drawing is a symbolic representation of one’s thinking and is another way children prepare for a life of reading and writing.

This chart shows the sequential steps of the snack routine- from hand-washing, to cleaning the table, and going to the bathroom. Following each step- represented by an icon which is numbered and labeled- is a way young children can “read” and independently gather information.

Reading books together regularly encourages the connection between the words read aloud with the words printed on the pages.

Signing in every morning is part of our daily morning routine. Name cards are available for Oak Roomers to remind them of the letters in their names, and to provide clues for how to construct their letters.

Can you think of other ways children explore literacy in their daily lives?

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